The Cobb Teaching and Learning System (CTLS) is a digital learning environment that precisely identifies what students know, supports student learning, engages parents, and empowers teachers with one goal: student success.

In February, an Ivy League study conducted by Kenneth Wong and Spencer Davis concluded that Cobb School District weathered the pandemic learning losses experienced by most public schools in the country far better. Wong and Spencer wrote: “An encouraging number of indicators suggest that CTLS likely played a role in Cobb’s impressive academic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Recently, Wong and Davis were joined by an education veteran and a former district superintendent, Joseph Wise, for an article about CTLS in the highly regarded professional journal, K-12 Dive. The three authors echoed the findings of the original study and praised the continuing results and the innovative approach of the CTLS platform:

“CCSD created their own high-quality digital learning system from the ground up, using closely supervised ed tech providers as partners for technical support. Early indicators of the initiative’s success are encouraging.”

The article further recommends CTLS as a model for tech-based learning nationwide. “Other districts could potentially design their own digital learning blueprints around the lessons gleaned from Cobb’s novel ed tech approach,” the authors wrote.

The development of CTLS began long before the pandemic. Current Superintendent Chris Ragsdale had a technology background when he became superintendent in 2014. His role as Cobb’s Chief Technology Officer before that prepared him for the challenges of Cobb Schools’ digital learning platform needs. The Covid response in early 2020 accelerated that need. “CTLS transformed from a collection of digital classroom supports into a fully integrated digital learning environment in a matter of months,” the K-12 Dive article states.

Since the rollout and integration of CTLS as a full-service digital learning platform, it has become an indispensable tool for Cobb teachers and students. According to the authors, “CTLS has become an integral component of Cobb’s educational landscape. Early research suggests CTLS contributed significantly to the district’s academic recovery during the pandemic. Planned future expansions to the program promise to amplify its effects.”

Cobb Schools is proud of CTLS and the fantastic reception of the platform by both the Cobb School District and the professional education community, as represented by the K-12 Dive article. As the in-house CTLS team continues to perfect and improve the platform daily, the District’s support of the system remains high as ever.

“What CTLS is now began with our Superintendent a decade ago, and today our students, teachers, and parents benefit from a one-stop-shop which makes learning better and easier,” said Chief Officer of Strategy and Accountability, John Floresta. “We won’t stop improving and are excited about additional features which will help extend learning from the classroom to the kitchen table.”