Ohio 8th graders find, fix flaw in state testing essay grading
A group of West Clermont eighth graders are finishing out their school year with an impressive accomplishment. They discovered what they say are flaws in Ohio's grading system for state essays.
By Nicole Aponte
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BATAVIA, Ohio (WLWT) — A group of West Clermont eighth graders are finishing out their school year with an impressive accomplishment.
They discovered what they say are flaws in Ohio’s grading system for state essays.
In 2018, the state started using artificial intelligence to grade the essays.
A group of students at West Clermont Middle School says they were receiving low grades because the AI didn’t recognize creativity or personality in writing. So, they took matters into their own hands and created a new system.
“It understands, like, emotional cues. And so how we did that is just essentially training it, telling it what to do in this situation, what this means, what this person meant to say,” explained Ava Capaldo, a WCMS student. “And basically, our AI has far more leniency.”
Over the past nine months, they’ve manipulated different AI systems, learned coding and attempted to replicate the state’s AI grading system.
Their work is getting recognized.
They presented their findings both at the state and national level and met with Ohio Rep. Adam Bird, hoping a new AI could be developed that, they say, could grade the essays more holistically.
Mary Hufford, the students’ teacher, has been in awe of what these students have done.
“12 students have done what an entire generation of teachers couldn’t accomplish,” Hufford said. “I mean, it’s the truth they have gotten. They have they they’ve gotten the attention of people who can actually make change and improve the system.”
As these students enter high school next year, they want future generations of students who are taking state tests to benefit from the work they’ve done.
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