Shell Center

What Shell Center does

The Shell Centre for Mathematical Education is a non-profit educational research organization founded in 1967 at the University of Nottingham and now operated by the Bell Burkhardt Daro Shell Centre Trust, a UK charitable trust. The Centre is best known for its "engineering research in education" methodology — an iterative cycle of design, classroom trial, observation, and revision — applied to develop research-validated mathematics assessment and teaching materials. Its core product portfolio centers on the Mathematics Assessment Project (MAP), which provides 100 Classroom Challenges formative assessment lessons, 94 summative assessment tasks, prototype tests, and five professional development modules aligned with the US Common Core State Standards. Additional offerings include the TRU Math Suite (Teaching for Robust Understanding framework and observation tools), Balanced Assessment in Mathematics (BAM) tests, Bowland Maths resources for UK Key Stage 3, and the "Improving Learning in Mathematics" package distributed by the UK Department for Education.

The Centre's business model is hybrid. Core formative and summative materials are distributed free of charge via map.mathshell.org and mathshell.org, generating scale (7M+ lesson downloads) but no direct revenue. Paid revenue derives from licensing of BAM tests to school districts, states, and research projects (including incorporation into CTB/McGraw-Hill's Acuity assessment platform), and from external research grants — notably the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NSF, and the EU's PRIMAS project. The primary customer segments are US school districts and states engaged in standards-based reform, UK secondary schools, and mathematics teachers in grades 6-12 seeking to implement Common Core or equivalent practice-based curricula. Distribution runs through self-serve digital download, professional development workshops, and institutional partnerships (notably with UC Berkeley via MARS and the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative).

The organization is small (approximately 5 employees per firmographics; historically a 4-person permanent core) and is now navigating the loss of both its co-founding figures — Malcolm Swan (died 2017) and Hugh Burkhardt (died February 2024) — raising continuity questions for an institution whose value proposition historically rested on its named designer-researchers and their proprietary design methodology.

Name

Shell Center

Legal name

Bell Burkhardt Daro Shell Centre Trust

Website

https://mathshell.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Shell Centre for Mathematical Education is a UK-based non-profit research organization that designs and distributes research-validated mathematics assessment tools, formative lessons, and professional development resources for US and UK K-12 schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mathematics Education and Assessment

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Classroom Assessment & Grading (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mathematics Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAG), Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC), Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping (State/National) (EDAJAFAD), Summative & End-of-Course/Exit Exam Content (K–12) (EDAGADAI)

Keywords

• Mathematics education
• Formative assessment
• Professional development
• Curriculum design
• Assessment tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Free Educational Materials: All Mathematics Assessment Project materials are available for free download for non-commercial use. This free distribution model maximizes reach and impact in schools.
2. Test Licensing: Balanced Assessment in Mathematics (BAM) tests can be licensed by school districts, states, or research projects. Tests are also incorporated into CTB's Acuity materials.
3. External Research Funding: The team raises external funding to cover costs, including grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NSF grants, and EU project funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Shell Centre for Mathematical Education designs, develops, and disseminates research-validated mathematics education materials and assessments, including 100 formative assessment lessons (Classroom Challenges), 94 summative assessment tasks, prototype tests, and professional development modules aligned with standards such as the Common Core State Standards. The Centre also licenses Balanced Assessment in Mathematics (BAM) tests to school districts and states, and produces resources like Bowland Maths for UK schools and the TRU Math Suite for characterizing powerful learning environments.

Product overview

The Shell Centre for Mathematical Education operates as an education research and development center producing assessment tools and professional development resources for mathematics education. The core product portfolio centers on the Mathematics Assessment Project (MAP), which provides 100 Classroom Challenges formative assessment lessons, 94 summative assessment tasks, prototype tests, and 5 Professional Development Modules aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Supporting offerings include the TRU Math Suite (framework and tools for characterizing powerful learning environments), Bowland Maths (UK KS3 resources), Balanced Assessment in Mathematics (BAM) tests, the Language of Functions and Graphs teaching materials, Toolkit for Change, and Improving Learning in Mathematics. These products serve school districts and states across the US and UK through partnerships with University of Nottingham and UC Berkeley.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mathematics Assessment Project (MAP)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,000,000 lesson downloads from map.mathshell.com
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• University of California at BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partnership in the Mathematics Assessment Resource Service (MARS), with collaboration on the Mathematics Assessment Project. Alan Schoenfeld and Phil Daro from UC Berkeley served as Principal Investigators. The Algebra Teaching Study at UC Berkeley collaborated on developing TRU Math tools.
• Silicon Valley Mathematics InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor client for Balanced Assessment in Mathematics (BAM) tests who also offer professional development built around the tests. Works with districts on implementing MARS assessment tools.
• Bell Burkhardt Daro Shell Centre TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust created from Alan Bell's estate to support Shell Centre work. Funds the ISDDE Prize for Excellence in Design for STEM Education and maintains mathematics education-related websites. Operates mathshell.org website.
• PRIMAS (Promoting inquiry-based learning in mathematics and science)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded project promoting inquiry-based learning in mathematics and science. Shell Centre PD materials were internationalized and made available through the PRIMAS project website.
• Harvard Graduate School of EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in the original NSF-funded Balanced Assessment project. Harvard team's materials are available at hgse.balancedassessment.org.
• Michigan State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of original Balanced Assessment collaboration. Colleagues from Michigan State remain active as leaders of dissemination of MARS materials.
• International Society for Design and Development in Education (ISDDE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational association of researcher-designers established around 2000 with Shell Centre leadership. Over 100 Fellows and Members, meets annually worldwide. Shell Centre helped establish ISDDE to improve quality of engineering research in STEM education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Learning: Established provider of math instructional materials and adaptive software (MATHia) to US school districts. Comparable as a math curriculum/assessment vendor with both print and digital offerings; broader commercial scale and longer district sales cycles than Shell Centre's research-driven model.
• Curriculum Associates (i-Ready): Publisher of i-Ready Diagnostic and Ready mathematics instruction. Comparable as a vendor combining formative assessment (diagnostic) with classroom math instruction and PD at scale; addresses the same district procurement budgets Shell Centre targets via BAM licensing.
• Eureka Math / Great Minds: Non-profit publisher of Eureka Math (formerly EngageNY) curriculum and instructional materials. Comparable as a Common Core-aligned K-12 math curriculum provider; differs in being a much larger publishing operation targeting district-wide adoptions rather than assessment-led R&D.

Direct peers

• Illustrative Mathematics: Non-profit developing Common Core-aligned math curriculum, tasks, and PD. Direct peer: both operate as R&D-driven math education organizations producing open-source instructional and assessment materials for grades 6-12, with similar freemium/open licensing models and a focus on mathematical practice standards.

Others

• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM): Professional organization for math educators that publishes standards, journals, and PD resources. Comparable as a US-centered convening body and standards authority that influences the same teachers and districts the Shell Centre targets; not a direct product competitor.
• Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI)/IAS: Institute for Advanced Study program providing math teacher PD and curriculum development. Comparable as a research-driven math education R&D organization producing PD modules and instructional resources for secondary teachers; shares the academic/university-affiliated R&D posture.
• Math for America (MfA): Fellowship and PD organization supporting master math teachers in US secondary schools. Comparable as a math education non-profit focused on teacher quality and PD rather than curriculum publishing; shares the mission of improving math instruction through teacher capability.
• CRESST (UCLA/Stanford): Center for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology conducting efficacy research on educational interventions. Comparable as the academic evaluator that ran the CRESST study cited in Shell Centre's outcomes; relationship is researcher/evaluator rather than direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Khan Academy: Non-profit providing free, widely-used math instructional videos, practice, and teacher tools (Khan Academy Kids/Teacher). Comparable as a free-distribution math education platform reaching millions globally; differs by being primarily digital and direct-to-learner rather than teacher/classroom R&D.
• Desmos Classroom: Provides free math graphing calculator, activities, and curriculum aligned to standards. Comparable as a standards-aligned, free-access math classroom resource reaching teachers globally; intersects with Shell Centre's formative assessment mission through teacher-led activity design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shell-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Shell Center