Feedback and writing assessment in an AI-Infused world with Norris Public Schools

Image of a classroom PD session at Norris Schools

Writing Assessment for an AI Infused World 2023 marks the first full school year in which students have access to powerful artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT. This brings incredible new teaching and learning potential,  but also new challenges, especially when it comes to writing assessment. Seeking to balance this challenge and optimize teacher feedback workflows, […]

Improving Feedback Presentation Resources

Improving Feedback

Presentation Resources 1. Presentation Slides 2. Socrative 3. Short Answer All-In Tutorial Pair-It Tutorial 4. Poe.AI 5. Google Slides Activity (LIVE DEMO LINK) 6. Google Slides Activity Template (Click File–>Make a Copy to save your own) 7. Dr. Dylan Wiliam’s Embedded Formative Assessment 8. Kluger & Denisi 1996 Study on Feedback

A New, Evidence-Based Decision Making AI Tool for Educators

Picture of a stack of research journals

There is clearly a lot of angst surrounding AI in education at the moment. Many folks are excited, but just as many are nervous. As one English teacher put it in our Short Answer Teacher Community recently, “It’s all moving SO fast. I’m having a hard time keeping up!” New tools seem to come out every […]

Case Study: Short Answer Presents at MACE 2023

Image of teachers working on computers during a PD session with Short Answer

Short Answer co-founder Adam Sparks had the privilege of leading an interactive session titled Peer Feedback, Wine Tasting, and More Effective Formative Assessment at the 2023 Mid-American Association for Computers in Education (MACE)  spring conference in Manhattan, Kansas. In this case study, we share highlights, feedback, and implications for school districts interested in leveraging similar strategies […]

Case Study: Boosting Formative Assessment with Papillion La Vista Community Schools

Photo of Staff at professional develop session with Short Answer

Papillion La Vista Community Schools (PLCS) is a diverse educational community outside Omaha, Nebraska. As the fourth-largest school district in the state, PLCS serves approximately 11,600 students in 2 high schools, 3 middle schools, 16 elementary schools, and 2 learning academies. It is one of the most consistently innovative districts in the state, always seeking […]

Why we call ourselves Short Answer.

A series of Short Answer logos in a square

“Why did you call it Short Answer?” We get it all the time. Or, as a teacher friend put it recently: “IT’S CALLED SHORT ANSWER!? Dude, your last name is SPARKS, HOW did you not start there?” It’s the latest in a long line of…let’s call it skepticism….towards our name. It’s two words and three […]

Preventing ChatGPT Plagiarism: A Solution for the Copy-Paste Challenge in ELA

Painting of an abstract woman reflecting on her writing in the style of Thomas Hart Benton

I attended the NE Future Ready conference earlier this week and, as expected, AI dominated the conversation. AI is something we’re thinking a lot about at Short Answer, and we’ve got some exciting AI features in the pipeline to keep an eye out for this fall. That said, based on the conversations at the conference, […]

Initial Short Answer Efficacy Report

Short Answer LDT Master's Capstone Project Report, December 9, 2022

Short Answer’s theory of change was crafted in the Learning Design and Technology master’s degree program in the Stanford Graduate School of Education under the guidance of Dr. Karin Forsell, Dr. Sarah Levine, Dr. Bruce McCandliss, and many others (see Acknowledgments section below). Initial efficacy research was conducted over the summer and fall of 2022 […]

Teacher Appreciation Week 2023

We are excited to kick off our very first Teacher Appreciation Week as Team Short Answer! This week, we will be highlighting the voices and experiences of some of the teachers who have supported us at every step of the way as a way of saying thank you.  Teachers, we are grateful for the opportunity […]