About Us

ASSISTments is comprised of educators, learning scientists, and software engineers that are dedicated to improving student learning through responsive online technology that is teacher-paced and evidence-based.

Our Mission is to impact advancements in math instruction to make teaching and learning more evidence-based and aligned to the diverse needs of students.

Our Vision is for every student to be seen, supported, and successful in math class.

We Believe In

1

Free, high quality learning resources. We are committed to keeping ASSISTments free and available to all teachers and students.

2

Flexible edtech that keeps teachers in the driver’s seat. We are a teacher-paced tool that enhances everyday instruction with actionable data.

3

Formative assessment as key to learning. Students receive immediate feedback and get to try again; it is never just about right or wrong - it’s about growth.

4

Constant innovation. Our team is always studying cutting edge ideas to make our product better, like crowdsourcing student supports and AI.

5

Equitable outcomes in teaching and learning. We are dedicated to demonstrating our impact on student achievement in diverse contexts with rigorous research. 

Our Equity Statement

We at ASSISTments acknowledge the long history of systemic racism in our education system, and strive to create equitable opportunities and improve math learning outcomes for historically marginalized student populations.

We continuously work to improve our impact by hiring diverse staff to consistently bring multifaceted perspectives to our work and by partnering with a diverse pool of teachers, students and researchers. Through our open availability, product design, and teacher support, we strive to bring forth educational equity and empower teachers with the tools, data, and training necessary to meet the needs of all students.

The ASSISTments Story

ASSISTments was developed in 2003 by husband and wife team, Neil and Cristina Heffernan, who began their careers as middle school math teachers in the 1990s. It was then that they identified a need for more effective student feedback and data-driven insights to inform classroom instruction. The Heffernans were early believers in educational technology that works with teachers and students.

Two People Standing Next to WPI Sign

The platform is offered completely free of charge. By providing feedback assistance to students and assessment data to teachers, ASSISTments has been able to increase student learning and make homework and classwork more effective for all teachers and students.

In 2019, the Heffernans founded The ASSISTments Foundation to scale up and expand ASSISTments; a solution given the highest marks of a US Department of Education-hosted study on “what works in education.” The ASSISTments Foundation, which was developed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, works in partnership with the various ASSISTments research and innovation projects at WPI, led by Heffernan. As a professor and computer scientist, Heffernan has received over $50 million in federal and philanthropic funding to support making research-backed impact with ASSISTments, which is dedicated to supporting free and open educational resources, and is compatible with a growing number of curricula used nationwide.