CIDDL Office Hours: Harnessing AI for Grading and Progress Monitoring
Authors: Teddy Kim; info@ciddl.org
The latest CIDDL Office Hours featured Dr. Sean Smith and Dr. Samantha Goldman from the University of Kansas, who presented their U.S. Department of Education–funded Stepping Up Project and introduced AI SCORE, an innovative AI-based writing assessment and feedback platform. The session explored how AI can enhance writing instruction by providing real-time, formative feedback that maintains data privacy and supports struggling writers.
Setting the Stage: The Challenge of Writing Instruction
Dr. Smith opened by describing the persistent challenge of supporting student writing across K–12 and higher education (Goldman et al., 2023). Writing remains a key way for students to demonstrate understanding, yet teachers often report lacking time and data to provide individualized feedback (Goldman et al., 2024). The team designed AI SCORE to address this gap by combining evidence-based writing strategies with automated scoring technology. The platform instantly analyzes student writing, offering feedback in four categories—content, organization, style, and overall quality—aligned with a validated, research-based rubric. AI SCORE also allows teachers to track progress over time through visual dashboards that display class and individual performance data. Importantly, the system promotes growth-oriented feedback rather than grading, emphasizing writing as an iterative process where every draft is an opportunity for improvement.
Inside AI SCORE: How It Works
Dr. Goldman demonstrated both the student and teacher interfaces.
- Student View: Learners complete writing prompts with a built-in planning timer, receive feedback, and can revise based on suggestions. They also interact with Oscar, an on-screen AI assistant that offers writing support without providing direct answers. Oscar can offer sentence starters or structural guidance, but remains focused on the writing task—no jokes or distractions allowed.
- Teacher View: Educators can monitor student performance, review rubric-based scores, and evaluate the usefulness of AI-generated feedback. The platform includes videos, rubrics, and progress monitoring tools to assist teachers in interpreting and acting on data.
Dr. Smith highlighted that AI SCORE’s design makes it especially valuable in teacher education, helping preservice and in-service teachers learn how to teach and assess writing effectively. The system aligns with evidence-based practices (EBP) and includes a growing library of writing prompts and instructional strategies available through https://writingclassroom.org/.
Privacy, Accessibility, and AI Literacy
Both presenters emphasized strong privacy protections. AI SCORE operates within secure learning management systems like Google Classroom and Canvas, ensuring that no identifiable student data is accessible to researchers. Schools can further anonymize data by assigning student IDs randomly.
Dr. Goldman noted that AI literacy education is being integrated into the tool, enabling students to understand responsible AI use, including what information should or shouldn’t be shared with AI systems. Teachers can also monitor interactions with Oscar for transparency and accountability.
Q&A Highlights
Q1. What steps should schools take to keep student data safe when using AI tools?
- The presenters explained that AI SCORE leverages existing LMS security (such as Google Classroom) and anonymizes data. They acknowledged this as an evolving area, with new resources in development to guide teachers and families on privacy best practices.
Q2. Does AI SCORE allow students to write independently?
- Yes. Students can write and revise independently, even outside of classroom assignments. They can access AI SCORE anytime through a browser using their Google account, allowing parents or tutors to engage in the process as well.
Q3. Is AI SCORE designed for students with disabilities or all students?
- Dr. Smith clarified that while AI SCORE was originally developed to support struggling writers and students with disabilities, it has been successfully used with all learners. The tool’s content-neutral prompts and accessible language make it effective across diverse student populations, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Q4. Is AI SCORE a separate app that must be downloaded?
- Dr. Goldman clarified that AI SCORE is entirely web-based, not an app or extension. It operates through any web browser and integrates seamlessly with Google Classroom. Teachers don’t need to manually add classes—students’ rosters are imported automatically through their LMS integration.
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