The Watermark story

We've spent the last 20 years helping thousands of colleges and universities spend less time collecting data and more time learning from it. Our experience has enabled us to develop innovative technologies that empower institutions to support meaningful assessment practices and use better data to improve learning.

Our philosophy

Our approach isn’t full of jargon or just about the numbers. People are at the center of everything we do. While we believe the right technology and better data can empower better learning—we know technology and data are only part of the equation. We empower institutions to engage educators and learners with better data to demonstrate and improve institutional effectiveness, program quality, and student learning.

We’re on a mission to put better data into the hands of learners and educators everywhere and empower them to make the connections and insights that will lead to meaningful improvement.

Our history

Watermark was launched in 2018 with a vision to empower better learning at institutions across the U.S. and beyond. The organization was formed following the merger of Taskstream, Tk20, and LiveText — three of the leading providers of assessment management technology in the industry — in 2017. Digital Measures, EvaluationKIT, & Aviso Retention are the newest members of the Watermark family and are united in our mission to advance educational intelligence by developing innovative technology you can trust.

  1. 1996

    SmartCatalog founded

    SmartCatalog is formed in Portland, ME and offers institutions digital solutions for course catalogs.

  2. 1997

    LiveText founded

    LiveText is founded in Chicago, Illinois and launches its first product to serve education preparation providers.

  3. 1999

    Digital Measures founded

    Digital Measures is launched in Wisconsin to streamline manual administrative processes on campus.

  4. 2000

    Taskstream founded

    Taskstream is created in New York, NY to help educators better assess student learning.

  5. 2003

    Tk20 founded

    Tk20 is founded in Austin, TX, to help colleges better prepare teacher candidates for new standards.

  6. 2007

    EvaluationKIT founded

    EvaluationKIT is founded in Denver, CO, to improve inefficient, paper-based student feedback workflows.

  7. March 2017

    Taskstream & Tk20 unite

    Two leading providers merge to form the largest assessment management technology company in higher ed.

  8. September 2017

    LiveText joins the family

    LiveText joins Taskstream-Tk20, expanding the company’s suite of assessment, accreditation, and ePortfolio solutions.

  9. October 2017

    1000+ institutions served

    The company reaches a major milestone, serving 1000 higher ed institutions–nearly a quarter of all institutions in America.

  10. January 2018

    Watermark launched

    The company rebrands itself as “Watermark.” The name represents an enduring commitment to develop high-quality technology and provide data customers can trust.

  11. June 2018

    Inaugural Watermark Engage conference

    Watermark hosts its first annual user conference, Watermark Engage, in Austin, Texas. More than 400 clients from the US and Canada participate.

  12. June 2018

    Digital Measures joins Watermark

    Digital Measures, the leading provider of faculty activity solutions, joins the Watermark family.

  13. July 2018

    Watermark welcomes EvaluationKIT

    EvaluationKIT, the leading provider of course evaluation and institutional survey solutions, joins Watermark.

  14. October 2018

    SmartCatalog joins Watermark

    SmartCatalog, the first provider of a complete academic content management system including curriculum and catalog, joins Watermark.

  15. 2019

    1700+ institutions served

    As a combined entity, Watermark now serves more than 1,700 institutions with educational intelligence solutions for assessment and accreditation planning, learning outcomes measurement, ePortfolios, faculty activity reporting, course evaluation and institutional surveys, and curriculum and catalog management.

  16. 2022

    Aviso Retention joins Watermark

    Aviso Retention, a leading provider of student success and equity solutions, joins Watermark.

Our Leadership Team

Award-Winning Software You Can Trust

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