BLOOMINGTON, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 18, 2026--
Activate Learning announced today that the Activate Learning Digital Platform has been awarded the ISTE Seal, a rigorous validation program that evaluates and recognizes high-quality edtech solutions. The recognition follows an extensive evaluation by a distinguished panel of experts in education, instruction, and technology, confirming that the platform meets the highest standards in learning sciences, user experience, accessibility, and content quality.
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The ISTE Seal, awarded by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), is granted only after a comprehensive analysis ensuring a product promotes critical technology skills, supports appropriate use of technology, incorporates digital pedagogy and the learning sciences, and aligns to the ISTE Standards for Students in meaningful ways. To earn the ISTE Seal, the Activate Learning Digital Platform underwent evaluation across five dimensions: ISTE Standards alignment, user interface and agency, learning design, digital pedagogy, and inclusivity and accessibility — meeting expectations across all criteria.
ISTE Standards Alignment
Reviewers found that the platform supports six ISTE Standards for Students, including Empowered Learner, Knowledge Constructor, Innovative Designer, Computational Thinker, Creative Communicator, and Global Collaborator. The Official Findings Report specifically noted that “students engage in open-ended, authentic challenges that require interpretation, persistence, and iterative problem-solving,” and that “the platform supports students in selecting from a variety of tools and formats to communicate complex ideas, create original work, and visually represent their thinking through models, diagrams, and mapping tools.”
User Interface and Learning Design
The review found that the platform delivers an intuitive, reliable experience for both teachers and students. According to the Official Findings Report, onboarding supports and guided tutorials “help new users begin using core functionality with minimal effort,” and users benefit from “a clean, streamlined login process” supported by Single Sign-On integrations with major platforms.
In learning design, reviewers noted that “teachers can assign and sequence lessons and activities based on instructional needs” and that “structured reflection prompts, discussions, and activities embedded throughout lessons connect new learning to prior knowledge, with regular opportunities for students to revisit and revise their conclusions.”
Inclusive and Equitable Design
Equity and accessibility are built into the platform at every level. Reviewers found that content “reflects a range of people, cultures, and lived experiences,” with representation that is authentic and integrated throughout — not supplemental. The platform also includes text-to-speech with read-along highlighting, display adjustments, and translation in 140+ languages, removing barriers so every student can engage fully with rigorous science learning.
Digital Pedagogy
Reviewers confirmed that the platform develops digital age learning skills through phenomena-based inquiry. Students “develop explanations and solutions based on phenomena through sensemaking and problem-solving tasks” and “engage in structured problem definition activities that include data collection, testing, and iterative refinement.” Built-in tools guide students through the full arc of scientific inquiry — from brainstorming and data collection through analysis, testing, and solution iteration.
Assessment and Data
Reviewers recognized the platform’s robust assessment tools, citing “a variety of assessment types and submission formats” that “provide students with multiple ways to demonstrate their understanding.” The report also noted that a “student usage metrics dashboard give[s] teachers a clear, accessible view of both performance and engagement data at the class and individual student levels,” enabling timely, data-informed instructional decisions.
“Earning the ISTE Seal is a meaningful validation of the work our team puts into building a platform grounded in the learning sciences and designed for every student. The ISTE review confirmed what we hear from teachers every day — that the Activate Learning Digital Platform supports rigorous, phenomena-based inquiry in ways that are equitable, accessible, and aligned to best practices in science education.”
— Joy Reynolds, Chief Academic Officer, Activate Learning
The Activate Learning Digital Platform supports the Activate Learning Certified Version of OpenSciEd, which has earned an “All-Green” rating from EdReports for grades 6-8. The platform provides teachers and students with an interactive digital environment for investigation-centered science learning, including NGSS-aligned content, Insight™ assessments, Virtual Investigations®, and multilingual accessibility features.
“This recognition reinforces our commitment to building technology that serves teachers and students, not just checking boxes. Every decision comes back to one question: does this make learning more effective, more equitable, and easier for teachers to use? The ISTE Seal tells us we're on the right track.”
— David Robertshaw, Chief Product Officer, Activate Learning
Activate Learning will showcase the Digital Platform and its ISTE Seal recognition as an exhibitor at ISTE Live + ASCD 2026, taking place June 28–July 1 in Orlando, Florida. Educators and administrators are invited to visit the Activate Learning at booth #2461 to see the platform in action, speak with the team, and explore the full suite of K–12 investigation-centered science resources.
About Activate Learning: Activate Learning is dedicated to transforming science education through investigation-centered, research-driven curriculum and digital tools. As a certified OpenSciEd distributor and professional learning provider, Activate Learning offers educators the digital platform, print materials, science kits, and professional learning to support successful OpenSciEd implementation from elementary through high school. Learn more at www.activatelearning.com.
About ISTE: The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is home to a community of global educators and solution providers who are passionate about using technology to revolutionize learning. The ISTE Seal is awarded only after an extensive analysis conducted by trained ISTE reviewers ensuring a product meets all critical elements under specific review criteria. Learn more at www.iste.org.
Activate Learning Digital Platform earned the ISTE Seal for high-quality education technology platforms.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Thursday lifted its blockade of Iran, and oil tankers began freely moving through the Strait of Hormuz after months of being unable to use the critical channel, as the tentative agreement to end the war took effect.
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance announced that he may postpone a trip to Switzerland that had been planned for Friday and included a ceremonial signing of the deal. The visit might have helped start talks on the next, potentially even more critical, round of negotiations between the two sides.
Hours later, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei endorsed direct negotiations with the U.S. in a statement read by state media. It was Khamenei’s first reaction to the agreement.
“It is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy’s opinion,” he said.
The supreme leader has not been seen in public since he was wounded in a strike at the start of the war.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also postponed a planned visit to Switzerland, where Islamabad officials were to host the ceremony, because the agreement had already been signed, said two senior officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The now uncertain timeline could raise new questions and make it even more difficult for the Trump administration to promote a deal that many in the U.S. — including some congressional Republicans — have criticized as too favorable to Tehran.
“Our plan is to go to Switzerland. I don’t know exactly when,” Vance said during a briefing with reporters at the White House when asked about not flying, as planned, to the signing ceremony.
“I suspect this weekend, but I’m not sure,” he added.
That injected new doubt into an agreement that President Donald Trump said he signed to avoid “economic catastrophe” in the U.S.
Vance's announcement came a day after Trump signed the pact with Iran while dining with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles. The deal is slated to take immediate effect and extends a ceasefire while giving each side 60 days to hammer out broader agreements on larger issues.
Trump said the deal would avoid continued stress on the U.S. economy after the war caused oil prices to skyrocket, made financial markets skittish and fueled inflation. He repeatedly said he did not want to be compared to Herbert Hoover, whose policies helped exacerbate the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The vice president, who was initially personally skeptical of the U.S. going to war with Iran, has increasingly become the administration’s face of the conflict and has been outspoken in defending the deal. Asked about concerns it concedes too much, the vice president said repeatedly that the accord would force Iran to “change their behavior.”
Shortly before Vance said his trip was being delayed, Pakistan said it was postponing a visit by its top officials to Switzerland’s resort near Lucerne, where Islamabad was to host the signing ceremony. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and top officials had been set to make the trip, but officials said that a ceremonial signing became less urgent after both sides had already signed.
Vance defended the agreement and shrugged off accusations that its rollout has been piecemeal and sometimes contradictory, saying, “I don’t think our public messaging has been chaotic."
He also offered a surprisingly blunt warning to Israel, which has pushed the U.S. to take a harder stance against Iran and launched attacks on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon throughout the war, including just before the deal extending the ceasefire was reached. Those attacks complicated the peace efforts with Iran.
Trump “is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time," Vance said. “And he happens to be the head of state of the world’s superpower.”
The vice president said more than 12.5 million barrels went through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night. That could further soothe oil prices that spiked during the war but have been falling since the U.S. and Iran announced a tentative deal to end the conflict.
He said the U.S. easing its blockade of Iran means "honoring our end of the early part of the agreement on the military side."
U.S. Central Command said American warships “will remain in the general area to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect.”
At least two oil tankers left Iran and crossed the U.S. military blockade without being stopped. A merchant shipping tracking website said the ships were carrying a combined total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil.
Iranian state media said shipping had “normalized” at Iran’s southern ports but added that the strait remains supervised and under the control of the Iranian military, and transiting through the vital waterway still requires coordination.
Major shipowners began moving vessels through the strait after the agreement was signed, according to maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence, though Lloyd's did not give data on how many ships have passed through the strait as of Thursday.
In a media briefing, Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, said for the first time in 110 days, ships owned by major companies are transiting the strait after effectively being marooned there since February.
Tankers controlled by major ship owners Grimaldi Group, Cosco, Knutsen and NYK have passed through the strait. And two Iranian-flagged, sanctioned crude oil tankers owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company have entered the strait, according to Lloyd’s List.
Phillip Belcher, marine director of Intertanko, a trade group for global independent tanker owners, said the main central route of the strait is still closed and has an estimated 80 mines that need to be cleared.
But ships have been passing through the smaller northern route, which goes through Iranian waters, and the southern route, which goes through Omani waters.
The U.S.-Iran deal calls for a permanent end to hostilities and starts a 60-day negotiating clock to reach a final deal on the future of Iran’s nuclear program, though Trump has left the door open to resume attacks. The agreement appears to offer Iran several benefits up front while extracting little in return.
It states that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to be buried under rubble, must at minimum be diluted under international supervision. It also says that Iran shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons — a commitment it has made previously. But beyond stating that the U.S. and Iran will negotiate over Iran’s nuclear program, other commitments still need to be worked out.
The deal also waives U.S.-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington.
Still, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said Thursday that the 27-nation bloc would leave its sanctions on Iran in place for now. The bloc had slapped a series of separate sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, human rights violations and the closing of the strait.
“Once the conditions allow, of course, member states will discuss whether the lifting of sanctions is in place, but we are not there yet,” Kallas said ahead of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels.
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Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Aamer Madhani in Zurich, Collin Binkley and Michelle L. Price in Washington, Mae Anderson in New York and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
Vice President JD Vance points as he takes questions from reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Vice President JD Vance points to a reporter to take a question in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
A reporter raises a hand to ask a question as Vice President JD Vance speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Vice President JD Vance points to a reporter to take a question in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
