NoRedInk has rolled out several valuable features built to help English teachers teach more effectively. The latest innovations include an AI-powered grading assistant, a flexible reading mode, advanced paragraph scaffolding, and easier co‑teaching tools. These updates aim to reduce teacher workload, strengthen student reading and writing skills, and improve collaboration in the classroom.
AI Essay Grading: Saving Time, Boosting Feedback
One of the standout new tools is the Grading Assistant, an AI essay grader designed to offer teachers reliable, actionable feedback—fast. Here’s how it works:
- Automated Suggestions
The Grading Assistant reads student work and suggests rubric‑based scores and comments corresponding to the main elements of an argumentative paragraph. This includes identifying a clear claim, supporting it with evidence, explaining the link, and wrapping up effectively. - Teacher Control Remains Central
Although AI suggests scores and feedback, teachers see everything before it reaches the student. In the beta phase, teachers agreed with the AI’s feedback more than 90% of the time . This gives educators confidence that the suggestions are trustworthy. - Major Time Savings
Teachers in the beta group reported cutting grading time by over 40%, with nearly half saying feedback increased significantly. This frees up time to plan lessons or support students directly. - Flexible and Expanding
Teachers currently use it for argumentative paragraph assignments—either from NoRedInk’s prompts or their own. The platform supports custom rubric items too, and new genres are planned throughout the school year.
Overall, the Grading Assistant aims to reduce the time teachers spend on routine grading, so they can focus on higher‑value interactions with students.
Reading Mode: Strengthening Reading & Writing Together
Reading Mode is a fresh set of features that bring annotation, comprehension, and writing support into one seamless space. Available on assignments that include a source text—like Quick Writes, Essay Drafts, and Short Response tasks—these tools aim to build stronger connections between reading and writing .
Key elements include:
- Interactive Highlights and Annotations
Students can choose from four highlight colors, add comments to each section, and even attach stickers (such as exclamation marks or lightbulbs) that align with common annotation strategies. This transforms passive reading into a hands‑on exploration and helps students organize their ideas visually. - Paragraph Numbering
Each paragraph in the source text is numbered so teachers can point out specific sections in prompts, and students can reference them clearly in their writing. - Flexible Views
Students can either view and annotate the text alongside their writing or switch to a full‑screen mode focused solely on the source. The goal is to adapt to different preferences and learning situations. - Custom Font Sizes
The feature allows font size adjustments to support reading comfort—especially helpful for younger students or those with visual needs. - Upgraded Text‑to‑Speech
A richer audio experience includes controls for play/pause, skipping ahead, and paragraph tracking, which helps students follow along more easily.
Together, these tools give students a clearer path from reading a text to writing about it. Teachers get insight into their students’ thought processes by viewing highlights and annotations, which helps target instruction and support.
Short Response Guided Drafts: Supporting Step‑By‑Step Writing
To help students structure strong paragraphs, NoRedInk now offers Short Response Guided Drafts for grades 6–12, building on earlier elementary school options. These drafts guide students through a multi‑step writing process:
- Built‑In Scaffolding
The writing interface provides sentence stems, explanatory tips, and color‑coded examples. These supports are embedded directly in the draft, encouraging students to think about each step as they write. - Genres Offered
Teachers can choose prompts for fiction or nonfiction text responses, nonfiction text analysis, and opinion paragraphs. Additional genres are expected later in the school year.
These tools aim to make writing more accessible by breaking tasks into smaller, manageable parts—especially helpful for secondary‑level students who are still honing their writing skills.
Co‑Teaching Made Easier with Class‑Level Controls
NoRedInk has also simplified co‑teaching setup. Now, teachers can allow co‑teachers or support staff to access specific classes, rather than granting full‑account permissions. This cleaner and more secure system means:
- Teacher A can share only Class X with Teacher B
- Shared users see only the assigned class
- Admin oversight becomes easier
This update reflects NoRedInk’s responsiveness to educator feedback and supports better collaboration in multi‑teacher classrooms.
What These Tools Mean for Classrooms
Taken together, these updates position NoRedInk not just as a writing app, but as a full ELA partner focused on high‑quality instruction and meaningful learning:
- Teachers gain time and clarity—AI grading and co‑teaching tools reduce administrative burden.
- Students develop stronger habits—Reading Mode and Guided Drafts encourage active reading and structured writing.
- Decision‑making gets smarter—Teachers can see how students annotate, what feedback they receive, and how they use writing support.
Even as AI and edtech shape the classroom, NoRedInk grounds its features in proven educational practices—topic sentence clarity, evidence‑based feedback, scaffolding, and annotation strategies.
What to Expect Next
NoRedInk has signaled that these features are just the beginning. As the 2024–2025 school year progresses, more genres for AI grading and guided drafts will be added. Teachers should look out for:
- Expanded support in Grading Assistant
- New draft types with structured supports
- Additional improvements to accessibility, multilingual support, and collaboration
These incremental updates show a commitment to listening to teacher feedback and improving tools continuously.
Conclusion
The recent rollout of the AI Grading Assistant, Reading Mode, Short Response Guided Drafts, and enhanced co‑teaching features marks a thoughtful evolution in NoRedInk’s mission. By saving teachers time, empowering students to read and write well, and streamlining classroom management, these enhancements deepen educational impact in English language arts classrooms.
Teachers eager to try these features can sign up for NoRedInk free or explore a premium version for more advanced options. As more features become available, NoRedInk remains a dynamic ally for building stronger writers and critical thinkers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the Grading Assistant, and how does it work?
The Grading Assistant is an AI tool that reads argumentative paragraphs and suggests scores and comments based on a rubric. Teachers review and approve all suggestions before sharing them with students.
Can I use the AI Grading tool with my own writing prompts?
Yes, the Grading Assistant works with both NoRedInk’s built-in prompts and prompts you create yourself.
What is Reading Mode, and where is it available?
Reading Mode lets students annotate and interact with source texts directly inside writing assignments. It’s available in Quick Writes, Essay Drafts, and Short Response tasks.
Are there supports for students who struggle with reading or writing?
Yes. Features like text-to-speech, adjustable font sizes, writing scaffolds, and guided prompts are designed to support all learners, including those who need extra help.
Is co-teaching support available on all plans?
Yes, co-teaching tools that allow class-level sharing are available for all teachers, making collaboration easier without full account access.
Will more genres be supported in AI grading and guided drafts?
Yes, NoRedInk plans to add more writing types throughout the school year, giving teachers and students greater flexibility.