AI teaching assistants help NYC middle schoolers read better
NYC middle schools in the Bronx and Brooklyn are trying out AI teaching assistants to help students improve reading skills.
The goal: give students more personalized support and boost literacy.
Students work in small groups on Chromebooks, talk through texts
Students work in small groups on Chromebooks, talk through texts with classmates, then get instant feedback from the AI on what they understood or missed.
Teachers watch progress live and step in when needed.
Classrooms using AI at least twice a week saw gains
So far, yes—classrooms that used the AI at least twice a week showed nearly twice the rate of growth on the 2025 New York State reading assessments compared with the rest of their district.
District 11 in the Bronx, for example, saw gains of between 14 and 16% points, while the overall improvement was about seven percentage points.
More kids are joining discussions and feeling confident about reading.
With concerns about reading scores
With concerns about reading scores, NYC is betting on tech to turn things around.
This pilot could shape how other schools use AI for learning if results keep trending up.