IXL Learning Acquires Emmersion, Developer of AI-Powered Language Assessments

The acquisition of Emmersion's state-of-the-art testing platform broadens IXL Learning's language and literacy offerings

SAN MATEO, Calif. and LEHI, Utah, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IXL Learning, developer of personalized learning products used by millions of people worldwide, announced it has acquired Emmersion, the Utah-based leader in certifying language ability through artificial intelligence. Emmersion's platform has conducted millions of automated assessments for corporate and educational institutions, including The World Bank, Randstad, Columbia University, Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania, providing valuable data insights into language proficiency scores.

The acquisition of Emmersion deepens IXL Learning's line of language and literacy products, which include the world-renowned Rosetta Stone, IXL English Language Arts, Vocabulary.com, SpanishDict, inglés.com and Fluencia. Emmersion's cofounders, Brigham Tomco and Dr. Jacob Burdis, will remain with the company.

Emmersion's adaptive assessments evaluate and certify speaking, writing and reading abilities, which shorten an organization's time-to-hire and improve customer satisfaction scores.

Its AI-powered Speaking and Writing Assessments conduct reliable, pre-employment language screenings in 15 minutes so that companies can hire the perfect candidates for the right roles. The verbal exam is the world's first fully automated speaking assessment and covers nine languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin, Portuguese and Tagalog.

The Speaking and Writing Assessments are scored using Emmersion's proprietary 100-point scale, TrueNorth, which gives organizations unparalleled insights into test-takers' language skills. Additionally, each assessment uses AI to deliver accurate, bias-free scores that are mapped to global language standards, such as CEFR, ACTFL and TOEFL.

Educational institutions use WebCAPE, Emmersion's adaptive placement exam, to measure learners' reading, grammar and listening skills. The multiple-choice test takes only 15-30 minutes to complete and can assess learners' abilities in seven languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin and Russian.

"Emmersion's adaptive technology and automated exams are unrivaled," said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning. "The Emmersion team will be a valuable addition to our family and we expect to make more investments in the company as we expand to additional languages and capabilities."

"Emmersion has striven to close the global communication gap through exceptional services that assess employees, check academic knowledge and certify language abilities. Joining IXL Learning is an incredible opportunity to continue advancing our mission and perfecting our products," said Brigham Tomco, CEO of Emmersion. "Our companies share the same ambitious vision for helping people build and evaluate their language skills, and we can't wait to contribute our expertise to this new venture."

Founded in 2015, Emmersion is a rapidly growing technology company located in Lehi, Utah. With a mission to close the global communication gap, the company focuses on helping organizations be smarter with their global language strategy. It has developed AI-driven, fully automated language assessments that provide accurate and immediate reports in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese, Russian and Tagalog. With over 700 customers around the world, Emmersion's cloud-based, AI technology automates assessment processes and provides the most accurate results. Learn more at www.emmersion.ai.

IXL Learning has revolutionized educational technology since its founding in 1998. Today, the company leads the world of education through innovation and provides a diverse set of products and services that help learners develop skills in math, literacy, language and more. IXL Learning's eight brands—IXL, Rosetta Stone, Curiosity Media, Emmersion, Wyzant, Vocabulary.com, ABCya and Education.com—empower all students with engaging, personalized learning experiences. Our teams create breakthrough solutions to education's most pressing challenges and inspire students to become life-long learners.

Eric Bates
IXL Learning
[email protected]

SOURCE IXL Learning