Evidence: why GeoJag should work
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the "demonstrates a rationale" level (Tier IV) asks for a well-defined logic model based on research, and an effort underway to study effectiveness. Here is GeoJag's logic model and the research behind it. Outcome data is being collected through built-in check-ins (see Measuring growth).
What students do
- Five standards-based missions on 11 maps
- Retrieval practice with immediate feedback
- Questions return on later days until mastered
- Written explanations and crew challenges (claim, evidence, reasoning)
- Daily Challenge as an entry task
What teachers do
- Assign missions and track completion
- Reteach the most-missed questions
- Score written responses (0–3)
- Group students by standard
- Turn on supports for ELL and IEP students
Short-term outcomes
- More practice time on geography standards
- Higher accuracy on new, unseen questions
- Stronger written explanations
- Higher engagement and participation
Long-term outcomes
- Mastery of state geography standards
- Growth from starting to final check-ins
- Stronger geographic reasoning and academic language
Research behind the design
| GeoJag feature | Research finding | Source |
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| Missions are short quizzes, not readings | Practice testing (retrieval practice) improves long-term retention more than restudying. | Roediger & Karpicke (2006), Psychological Science. doi; Dunlosky et al. (2013), Psychological Science in the Public Interest. doi |
| Questions return on a later day; mastery needs two different days | Spacing practice over time produces better retention than massed practice. | Cepeda et al. (2006), Psychological Bulletin. doi |
| Every answer gets an explanation, not just right or wrong | Feedback that explains the task and the process has strong effects on learning. | Hattie & Timperley (2007), Review of Educational Research. doi |
| Game design: story, progression, and rewards | Across 57 comparisons, digital games significantly improved learning compared with non-game instruction (effect size about 0.33), and well-designed game features added more. | Clark, Tanner-Smith & Killingsworth (2016), Review of Educational Research. doi |
| "Explain your thinking" and crew challenges | Writing-to-learn activities in content classes produce small, reliable gains in achievement, especially with prompts that ask students to reflect. | Bangert-Drowns, Hurley & Wilkinson (2004), Review of Educational Research. doi |
Measuring growth
Every map has a 10-question starting check-in and a final check-in with the same questions, two per mission. Results never affect a student's stamps. Teachers see class growth by mission, and the district dashboard shows growth by school and teacher.
A simple pilot design
- Pick 2–6 teachers and one map that matches a unit.
- Students take the starting check-in on day one.
- Teach the unit with GeoJag for 3–6 weeks.
- Open the final check-in from the teacher dashboard.
- Compare growth, active minutes, and standards mastered on the district dashboard.
What you can report
- Average growth from starting to final check-in, by school and teacher
- Standards mastered on new, unseen questions
- Active minutes per student per week
- Daily Challenge participation
- Number and quality (0–3) of written responses
For a stronger study (ESSA Tier III or II), compare pilot classes with similar classes that don't use GeoJag, using the same check-in or a district assessment.
District dashboard
District administrators sign in at geojag.com/district.html with their Google account. They see, for every school and teacher in the district: students, share active this week, active minutes, standards mastered, Daily Challenge participation, check-in growth, and written responses, plus a weekly usage chart. It shows totals only, never student names, and can be copied to a spreadsheet or printed.
Rollout and training
Getting students in
- Google Classroom import: teachers bring in their roster in a few clicks.
- Google sign-in for your school domains: students just choose "Sign in with Google."
- Class codes work anywhere, with no student email needed.
- Your IT team allows GeoJag once: see the IT setup page.
Every student
- Supports for English learners (by WIDA level) and IEP or 504 plans: read aloud, glossary, fewer choices, no timer, shorter missions, translation. See multilingual learners.
- Keyboard play and screen reader support. See the accessibility statement.
Our support promise
- We reply to every support request within one school day (weekdays, Pacific time).
- Problems that stop a class from playing are our top priority, and we keep you updated until they're fixed.
- Errors in content (a wrong fact, a broken question) are fixed within five school days of being reported.
- Contact: .
Your data stays yours
Export any time
Teachers can copy their class's results to a spreadsheet, or download everything about their class (every student's progress and responses) as a data file, at any time. Districts can ask for a full export of their data, delivered within 10 business days.
If GeoJag ever shuts down
We'll give schools at least 90 days' notice, keep the site running for that time so teachers can export their data, and then delete all student data within 60 days.
Deletion
Teachers can delete students and classes at any time. Classes unused for 18 months are deleted automatically. A district's data is deleted within 60 days after its agreement ends. See the privacy notice.
Security overview
| Hosting and storage | Student records are stored in Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore). The website is hosted by GoDaddy. No student records are stored on the web server. |
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| Encryption | All traffic uses HTTPS. Google encrypts stored data. |
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| Sign-in | Teachers and administrators sign in with Google. Students sign in with a random 8-character student code or their school Google account. GeoJag stores no passwords. |
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| Access control | Database rules let teachers see only their own classes and district administrators see only their district's totals. Student Google sign-in works only for school email domains we've approved for your district. |
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| Data collected | Only what the game needs: name, progress, written responses, active time, and supports turned on (never the reason). No ads, and data is never sold. The full list is in our data privacy agreement. |
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| Breach notification | We notify the district within 72 hours of confirming any unauthorized access to student data. |
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We're happy to complete your district's security questionnaire.
Privacy and accessibility
Data privacy agreement
We sign your district's data privacy agreement, or the Student Data Privacy Consortium's National Data Privacy Agreement. If you don't have one, we can provide ours. GeoJag is designed for FERPA and COPPA, and Washington's student privacy law (chapter 28A.604 RCW). See the privacy notice.
Accessibility
Our goal is WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the standard in the ADA Title II rule for public schools. Read our accessibility statement, including known limitations. An accessibility conformance report (VPAT) is available on request.
How content is developed and reviewed
- Standards first. Every mission was written to Washington's high school geography standards (OSPI, 2019) and mapped to the C3 Framework and each state's standards. See the alignment.
- Accuracy. Facts are checked against reliable sources. Maps use Natural Earth data and show internationally recognized borders, which take a position on some disputed areas.
- Culture shown with respect. Characters wear everyday clothes with one cultural detail. Market items avoid sacred and ceremonial objects, and each comes with a note on where it's from. Culture mini-games connect traditions, food, and language back to geography.
- Sensitive topics. Migration, conflict, and Indigenous history are presented factually, with more than one perspective where people disagree.
- Ongoing review. We're asking educators and community members from the places shown to review characters and cultural content, and we update it based on their feedback. Report a problem at , and we'll fix content errors within five school days.
Getting started
- Start with a pilot: a few teachers, a starting and final check-in, and a district dashboard report at the end.
- Every teacher can try every map free for one week, and the World map is always free.
Talk to us about your district
Ask for a demo or a pilot.