Parlay

What is Parlay?

Parlay is an instructional platform for student-driven class discussions. Teachers can run written discussions and verbal Socratic seminars, guide peer feedback, and assess participation. It supports in-person, online, and blended learning, with tools designed to give students structured opportunities to contribute.

The platform combines discussion activities, a community prompt library, AI assistance, and student engagement portfolios. Teachers can connect individual discussions into a longer inquiry sequence, using student responses to shape subsequent questions.

What can Parlay do?

Written RoundTables

Threaded discussion boards include secret identities, guided peer feedback questions, and model submissions to structure students' written contributions.

Verbal RoundTables

Tools for facilitating and assessing Socratic seminars track student participation during spoken discussions.

Parlay Genie

The AI assistant uses articles, videos, and past discussions to generate prompts and follow-up questions. It also generates summaries, feedback, and assessments.

RoundTable Sequences

Teachers can stack discussions so each builds on earlier ideas. AI-generated follow-up questions draw on student responses to extend inquiry.

Parlay Universe

A library of thousands of discussion prompts spans subjects, topics, and levels. Teachers can browse contributions from the community and Parlay team or contribute their own.

Engagement reports and portfolios

Track participation, skill development, and assessments over time, with portfolio views of student engagement throughout the year.

Use Cases

“Prepare students for a live seminar”

Use written responses and peer feedback to help students develop ideas before discussing them aloud in a Socratic seminar.

“Extend inquiry across a unit”

Build a series of discussions around a topic, using earlier student responses to identify questions for the next activity.

“Support discussion in blended classes”

Combine asynchronous written contributions with live verbal activities to sustain class dialogue across online and classroom settings.

“Coordinate school-wide adoption”

Administrators and coaches can manage teachers, students, and course rosters through the admin portal. School plans add training, usage dashboards, and LMS/SIS integrations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the free Basic plan include?

Basic includes unlimited courses, six RoundTables at one time, up to 50 students per RoundTable, Parlay Universe, portfolios, custom assessment criteria, and chat support. It also includes Google Classroom integration and Google and Microsoft sign-on.

How much does Individual Premium cost?

Individual Premium costs $120 USD per year. It adds unlimited RoundTables, co-teachers, data export, student reports, video for Verbal RoundTable, priority support, virtual classroom visits, and Parlay Genie Assessment.

How does school and district licensing work?

Schools and districts receive custom pricing, with premium access for all teachers. Site licenses cover all students at the school or district; the minimum school license is 300 students. Purchase orders are accepted for purchases of $600 or more.

How are LMS and SIS connections managed?

Integrations are configured through Parlay's Administrator Portal using Edlink. Supported workflows include single sign-on, class rostering, and assessment syncing. School and district plans include LMS and SIS integrations.

Quick Facts