CERTI: Synergy Through Innovation
Innovation has always been at the heart of Chesapeake Bay Academy’s culture; whether it be our project-based classrooms, our use of machine learning algorithms to attune to student skill, or our sensory gym and peace room that allow students to decompress as they undertake challenging classes. Sharing how and why these practices can transform the lives of children like ours can help create transformative change, even in programs where special education teachers of the future learn the tricks of the trade. It is this multifaceted notion of delivering the best instruction we can to our kids and transforming how teachers themselves learn that inspired the establishment of CBA’s research arm, The Center for Educational Research and Technological Innovation (CERTI). The goal was to generate an evidence-base using real-time data from CBA to help not only our teachers make decisions in their classrooms but also create synergy with higher education institutions to change how young educators in college learn to serve K-12 students with learning differences. Starting with an action research project at CBA, collaborative professional development practices were designed by consulting teachers about their goals.
Dr. Shantanu Tilak, Director of CERTI
After our initial work in the building to understand how staff and researchers at CBA could collaborate, we hit the ground running in 2023-24, receiving the prestigious Yass Prize (offered by the Center for Education Reform and Forbes), and a grant from the Blocker Foundation to build out a virtual middle school program at CBA that incorporates virtual reality. The result was CadetNet Virtual Academy, which relies on immersive learning to create a balance between didactic learning in a videoconference, and project-based VR-assisted building activities. Scientific concepts learned in class become everyday concepts as students build them in ways they find most comfortable using 360 videos, images, 3D Models, and even text. A plethora of research studies were implemented to test every step of creating and implementing CadetNet. Teachers used MagicSchool AI to design the virtual curriculum, reporting several challenges and new possibilities associated with using AI to craft instructional scenarios. Research assistants from Virginia Wesleyan University’s psychology program were enlisted to help with research initiatives that were conceptualized with the CERTI Advisory Council, tapping into the possibilities that our budding partnership with the university brings.
A socioemotional learning component of the curriculum teaching mindfulness and meditation in the Metaverse was studied with students in the building as part of a grant funded by the Sentara Foundation. The results showed that VR-based mindfulness simulations could gradually improve students’ ability to cope with stress.
The summer program using CadetNet’s VR-based approach was studied in July 2025, through the collection of surveys, network data from VR headsets, and audio recordings. So far, the data analyzed has shown that CadetNet students became more competent with understanding complex concepts in the core subjects and also developed deeper social bonds with our teachers and each other. Standardized scores for math, as well as visuospatial reasoning, also showed growth after VR instruction.
Since the inception of our research program, synergies between our teachers, researchers, and college students have heightened its impact. I believe that the work of CERTI will become a beacon for families, educators, and budding researchers as we move deeper into the Information Age.