SPARK
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SPARK Terms of Service

Effective October 15, 2026Version 2026.10.2
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What changed

Lowers the minimum age to 13, requires a parent or guardian's permission for learners 13 to 17, and explains the account lock when a parent withdraws app store approval.

SPARK Terms of Service

Effective October 15, 2026

Vantage Point Consulting, Inc. ("Vantage Point," "we," "us," or "our") operates the SPARK adaptive learning platform, including the SPARK website at sparkcourses.org, the SPARK web application, and the SPARK mobile applications for iOS and Android (together, "SPARK" or the "Platform"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of SPARK.

You can use SPARK in two ways:

  • On your own, with a free individual account that you create yourself (the "Free Plan"); or
  • Through an organization that has an agreement with us to provide SPARK to its learners and staff, such as an employer, a school, a training program, or a government agency (an "Organization").

By creating an account, signing in, or otherwise using SPARK, you agree to these Terms and to the SPARK Privacy Policy, which is part of these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use SPARK. You will be asked to accept these Terms when you create your account and again whenever we publish a materially updated version.

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1. Who may use SPARK

You must be at least 13 years old to use SPARK. SPARK is not directed to children under 13, and we do not create an account for anyone under 13. When you sign up, we ask for your date of birth or age to confirm you meet this requirement; if you are under 13, the sign-up form tells you that you cannot create an account, and we do not keep what you entered. An Organization may set a higher minimum age for its own learners. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 13, we will close it and delete its personal information as described in the Privacy Policy.

If you are 13 to 17. You may use SPARK only with the permission of your parent or legal guardian, and by using SPARK you confirm that you have it. Please read these Terms and the Privacy Policy with your parent or guardian. Where your app store asks a parent or guardian to approve SPARK, that approval is required. SPARK gives learners 13 to 17 extra privacy protections, described in Section 6 of the Privacy Policy.

Parents and guardians. If you allow a learner 13 to 17 to use SPARK, you agree to these Terms on the learner's behalf and are responsible for the learner's use of SPARK. You can see, correct, or delete your teen's information, or close the account, as described in the Privacy Policy.

Free Plan. Anyone who meets the age requirement may create a Free Plan account. The Free Plan includes the courses and features we make available to individual learners at no charge. We may change, limit, or discontinue Free Plan features, courses, or usage limits at any time.

Organization accounts. If you join SPARK through an Organization, you may use SPARK only as that Organization has authorized you and only in the role you were given, such as a learner, an education counselor, a program manager, or an administrator. Your Organization's agreement with us may give you access to additional courses and features, such as live human tutoring, a support phone line, a community message board, and reporting. Your Organization decides who it authorizes and may end that authorization.

Accurate information. You agree that the information you provide when you sign up and in your profile is true, accurate, and complete, and that you will keep it up to date.

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2. Plans and fees

The Free Plan is free. We do not charge individual learners, and we do not sell paid plans to individuals at this time. SPARK does not offer purchases inside the mobile apps.

Organization plans are paid for by the Organization under a separate written agreement, order form, or government contract with us. If you use SPARK through an Organization, you owe us nothing; the Organization's agreement governs fees, the features it receives, and how long its access lasts. If an Organization agreement conflicts with these Terms on a matter between us and that Organization, the Organization agreement controls.

Usage limits. Some features, including the AI learning assistant and voice features, have usage limits that depend on your plan. When you reach a limit, the feature tells you, and access resets on the schedule shown in SPARK.

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3. Your account

You sign in to SPARK with your email address and a one-time sign-in code. Your account is for your personal use only.

You are responsible for:

  • Keeping access to your email account secure and not sharing sign-in codes with anyone;
  • All activity that occurs under your account; and
  • Telling us promptly, at the contact below or through your Organization's support contact, if you believe someone has used your account without your permission.

We may suspend or close an account, or require you to change account details, where reasonably necessary to operate SPARK, protect other users, enforce these Terms, or meet an Organization's requirements. We may close Free Plan accounts that have been inactive for a long time, after notice to the account email.

Parent approval on mobile. If a parent or guardian withdraws approval for a learner 13 to 17 through the app store, we lock the account. A locked account cannot sign in. We keep its information so nothing is lost, and it unlocks if approval is given again. A parent or guardian can ask us to delete the account instead, as described in the Privacy Policy.

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4. Acceptable use

While using SPARK, you agree not to:

  • Share, sell, or transfer your account, or let anyone else use it;
  • Try to access content, accounts, assessments, or data that are not yours or not assigned to you;
  • Use automated tools such as scrapers, bots, or harvesters to collect content, learner data, or assessment items;
  • Copy, reproduce, distribute, publicly display, or create derivative works from SPARK content except as SPARK's normal features allow;
  • Reverse engineer, decompile, or try to extract the source code or underlying models of SPARK, except where applicable law does not allow this restriction;
  • Interfere with, disrupt, or degrade SPARK's availability, security, or integrity;
  • Post or send anything unlawful, harassing, hateful, sexually explicit, or that infringes someone else's rights, including in the community message board, in tutoring sessions, or in messages to the AI learning assistant;
  • Try to make the AI learning assistant produce harmful content, or use it for anything other than learning;
  • Use SPARK in any way that violates applicable law, your Organization's rules, or the rules of any testing organization (for example, ASVAB, AFCT, TABE, ACCUPLACER, DSST, or CLEP rules); or
  • Use SPARK to contact, or try to meet, a learner who is under 18, except as SPARK's normal features allow, such as a scheduled tutoring session.

We may investigate and take appropriate action against any use we reasonably believe violates these Terms or the law, including removing content and suspending or closing accounts.

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5. Course content and AI-assisted features

Human and AI-created content. SPARK course content, including lessons, explanations, practice questions, narration, and study materials, is created with a combination of human subject-matter expertise and artificial intelligence ("AI"). SPARK also includes AI-assisted features, such as adaptive recommendations, the AI learning assistant, and AI-generated session notes, which generate explanations, hints, and guidance based on your activity.

Check important information. Course content and AI output are meant to support your learning and test preparation. They may contain mistakes, gaps, or out-of-date information. Use your own judgment and verify important information before relying on it, especially for decisions about education benefits, tuition assistance, credentials, enlistment, or other significant matters.

Not professional advice. AI recommendations and explanations do not replace professional academic advising, career counseling, or financial or legal advice.

Predicted scores are estimates. SPARK may show estimated or predicted test scores and readiness. These are statistical estimates, not promises. SPARK does not guarantee any particular score, passing result, credit award, enlistment or job qualification, certification, or other outcome. SPARK is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or administered by the U.S. Department of Defense, the ASVAB testing program, or any testing organization, except where an Organization agreement expressly says otherwise.

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6. Live tutoring, community, and support

Live tutoring with human tutors is available only to learners whose Organization includes it. Tutors are there to help you learn; they do not complete graded work for you. Sessions are subject to the privacy terms described in the Privacy Policy, including optional recording only with your consent.

Community message board. Where your Organization enables it, you may post to a message board shared with other learners. Be respectful. Posts may be visible to other learners and moderators in your Organization, and we may remove posts that violate these Terms.

Support. You can reach SPARK support through the help options in SPARK and at the contact below. Organization plans may include additional support channels, such as a support phone line.

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7. Your content

You may create or submit content through SPARK, such as notes, answers, goals, self-reported test scores, posts, uploaded images, voice input, and messages to the AI learning assistant or to tutors ("Your Content").

As between you and Vantage Point, Your Content is yours. You give Vantage Point a limited, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, process, display, and otherwise use Your Content only as needed to operate and improve SPARK for you, to provide SPARK to your Organization if you joined through one, and to meet reporting and recordkeeping obligations as described in the Privacy Policy. We do not sell Your Content, and we do not use it to train AI models that other organizations use.

You are responsible for Your Content and confirm that you have the right to submit it and that it does not violate these Terms, the law, or anyone else's rights.

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8. Intellectual property

SPARK, including its software, design, course content, assessments, narration, and AI-assisted output, and all related intellectual property rights, is owned by Vantage Point or its licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws. SPARK is licensed, not sold, to you. Subject to these Terms, we give you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use SPARK for your own learning or, for Organization staff, to administer your Organization's program.

"SPARK," the SPARK logos, and related marks are trademarks of Vantage Point. You may not use them without our prior written permission.

We reserve all rights not expressly granted in these Terms.

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9. Government customers

Where SPARK is provided to a U.S. Government agency, the SPARK software and documentation are "commercial computer software" and "commercial computer software documentation" as those terms are used in FAR 2.101, FAR 12.212, and DFARS 227.7202. Consistent with FAR 12.212 and DFARS 227.7202, the Government's rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose the software and documentation are governed solely by the applicable Government contract and otherwise are as provided in these Terms. Rights in specific contract deliverables and data are governed by the data rights clauses of the applicable contract. Nothing in these Terms gives the Government greater rights than that contract provides or limits Vantage Point's rights to use, improve, or commercialize SPARK.

Contractor/Manufacturer: Vantage Point Consulting, Inc., 19700 Derby St, West Linn, OR.

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SPARK may link to or work with third-party services, such as testing organizations, video platforms whose videos some lessons link to (for example, LabXchange and YouTube), video meeting services used for live tutoring, and resources provided by your Organization. Those services are governed by their own terms and privacy practices, and we are not responsible for them.

Apple App Store (iOS). The SPARK iOS app is made available through the Apple App Store. The app provider is Vantage Point Consulting, Inc., 19700 Derby St, West Linn, OR. These Terms are the Licensed Application End User License Agreement for the iOS app and are between you and Vantage Point only, not Apple Inc. ("Apple").

  • Scope of license. You may use SPARK on any Apple-branded device that you own or control, as permitted by the Usage Rules in the Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions.
  • Maintenance and support. Vantage Point alone is responsible for maintenance and support of SPARK. Apple has no obligation to provide them.
  • Warranty. Vantage Point, not Apple, is solely responsible for SPARK and its content. If SPARK fails to conform to an applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any). To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation for SPARK.
  • Product and legal claims. Vantage Point, not Apple, is responsible for any claims relating to SPARK, including product liability claims, claims that SPARK fails to conform to a legal or regulatory requirement, consumer-protection claims, and third-party intellectual property claims.
  • Legal compliance. You confirm that you are not in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated as a "terrorist supporting" country, and that you are not on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
  • Third-party terms. You must comply with applicable third-party terms when using SPARK.
  • Third-party beneficiary. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them against you.

Google Play (Android). Your use of the SPARK Android app is also subject to the Google Play Terms of Service. Google is not responsible for SPARK.

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11. Disclaimers

SPARK is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE," without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Vantage Point disclaims all implied warranties, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement.

We do not promise that SPARK will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that it will produce any particular learning or testing outcome. Some jurisdictions do not allow these exclusions, so some may not apply to you. Service-level commitments made to an Organization are set out only in that Organization's agreement.

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12. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, and except for liability that cannot be limited by law:

  • Vantage Point will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of data, goodwill, or anticipated outcomes (including test results), arising out of or relating to your use of, or inability to use, SPARK; and
  • Vantage Point's total liability arising out of or relating to SPARK or these Terms will not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars ($100), or, for an Organization, the amount set in its agreement.

These limits apply whatever the legal theory and even if a remedy fails of its essential purpose.

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13. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Vantage Point and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from claims, liabilities, damages, and reasonable expenses arising out of your misuse of SPARK or your violation of these Terms or the law. This section does not apply to U.S. Government personnel acting in their official capacity, whose obligations are governed by the applicable contract and federal law.

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14. Ending your use of SPARK

You may close your account at any time through Privacy and Terms in Settings. Your Organization access ends when your Organization ends your authorization or its agreement with us ends; if that happens, you can no longer use that Organization's courses and features, and you may continue on the Free Plan with the same email address. Progress you made under your Organization stays with that Organization and does not move to the Free Plan. We may suspend or close your account for a violation of these Terms or as required by law.

Closing an account does not erase records we must keep, such as policy-acceptance history and completion or certificate records, which we keep as described in the Privacy Policy. Sections 7 through 13, this Section 14, and Sections 15 through 17 survive.

You can request a copy of your data or its deletion at any time; see the Privacy Policy.

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15. Governing law and venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Oregon, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or SPARK will be resolved only in the state or federal courts located in Oregon, and you and Vantage Point consent to their personal jurisdiction. These Terms do not require binding arbitration. Nothing in this section limits the rights of the U.S. Government, which are governed by federal law and the applicable contract. Nothing in these Terms limits rights you have under law that cannot be waived by contract, including any rights that the law of your state gives to minors.

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16. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. For material changes, we will notify you by reasonable means, such as an in-app notice or an email, and you will be asked to accept the new Terms on your next sign-in. New versions take effect on the effective date shown at the top.

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17. Contact

Questions about these Terms:

Vantage Point Consulting, Inc. 19700 Derby St West Linn, OR Email: support@sparkcourses.org

If you joined SPARK through an Organization, you can also use your Organization's support contact, shown in Settings.

Your use of SPARK is also governed by our [Privacy Policy](/policy/privacy).