Stephen Wakefield 
Charlotte, NC (Monday, August 25, 2025)—Starting in the 2025-26 school year, Washington State’s Hockinson School District (HSD) is partnering with Otus and Discovery Education to better track student learning and growth. This new collaboration will help educators make timely, data-informed decisions about what is working in the classroom so students can get the most out of instructional time.
Since its founding in 1870, HSD has focused on preparing all students for future success. Currently, the district’s talented team serves approximately 2,000 students in the district’s elementary, middle, and high schools. HSD’s educators and staff seek to inspire all students to live with strong core values and become competent, responsible learners by developing independent thinkers who can positively contribute to our changing world.
HSD selected the Otus platform because it provides teachers with past and current academic data from a host of sources, including insights from district-wide edtech solutions such as Mystery Science by Discovery Education, which is currently used in HSD classrooms. Using this data, HSD educators are able to set achievable goals for each student and support students more effectively by grouping students with similar needs for focused instruction.
As strong communication between families and schools plays a key role in student success, the HSD team sought a solution that would support the school-to-home connection. The Otus platform will make it easier for families to stay informed about their child’s learning by providing clear updates, easy-to-read progress reports, and visual tools that show how their child is growing over time.
This new collaboration also helps save HSD money by replacing several tools with one that centralizes assessment, grading, data analytics, and progress monitoring in one place. To secure a lower annual cost, the HSD team customized the service package to choose only the features that fit the needs of Hockinson students and staff. As Hockinson School District makes budget adjustments in response to Washington State’s funding shortfall, the district is focusing resources on student programs and academic achievement.
“Integrating Otus into our district solutions provides educators with the data they need in an easy-to-read format, enhancing their ability to support students effectively,” said Steve Marshall, Superintendent of Hockinson School District. “Additionally, Otus will help strengthen our connection with caregivers by keeping families informed of student progress. We are excited to have teachers begin to use this new resource as it will improve their ability visualize student progress in one place and quickly adjust instruction to improve outcomes in a thoughtful, cost-effective manner.”
HSD educators using Otus will receive dedicated professional development from Otus’ team of professional learning experts. Through these interactive professional development sessions, participants will learn best practices for integrating their new digital resources into instruction. Effective professional learning increases student engagement and supports the continued academic development of all students.
“This unique new collaboration with Otus is a powerful opportunity for Hockinson School District to combine high-quality learning solutions with real-time data analysis to best serve students and educators,” said Jessica Lasher, the Senior Educational Partnerships Manager at Discovery Education. “Discovery Education is proud to help Hockinson School District enhance district educators’ ability to interpret data and deliver life-long results for their community.”
To learn about how Otus and Discovery Education have collaborated to support student achievement, visit www.discoveryeducation.com/Solutions/Otus.
For more information about Otus, visit www.otus.com and stay connected to Otus on social media through X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning solutions, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Subscribe to edCircuit to stay up to date on all of our shows, podcasts, news, and thought leadership articles.
