Jan 23, 2025
When more tech = more headaches
Ask any teacher how many platforms they use in a day, and you’ll probably get an exasperated sigh followed by a number (see below) that sounds more like a punchline than a productivity plan.
A grading tool here. A communication app there. An assessment platform, a behavior tracker, a curriculum site, and, somehow, you’re still exporting to spreadsheets.
But this isn’t just about too many logins (which, admittedly, is incredibly frustrating). It’s about lost time, fractured data, rising costs, and teachers stretched thin trying to make it all work.
Let’s talk about what happens when edtech stops supporting teachers and starts getting in the way, and most importantly, how to solve it.
The hidden costs of too many tools
The problem with too many edtech tools isn’t always obvious until you zoom out and look at the ripple effects. From reduced efficiency to strained budgets, here’s what tech sprawl really costs K-12 districts.
Decreased productivity
Every minute a teacher spends toggling between platforms is one minute they’re not planning lessons, reviewing student work, or connecting with learners.
Multiple tools mean multiple logins, multiple interfaces, and, perhaps the biggest issue, multiple sources of truth. That alone creates friction. But it also means more training, more troubleshooting, and more time spent tracking down information that should be at your fingertips.
According to a recent report, the average educator accessed 42 unique edtech tools in 2022-23. That’s nearly one new platform for every instructional hour in a school week.
If your tech stack is making it harder, not easier, for teachers to do their jobs, that’s a system problem, not a staff problem.
Increased costs
During the height of the pandemic, relief funding like ESSER made it easier to justify purchasing multiple tools to solve immediate needs. But that funding is expiring, and now many districts are rethinking what stays.
In EdSurge’s recent reporting, San Antonio ISD’s CIO shared that tools once seen as essential, like Zoom, are being cut to save costs, especially if the district already pays for overlapping solutions.
Maintaining a bloated tech stack isn’t just expensive; it’s inefficient. Every redundant tool adds licensing fees, support costs, and training overhead. Districts that consolidate systems save not only money but also the staff time it takes to manage multiple vendors.
Communication gaps
When teachers are using one tool to share progress, admins another, and families a third? Confusion reigns.
Parents miss important updates (or aren’t even sure where to look for them in the first place). Teachers double-enter the same data. Admins struggle to see the full picture. And last but not least, students get inconsistent messages about their own learning.
A District Administration survey found that only 38% of educators are happy with the current mix of tools, while 16% said the tools available aren’t even the right ones.
Effective communications in K-12 hinge on consistency, and that’s nearly impossible to maintain across a fragmented platform ecosystem.
Data silos
This may be the most damaging consequence of all.
Assessment data lives in one system. Attendance in another. SEL and behavior tracking in yet another. Meanwhile, instructional decisions are being made in the dark or, at best, based on incomplete data.
Data silos keep schools from identifying patterns, tracking subgroup trends, or acting quickly when students need support. It’s not just inefficient; it’s inequitable.
When schools can’t connect the dots between performance, attendance, and behavior, vulnerable students fall through the cracks.
Why tech sprawl happens (even with good intentions)
Tech sprawl doesn’t happen because people aren’t paying attention. If anything, it happens because they’re trying to help. But in many districts, that helps turn into a headache when:
- Purchasing decisions happen in silos (instructional leaders buy one tool, the tech team another, a PLC another)
- “Free” tools gain traction amongst teachers without vetting or integration plans
- There’s pressure to act fast, especially with short-term funding
5 ways to tell if your district has too many tools
You likely do not need a full audit to know something’s not working. Here are a few telltale signs:
- Teachers are managing 10+ logins a day
- Your team has multiple platforms doing the same job (e.g., two grading tools, three messaging apps)
- Educators are spending their time gathering data from multiple places, not analyzing it
- Families receive conflicting updates, receive updates too late, or get left out altogether
- PD time is spent on tech basics, not instructional strategies
If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. But there’s a better way forward.
What a unified edtech experience looks like
Now picture this:
- One login for every educator
- One system that houses assessments, every student data point, gradebooks, and progress monitoring plans
- One dashboard that aligns every stakeholder: teacher, admin, student, and family
That’s what a unified edtech platform can offer.
Instead of chasing data across multiple systems, educators can stay focused on what matters most: teaching, learning, and supporting every child.
How Otus solves the problem (without adding another tool to the pile)
Otus isn’t another piece to your edtech puzzle; it’s the platform that replaces the clutter.
With Otus, you can:
- Asses, grade, and track student progress in one place
- Unify student data from across the school (think state tests, local assessments, attendance, behavior, and more)
- Effortlessly and clearly communicate with students, family, and your team
- Support MTSS, PLCs, and standards-based grading, all without jumping platforms
Otus is designed to simplify, not stack on.
Next steps: Less tech. More impact.
If your district is feeling the pressure to do more with less, now is the time to step back and ask: Is our tech helping, or is it just hanging around?
The right edtech solution should make life easier for teachers, clearer for families, and more impactful for students. Otus does exactly that.
Request a demo!
See exactly how Otus can help your school accelerate student growth and improve student outcomes – all while saving educators time.
