eSpark, an online supplemental curriculum provider for math, reading, and writing, is bringing AI-powered phonics practice to foundational reading instruction this school year. This update strengthens eSpark’s already strong alignment with the science of reading.
The eSpark Reading Lab brings advanced speech recognition and analysis technologies to the award-winning eSpark platform, beginning with a six-week phonics scope and sequence for the back-to-school season. The Reading Lab analyzes students’ speech patterns to provide detailed instruction, practice, and reporting on individual phonemes, giving teachers an unprecedented window into where students are on their early reading journeys.
eSpark introduced more than 50,000 teachers to the benefits of generative AI during the 2023-2024 school year through uniquely personalized activities like Choice Texts, Choice Math, and an AI-powered writing tutor. The company then turned to one of the highest priorities in education today–foundational reading instruction–and worked closely with teachers to identify where they needed the most support.
“To think about having a sentence on the screen, a child reading that, and eSpark providing immediate feedback and instruction on individual sounds and putting those sounds together…That’s basically teaching [my students] how to read,” said Michigan teacher Michelle VanGilder. “To have something like that to support kids who aren’t reading as much at home and have limited classroom time to practice is amazing.”
As teachers adapt to a generation of students who are “built differently” post-pandemic, it has become crucial to differentiate instruction beyond just leveling content. eSpark’s Reading Lab is the newest example of how technology can ease the burden on teachers for time-intensive 1:1 support, while also fostering a love of reading with engaging, responsive, highly personalized activities.
“Teachers dedicate a huge amount of time and energy to helping students learn and love reading, but it’s tough to give each student one-on-one attention in a busy classroom,” said Ray Lyons, eSpark’s VP of Product. “With Reading Lab, we’re excited to offer this new technology that assesses students and gives personalized feedback and phonics support, so teachers can spend more quality time in small groups.”
A free trial of the eSpark Reading Lab is available now for all first-time signups and returning teachers. Learn more and get started at https://www.esparklearning.com/product/reading-lab/.
With college admissions more competitive than ever, a team of Harvard and Johns Hopkins graduates has created a new online consultant that uses artificial intelligence to help high school students get accepted into their dream colleges — for just $10 per month.
Called Apply Genius, the AI app is designed to level the playing field for students and parents who can’t afford to spend thousands — or tens of thousands — of dollars on a live college admissions consultant.
“Apply Genius answers any question you have about college admissions, personalized for you, giving you access to the same admissions secrets that the wealthiest applicants pay $10,000 or more for,” said Michael Pankowski, a Harvard graduate and co-founder of Apply Genius. “This tool is democratizing college admissions consulting, making it affordable for all.”
Available on the Apple App store, Apply Genius allows users to start for free and costs only $9.99 per month for unlimited access, answering any college admissions questions one has. And the Apply Genius team offers a quality guarantee: If there’s any answer that’s not to a user’s satisfaction, the Apply Genius team will personally answer that question by email.
As college admissions rates have plummeted (Harvard accepted only 3.6% of applicants this year), the admissions process has grown increasingly confusing and nerve-wracking. A recent nationwide survey found that over 60% of students are overwhelmed by college admissions advice, and 76% of students feel high stress levels throughout the application process.
“Until now, only the wealthiest students and parents could afford to pay for someone to guide them through this complicated and stressful process,” said Anthony Colarusso, a Harvard graduate and co-founder of Apply Genius. “Our app changes this, offering deeply personalized advice at a highly affordable price.”
Using a combination of proprietary research and top-quality insights, Apply Genius is designed for both students and parents. The state-of-the-art app is incredibly easy to use and features:
- A Student Profile that takes in over 30 unique data points to personalize every answer for each student’s circumstances and admissions goals.
- An Open Chat feature where students can ask any college admissions question and get instant, personalized, expert advice at any time.
- A Guided Chat feature where students can ask questions from the 100+ question Prompting Guide, packed with the most important college admissions questions, and get a personalized answer.
- A Chat History where users can revisit their saved chats, so they never forget the crucial college admissions advice they’ve received.
“To earn admittance to their top college, students need to stand out from the crowd. Apply Genius helps students do just that,” said Sean Sebastian Darcy, a Johns Hopkins graduate and co-founder of Apply Genius.
Apply Genius helps students overcome the numerous challenges they face navigating the college admissions process. Among them:
- College admissions is notoriously unclear as to who gets in and why, and the Internet is filled with unsound, out of date advice.
- High school counselors, especially at public schools, are overwhelmed by the number of students they must help. The nationwide average is 385 students per counselor, and 24% of public schools have no counselors at all.
- Private college consultants are expensive – their average rate is roughly $300 per hour, and one charges a fee of $750,000 for their services.
Learn more about Apply Genius at www.getapplygenius.com.
Kollegio, the AI-driven platform for college applications, today announced its official launch to help students receive expert guidance for the college application process. Kollegio seeks to reinvent the college access infrastructure, creating more equitable opportunities while simultaneously dismantling the existing barriers that block out a majority of students from reaching top schools. Kollegio’s advanced AI tools provide personalized guidance and expert advice to empower students to craft their best possible applications. Capabilities range from helping students prioritize colleges based on student career goals, GPA, and extracurricular activities, all the way to reviewing and suggesting edits to specific admission essays. The full launch comes on the heels of Kollegio’s recently announced $750k pre-seed funding in June.
66% of students utilizing Kollegio’s early access come from households that earn $100,000 or less in annual household income. The top 3 universities that these students are seeking to apply to include Harvard, Stanford, and Yale. A 2023 study conducted by economists based at Harvard found that students from the top 1% were 34% more likely to be accepted to an Ivy League school compared to their peers with the same or similar SAT or ACT scores. One advantage that students from more affluent backgrounds benefit from are highly personal recommendations provided by guidance counselors on their behalf. The average ratio for a public school counselor is 1:400 in California.
Kollegio works alongside students during the college discovery and application process. Personalized profiles help determine target schools based on professional goals and grades. Students have the option to freely write admission essays and receive AI-provided feedback or can brainstorm using common application prompts. Students can work on admission essays anytime and receive support to best fit their unique schedule and work style. Data on important deadlines, application fees, financial aid, and more is also available from 1,600 schools to help keep students informed.
“Kollegio was built with the guiding principle that all students, no matter their background or circumstance, should have the same shot at getting into their dream schools,” says Kollegio CEO and Co-Founder Senan Khawaja.
Saeed Naeem, the CTO and Co-founder echoed the same sentiment “No student with dreams of pursuing higher education should be limited because their families cannot afford the leg up that the wealthy minority can.”
To learn more about Kollegio, please visit www.kollegio.ai
