Article
Julie Tarasi
7 min
Jul 16, 2025
Introduction
As a 7th-grade special education teacher, I am a content expert in many areas and have a significant amount of communication and documentation that I must complete daily. My students grow the most when they receive specific, actionable feedback, but finding the time to provide that feedback often enough to impact their work was difficult.
Being an AI enthusiast, I knew there had to be a tool that could streamline this process while keeping teachers actively involved. However, I was concerned about preserving my students' privacy with an AI tool and ensuring I wasn’t spending hours learning a new platform in the evenings.
Discovering EnlightenAI: A game-changing solution
Enter EnlightenAI, a game-changer introduced to me by a fellow AI enthusiast. This innovative tool personalizes feedback to each student's level while allowing me to tailor it to their specific needs. Some students benefit from a simple "glow and grow" approach, while others require more comprehensive feedback. EnlightenAI effortlessly adapts to these varying needs.
The time savings have been phenomenal. No more "feedback block" or weekends lost to endless screen time. EnlightenAI has revolutionized my approach to student feedback, allowing me to provide high-quality, personalized guidance without sacrificing my time or compromising student privacy.
In my role, I split my time between Math and ELA co-taught classrooms. While I primarily support students with specific learning needs, I interact with all students, providing feedback on their work. My students represent diverse learning profiles, from autism to ADHD to specific learning disabilities in reading, writing, and math.
The spreadsheet upload feature within EnlightenAI became my go-to method for providing AI-enhanced feedback on weekly writing assignments. I was able to gather student writing, ensure student privacy, and consider their writing before receiving feedback through EnlightenAI. Throughout our units on professional communication, AI literacy, and narrative writing, this streamlined submission approach allowed me to maintain oversight while maximizing efficiency.
Real-world impact: Student growth and engagement
After several writing submissions and feedback, students began to implement the feedback they received multiple times in earlier rounds. While students did need to be reminded about the feedback, they were more willing to implement it in their next writing when reminded what EnlightenAI had suggested.
Specifically, one of my students needed help with using correct punctuation. Through the 6 weeks, EnlightenAI provided specific suggestions and encouragement to implement this. We discussed the previous feedback before the student drafted their third writing piece, and the student’s correct punctuation usage increased by 30% from their first writing submission. Overall, students’ willingness to change their writing increased as evidenced by less resistance when teachers suggested looking over their writing. Additionally, student performance increased due to students' growth across their writing submissions.
Through conversations with students, students reported knowing that their teachers were ensuring all feedback was applicable was beneficial, but also knowing that their writing was analyzed and given high-quality individualized feedback was helpful to their writing development. Students most enjoyed having one area of strength and one area of growth to improve on.
Future applications: The feedback tracker
Looking ahead, I'm considering implementing a "feedback tracker" – a tool students can use to record their feedback and review before starting new assignments. This addition would empower students to take more ownership of their writing progress while reducing the teacher's mental load of tracking individual focus areas.
EnlightenAI has revolutionized my approach to feedback, helping me reclaim work-life balance without sacrificing quality. While maintaining student progress awareness, I can redirect time to other crucial teaching responsibilities.
This tool proves especially valuable for special education teachers juggling multiple roles. The detailed, strength-based feedback supports student growth and informs lesson planning, leading to more personalized instruction. EnlightenAI successfully bridges the gap between individualized education and teacher efficiency, keeping educators involved in the learning process while maximizing their impact.
