Meyersdale-based tech ed company on a mission for student achievement

Tim Kretchman presenting Accomods. Photo: Provided

When Tim Kretchman was working as Director of Special Education at Meyersdale Area School District, he wanted to enhance and improve the achievement of students with special needs in their inclusive classrooms—where students in special education are integrated into general education classrooms.

He soon learned that educators across the state were working toward the same goal. Through a Pennsylvania initiative for special education leaders, he conducted research and worked with 80 other participants to develop strategies and tactics aimed at improved achievement. The results of this work are now helping students and teachers around the world through Action Driven Education, the education-focused technology company Kretchman founded in Somerset County, with help from Startup Alleghenies. The company offers a user-friendly technology called Accomods that helps teachers identify individualized accommodations aimed at improving achievement for students in special education.

Photo: Provided

“Dan Parisi was the Startup Alleghenies coach in Somerset County at the time and he actually came into our school and made a presentation about entrepreneurship, so I reached out to him about the idea,” Kretchman said. He now works with Somerset County’s current coach, Matt Reckner.

“As a teacher, the business world was mostly foreign to me. Having help from a coach was invaluable,” he said. “They helped me find resources like legal assistance and insurance and helped me find a clear direction for my business plan so I could seek funding. Most importantly, they helped me make connections to important entities like Ben Franklin Technology Partners and its incubator program, JARI, marketing professionals… today you can find anything online, but they helped me to find the RIGHT people who were willing to support a growing company that needed a little more guidance.”

While Kretchman did encounter some challenges starting a tech-based company in a rural area, he deliberately sought local and Pennsylvania-based companies as vendors and partners.

“In a digital world, a personal touch makes a difference. As a small business owner, I have made a point to partner with companies who are willing to establish a relationship rather than just take my money,” he said. “That’s one of the best things about this area—people are willing to make that personal connection. It gave me a lot of confidence.”

Plus, he found that communities in Somerset County were thrilled to champion a “local guy” trying to make an impact. He attended meetings with groups like Rotary who took a genuine interest in helping him network.

“When people understand how our technology is working to simplify special education and improve outcomes for students, they want to help spread the word. Word of mouth has been important to our growth,” he said.

Kretchman’s experience working in education has also been key to adding customers. Knowing the day-to-day life of a special education teacher, he built his solution to be easy to use and efficient to implement. He also designed a professional development component to help illustrate the meaningful impact of his core offering, Accomods. The online tool helps educators quickly and easily identify and access the most effective individualized accommodations for a student.

“Teachers are busy, we recognize that. We built the program to take an average of just three minutes for a teacher to find and access an effective accommodation for a student,” he said. “The professional development component can help them recognize when to use it.”

Accomods can be purchased by a single teacher, but Kretchman said it works best if purchased by a school district because the results in student achievement will be more widespread.

“We are thrilled to be working with some local districts who are providing exceptional feedback and spreading the word about their success,” he said. “Our local schools are really dedicated to giving teachers the resources to help every student achieve.”

Tim Kretchman with Action Driven Education. Photo: Provided

While the pandemic created an initial setback in their plan to target schools within a 3-4 hour driving distance—Kretchman said, “schools only wanted to talk about face masks and hand sanitizer”—his team regrouped and launched a nationwide strategy that even led to customers in other countries, including the United Arab Emirates.

“No matter where a school is located, we provide personal service, even across the globe,” he said.

In his next phase, Kretcham is looking to bring parents into the discussion about individualized accommodations—a suggestion made by teachers who are using his solution.

Based on his experience transitioning from education into business, Kretchman offered this advice for anyone thinking of starting their own business:

“It can be a slow burn until your idea catches, so be prepared and seek advisors like a Startup Alleghenies coach who can help you make informed decisions. And know that there are many people out there who will cheer you on and even help you get going. Know your mission. We’re on a mission to change education and make it better for teachers and for students.”