Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersRidgeway, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
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.
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ridgeway
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 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
- Accessibility Solutions: Premium accessibility offerings including Blackboard Ally, which integrates with Blackboard LMS and other LMS platforms, generating recurring revenue through institutional site licenses
- Analytics and Evidence Solutions: Course-level analytics, outcomes measurement, and institutional effectiveness tools provided as part of the integrated ecosystem or standalone subscriptions
- Implementation and Support Services: Implementation, training, and ongoing support services designed to help institutions maximize their technology investment, working alongside institutional staff
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise institutional licensing with customized pricing based on institution size and scope of deployment |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability6 records
Feature10 records
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Canvas (by Instructure)coreBlackboard 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)coreBlackboard 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
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment social profiles
Digital presenceChalk & Wire Learning Assessment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment
What does Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment do?
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.
Is Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment a public or private company?
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment founded?
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment based?
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment is headquartered in Ridgeway, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Learning Management System (LMS) Licensing is the primary driver. The others are accessibility Solutions, analytics and Evidence Solutions and implementation and Support Services.
Who are Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are D2L (Brightspace), Watermark Insights, Instructure (Canvas) and Top Hat. Anthology is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are PowerSchool, Google Classroom / Workspace for Education and Microsoft Education (Microsoft 365 Education / Teams for Education). Emerging players are Moodle and Open edX.
Does Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment have an API?
Yes. Blackboard products connect with student information systems and campus tools via LTI 1.3 and REST APIs.
What industry is Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment in?
Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment's product category is Education Technology / Learning Management Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAMAC, Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative), with a secondary code of EDAJAFAC, Classroom Assessment & Grading (Formative/Summative). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.