Case Study: Revolutionizing Assessment at Ithaca High School

Executive Summary

Ithaca City School District has pioneered the integration of AI-powered grading through GradeWiz, transforming how over 20 teachers assess student work and provide feedback. Since active deployment began in spring 2025, the platform has graded over 5,000 submissions, saving teachers more than 500 hours while dramatically improving the quality and speed of student feedback.

The Challenge

Time constraints: Teachers spent hours providing meaningful feedback on student assignments.
Inconsistent grading: Human bias and fatigue affected assessment quality.
Delayed feedback: Students often waited days or weeks for graded assignments.
Limited assignment frequency: Time constraints prevented teachers from assigning regular check-ins.
Classroom conflicts: Students frequently disputed grades, creating tension.

The GradeWiz Solution

Instant feedback generation: Students receive detailed, personalized feedback immediately.
Unbiased assessment: AI eliminates human bias in grading.
Targeted analytics: Teachers receive data on class-wide learning gaps and misconceptions.
Scalable implementation: Easy-to-use platform requiring minimal training.

Implementation Results

Quantitative Impact

5,000+ submissions graded across the district
500+ hours saved in teacher grading time
20+ teachers actively using the platform
3–6 hours saved weekly per teacher
40% of teachers have adjusted instruction based on GradeWiz analytics

Qualitative Transformations

Enhanced Student Experience: Biology teachers now assign daily paragraph recaps where students summarize their learning, receiving detailed same-day feedback through GradeWiz. This has fundamentally changed how students engage with course material and self-assess their understanding.

Improved Classroom Dynamics: Correen Briggs noted a revolutionary shift in student-teacher interactions:

“Students don’t take losing points for mistakes personally, and instead they feel like the teacher and them are collaborating to help them produce great answers that give them full points!”

Revolutionary Teaching Impact: Teacher R. Farmer compared GradeWiz’s classroom impact to purchasing her first computer, highlighting the transformational nature of the technology.

Teacher Testimonials

“The awesome part about GradeWiz is that it gives students valuable feedback. The feedback given meets the student at the level they are at rather than going over the entire problem... This then allows me as a teacher to truly get a third party evaluation of my students’ understanding.”

— Michael Strickler

“GradeWiz has fundamentally changed my classroom. I can provide almost instant MEANINGFUL feedback that the students can take and enhance their knowledge. On a personal level it has cut my grading down from hours to literal minutes.”

— Brian Dwyer

“GradeWiz offers me the opportunity to break down the specific content each question is asking and provides individual feedback back to my students based on their answers. It will allow me more time to focus on instruction.”

— Kelly Haining

“GradeWiz significantly reduces the time it takes to finish sets of papers. No more falling behind by 2–3 labs. GradeWiz does an amazing job at finding the smallest errors and recommends ways for students to improve. GradeWiz works well with Google Classroom and students have no problems scanning their work.”

— Matthew Wasilawski

Advanced Analytics Driving Instruction

Spot misconceptions early and address them same-day or next-day
Adjust instruction based on real-time student understanding data
Intervene proactively before small gaps become major learning obstacles
Compare performance across different teaching approaches

Future Initiatives

Regents exam preparation: Measuring impact on standardized test performance
Predictive analytics: Delivering insights to educators for early intervention
Pass rate prediction: Using AI to identify at-risk students before gaps widen

Conclusion

The partnership between GradeWiz and Ithaca City School District demonstrates how AI can transform education by making high-quality, personalized feedback scalable and immediate. With teachers saving hundreds of hours while students receive better, more timely feedback, this implementation serves as a model for districts seeking to leverage AI for educational improvement.

Special Acknowledgment

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Luvelle Brown, Superintendent, and Zachary Lind, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Technology, whose visionary leadership and unwavering support have been instrumental in GradeWiz’s success at Ithaca City School District.