CoGrader 2.0: Accelerating Student Writing Proficiency through AI-Assisted Personalized Feedback at Scale

CoGrader 2.0: Accelerating Student Writing Proficiency through AI-Assisted Personalized Feedback at Scale is sponsored by Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Develops an AI-powered platform to enhance writing proficiency and academic achievement in PreK-12 education.

IES Seedlings to Scale grant | CoGrader IES Seedlings to Scale grant | CoGrader · Jan 29, 2026 · ⏱ 2 min read In this article Table of contents + CoGrader Awarded IES Seedlings to Scale Grant for Student Writing We’re thrilled to share some exciting news: CoGrader has been awarded funding from the Seedlings to Scale program through the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) , in partnership with Dr. Jody Britten, Modern Learners, and a team of leading education researchers.

This grant supports continued development and research for our platform - advancing our mission to accelerate student writing proficiency through highly personalized, frequent, and high-quality feedback at scale. Why IES Seedlings Grant Matters for Education Writing is one of the most critical skills for student success in school, work, and civic life.

Yet teachers consistently face an impossible challenge: delivering the volume and depth of feedback students need to grow as writers, without burning out in the process.

As our Co-Founder Gil Flores puts it: “Our goal is to use AI to close the feedback loop in student writing development - empowering teachers to deliver personalized, high-quality feedback at the frequency students need to accelerate their growth, while helping teachers avoid burnout.

” With this funding, we’ll be conducting design research directly with educators and students to continue refining our platform, and implementing a rigorous research agenda to evaluate both efficacy and scalability. CoGrader’s work has always been rooted in partnership with teachers, and that’s not changing.

Dr. Jody Britten, Co-Principal Investigator on the project, shared: “For four years we have seen CoGrader continue to listen to teachers, co-design solutions, and iterate on improvements. All the while upholding commitments to student privacy and responsible use of AI. I am thrilled to take this next step in improving the product, enhancing the user experience, and researching the effectiveness of CoGrader 2.

0” What Comes Next: Research and Product Iteration This grant positions us to generate insights and build tools that will benefit not only the schools participating in our research, but the broader education community. We’re committed to thoughtful innovation grounded in research and educator partnership - and we can’t wait to share more as this work unfolds. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey so far.

This milestone belongs to the educators and students who’ve shaped CoGrader from day one. How to Lead a Data-Driven Writing PLC in 45 Minutes A research-backed, 45-minute agenda for a data-driven writing PLC that ends with a real reteach plan. Protocols, calibration, and CoGrader.

Andrew Gitner Jul 29, 2026 What Is Data-Driven Instruction? A Teacher's Guide to the Cycle Data-driven instruction gets thrown around in PD sessions and staff meetings until it starts to mean everything and nothing. Here's what the phrase actually means, where it comes from, and what it looks like once you point it at student writing.

Andrew Gitner Jul 29, 2026 The Writing Data Gap: An AI-Powered Vision for Data-Driven Instruction Data-driven instruction transformed how we teach math and reading. Writing got left behind. Not because it matters less, but because its data was trapped in the margins of papers nobody had time to analyze.

Here's how that finally changes. Andrew Gitner Jul 27, 2026