Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment

What Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment does

The source data describes Blackboard, operated under the legal entity Blackboard T&L, LLC and doing business as "Blackboard." It is a teaching and learning technology platform serving institutions across four segments: Higher Education, Government, Workforce and Corporate Learning, and K-12. The platform is organized around three connected solution areas — Learning, Accessibility, and Evidence — and serves what the company describes as "millions of learners of all ages and backgrounds" globally across North America, Africa, and Asia Pacific.

The core product is Blackboard LMS, described as an AI-native learning management system rebuilt from the ground up around the learner. The LMS is surrounded by modular add-ons including the AI Virtual Assistant (AVA), Video Studio (lecture capture with AI-generated captions and audio descriptions), Adopt (real-time usage analytics), Milestone (skills and competency tracking), and Course Catalog (branded course discovery). The Accessibility solution is Blackboard Ally, which automatically remediates course content and generates alternative formats, and works with both Blackboard LMS and non-Blackboard LMS platforms including Canvas. The Evidence solution comprises Illuminate (course-level predictive analytics), Outcomes (learning outcomes mapping), Evaluate (course evaluations), and the Institutional Effectiveness suite covering Accreditation, Planning, and Program Review. Products connect with Student Information Systems and campus technology via LTI 1.3 and REST APIs.

The business model is subscription-based licensing of the LMS and add-on modules on annual or multi-year enterprise contracts, supplemented by professional services for implementation, training, and ongoing support. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with an enterprise field sales motion targeting institutional buyers. Named customers include University of Connecticut, Keiser University, Northern Illinois University, University of Western Australia, University of Pretoria, Savannah College of Art & Design, Grand Valley State University, University of the West of England - Bristol, and South Texas College in Higher Education; US Army and US Department of Labor in Government; and AT&T in Corporate.

Name

Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment

Legal name

Blackboard T&L, LLC

Website

https://chalkandwire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blackboard (Blackboard T&L, LLC) is a teaching and learning technology platform serving higher education, government, workforce, and K-12 institutions globally with an AI-native LMS, accessibility remediation (Ally), predictive analytics (Illuminate), and an institutional effectiveness suite, monetized via subscription licensing and professional services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Technology / Learning Management Systems

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classroom Assessment & Grading (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAFAC), Assessment-Integrated eLearning & Practice Modules (EDAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Learning management system
• Educational assessment software
• Higher education technology
• Learning analytics platform
• Accessibility compliance tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Ridgeway

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Learning Management System (LMS) Licensing: Subscription-based licensing of Blackboard LMS and add-on modules to educational institutions, government agencies, and enterprise customers. Revenue generated through annual or multi-year contracts with institutions of varying sizes
2. Accessibility Solutions: Premium accessibility offerings including Blackboard Ally, which integrates with Blackboard LMS and other LMS platforms, generating recurring revenue through institutional site licenses
3. Analytics and Evidence Solutions: Course-level analytics, outcomes measurement, and institutional effectiveness tools provided as part of the integrated ecosystem or standalone subscriptions
4. Implementation and Support Services: Implementation, training, and ongoing support services designed to help institutions maximize their technology investment, working alongside institutional staff

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment provides a unified learning technology platform for educational institutions and organizations, anchored by an AI-native Learning Management System. The platform bundles course delivery, assessment, learning analytics, accreditation and outcomes management, AI-powered accessibility remediation, and professional implementation services, sold primarily as subscription licenses to higher education, K-12, government, and workforce learning buyers.

Product overview

Blackboard is a teaching and learning technology platform organized around three connected solution areas: Learning (Blackboard LMS and its AI-powered add-ons including AVA, Video Studio, Adopt, Milestone, and Course Catalog), Accessibility (Blackboard Ally), and Evidence (course evaluation, outcomes, and institutional effectiveness tools including Outcomes, Evaluate, Institutional Effectiveness with its sub-components Accreditation, Planning, and Program Review, plus Illuminate analytics). The core Blackboard LMS is AI-native and rebuilt around the learner, serving as the central platform with modular add-ons that extend functionality. The platform integrates with Student Information Systems via LTI 1.3 and REST APIs, and Blackboard Ally also works alongside non-Blackboard LMS platforms including Canvas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AVA (AI Virtual Assistant): AI Virtual Assistant that increases learning efficacy by guiding students through course related questions, exploring and developing ideas, and checking key concepts.
• Video Studio
• Ally
• Illuminate
• Institutional Effectiveness
• Outcomes
• Evaluate
• Milestone
• Course Catalog

Products and services

• Blackboard LMS AI-native Learning Management System that supports teaching and learning workflows, integrating tools for instruction, assessment, engagement, and credentialing for educational institutions and organizations.
• Blackboard Ally Accessibility tool that automatically remediates digital course content into accessible formats (e.g., audio, ePub, electronic braille, translated captions) to support diverse learners and accessibility compliance.
• Blackboard Illuminate Learning analytics platform that measures student engagement and learning outcomes to support evidence-based decision making for institutions.
• Institutional Effectiveness Suite Integrated suite covering outcomes, evaluation, accreditation, planning, and program review that helps institutions plan, measure, and demonstrate effectiveness for accreditation and continuous improvement.
• Blackboard Services Professional services for implementation, integration, training, and custom development supporting institutions deploying and operating the learning platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Faculty can intervene before struggling students fall too far behind to recover
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability6 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Canvas (by Instructure)coreTechnology or IntegrationBlackboard Ally, the premium accessibility offering, integrates with non-Blackboard LMS platforms including Canvas by Instructure, allowing institutions on other learning platforms to benefit from automatic content remediation and alternative format generation.
• Student Information Systems (SIS)coreTechnology or IntegrationBlackboard products connect with student information systems and campus technology via LTI 1.3 and REST APIs, enabling seamless data flow between learning platforms and institutional systems.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• D2L (Brightspace): D2L's Brightspace is a direct LMS competitor to Blackboard, especially strong in higher education and workforce/corporate learning with comparable competency tracking, outcomes, and analytics capabilities.
• Watermark Insights: Watermark (including the acquired Taskstream and LiveText products) is a direct peer in learning outcomes assessment, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness — areas where Blackboard Outcomes and Institutional Effectiveness Suite compete.
• Instructure (Canvas): Instructure's Canvas is the most direct LMS competitor to Blackboard, serving the same higher education, K-12, and corporate learning segments with comparable LMS, analytics, and assessment features. The source data explicitly identifies Canvas as a non-Blackboard LMS that Blackboard Ally integrates with, confirming direct overlap.
• Top Hat: Top Hat is a higher-ed teaching and learning platform that competes directly with Blackboard on engagement, assessment, and interactive courseware, particularly in North American universities.

Others

• Anthology: Anthology is the parent company of Blackboard and operates an adjacent suite of SIS, student success, and enrollment products. It is included as an ecosystem/parent peer rather than a direct competitor; Chalk & Wire was acquired into this group.

Broad incumbents

• PowerSchool: PowerSchool is a broad K-12 and education-operations incumbent (Schoology LMS, SIS, enrollment) that competes with Blackboard in K-12 and adjacent learning segments, offering overlapping LMS and analytics capabilities as part of a much wider portfolio.
• Google Classroom / Workspace for Education: Google Classroom and Workspace for Education are major competitors in K-12 and increasingly higher ed, offering a free or low-cost LMS alternative that competes on price and ecosystem integration with Google productivity tools.
• Microsoft Education (Microsoft 365 Education / Teams for Education): Microsoft bundles LMS-adjacent capabilities (Teams for Education, OneNote Class Notebook) into its enterprise productivity stack, overlapping with Blackboard in higher ed and corporate learning as part of a much broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Moodle: Moodle is an open-source LMS widely used in higher education and K-12 globally, often with lower total cost of ownership and a large plugin ecosystem that overlaps Blackboard's core LMS functionality.
• Open edX: Open edX is an open-source platform used by universities and MOOC providers, offering comparable course delivery, assessment, and analytics features as part of an extensible, open-source alternative to Blackboard LMS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chalkandwire
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BlackboardCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/chalkandwire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/209113
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackboard_lms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment