Newsela - Detailed Review

Writing Tools

Newsela - Detailed Review Contents

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Newsela - Product Overview

Overview

Newsela is an educational technology platform that transforms authentic, real-world content into instruction-ready materials for classrooms. Here’s a brief overview of its primary function, target audience, and key features:

Primary Function

Newsela’s main function is to provide high-quality, leveled reading content to help students build reading comprehension, nonfiction fluency, and critical-thinking skills. The platform takes news articles and other content from trusted sources like the Associated Press, The Guardian, and The Washington Post, and adjusts them to five different reading levels. This ensures that the content is both challenging and supportive for every learner.

Target Audience

Newsela is primarily aimed at educators, students, and parents. It is particularly useful for teachers in multi-leveled classrooms, as it allows all students to engage with the same content at their individual reading levels. The platform supports students from grades 2-12, as well as adult learners, making it a versatile resource for various educational settings.

Key Features

Leveled Articles: Each article is available at five different Lexile levels, corresponding to College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards. This ensures that all students can access the same content regardless of their reading ability.
Real-Time Assessments: Newsela includes multiple-choice quizzes, writing prompts, and other assessment tools integrated directly into the articles. These assessments provide teachers with real-time insights into students’ progress and engagement.
Adaptive Learning Technology: The platform uses AI algorithms to personalize learning experiences. Features include article summaries, key term support, tier three vocabulary definitions, and real-time writing feedback.
Content Categories: Newsela offers content across various subjects such as English Language Arts (ELA), social studies, and science. The articles are organized by topics like war & peace, science, and health, making it easy to connect historical or scientific topics with current events.
Community Engagement: Newsela fosters educational communities where educators, students, and parents can share resources, best practices, and feedback. This includes webinars, workshops, discussion boards, and virtual study groups.
Offline Access: The platform allows for print options and offline access, making it accessible even without devices or internet.

Conclusion

Overall, Newsela is a valuable resource for educators seeking to enhance their curriculum with engaging, relevant, and standards-aligned content that supports diverse student needs.

Newsela - User Interface and Experience

User Interface of Newsela

The user interface of Newsela, particularly in its Writing Tools and AI-driven product category, is designed to be user-friendly and accessible for both teachers and students.

Ease of Use

Newsela’s interface is straightforward and easy to search. Users can browse content by subject, accessing multiple text sets and collections. For example, you can find inquiry units on specific topics, complete with relevant articles, unit implementation guides, and summative performance tasks.

Key Features

Annotations: Teachers and students can highlight and annotate within articles using the Annotations feature. This allows for interactive feedback and discussions, with all conversations stored in the Annotations section of the Activities panel.
Reading Levels: Articles are available at five different reading levels, making the content accessible to students of various skill levels. This feature helps students engage with texts at a level that supports their growth as independent readers.
AI-Driven Tools: Newsela incorporates AI to generate key features such as article summaries, tier three vocabulary definitions, writing prompts, question generation, and real-time writing feedback. These tools help in planning and executing lessons more efficiently.
Quizzes and Writing Prompts: Each article is accompanied by quizzes and writing prompts, which are adjusted according to the reading level selected. This helps in assessing student understanding and fostering critical thinking and writing skills.

Accessibility

Newsela places a strong emphasis on accessibility:

Keyboard Interactions: The platform is navigable using standard keyboard interactions, and interactive elements are highlighted with a focus ring when they receive keyboard focus. A “Skip To Content” link allows quick access to the main content.
Screen Readers: Newsela is compatible with popular screen readers like VoiceOver, NVDA, JAWS, ChromeVox, and TalkBack. All images include alternative text descriptions, and labels are screen reader-friendly.
Status Updates: Status updates are coded as “Alert” elements to ensure they are consistently announced by screen readers. These updates persist until manually closed or superseded by another update.

User Experience

The overall user experience on Newsela is enhanced by its intuitive design and the integration of various tools:

Clear Navigation: The platform’s layout makes it easy for users to find and access the content they need. The search functionality and categorization by subject simplify the process of locating relevant texts and activities.
Engagement: The availability of high-interest articles, quizzes, and writing prompts at different reading levels helps keep students engaged. Teachers can also use the annotations and AI-driven tools to create more interactive and personalized learning experiences.

In summary, Newsela’s user interface is designed to be accessible, easy to use, and engaging, with a focus on supporting both teachers and students in their educational endeavors.

Newsela - Key Features and Functionality

Newsela Writing Overview

Newsela’s Writing Tools, particularly the AI-driven product category known as Newsela Writing, offer several key features designed to improve student writing skills and make teaching more efficient. Here are the main features and how they work:

AI-Driven Feedback

Newsela Writing uses proprietary AI technology to provide instant, targeted feedback on students’ writing. This AI identifies different sentence types and provides feedback based on a chosen rubric, helping students learn the foundational components of academic writing.

Writing Modes and Assignments

Teachers can assign various types of writing tasks through Newsela Writing, including narrative, argumentative, expository, informational, main/central idea, inference/conclusion, literary analysis, and opinion. Students can submit both short-answer and long-form responses, with short answers consisting of one paragraph and long-form responses spanning three or more paragraphs.

Rubric-Aligned Feedback

The AI provides feedback that is aligned with specific rubrics, ensuring that students receive consistent and relevant guidance on their writing. This helps students improve their writing skills across different rhetorical modes and subject areas.

Accessibility and Integration

Newsela Writing is accessible via the Newsela platform, and students can log in using their Newsela credentials. It is compatible with various authentication and rostering platforms, including Google, Canvas, Schoology, Clever, ClassLink, and Microsoft. Teachers can also share assignments via Google Classroom, although it does not integrate with Google Docs.

Student Safety and Privacy

Newsela Writing ensures student safety by not sending identifiable student data to third-party models, adhering to privacy guidelines and securing student information.

Customizable Writing Prompts

Teachers can use Newsela Writing to generate writing prompts that are customized to the needs of their students. This feature helps in integrating writing tasks with existing curricula or personal writing assignments.

Real-Time Feedback

The AI technology provides real-time feedback, allowing students to receive immediate guidance on their writing. This feedback is delivered at the student’s recommended reading level, ensuring it is accessible and understandable.

Compatibility with Other Tools

Newsela Writing works alongside other tools like Grammarly, providing comprehensive support for writing improvement. Students see in-text feedback from Grammarly alongside the highlights and rubric-level feedback from Newsela Writing.

Subject-Specific Support

Newsela Writing supports writing across various subjects, including English Language Arts (ELA), Social Studies, Science, and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). This makes it a versatile tool for teachers to use in different classroom settings.

By integrating these features, Newsela Writing aims to make teaching and learning more efficient, engaging, and effective, while ensuring that students receive the feedback they need to improve their writing skills.

Newsela - Performance and Accuracy

Performance

Newsela’s Writing Tools utilize proprietary AI technology specifically developed for classroom use. This technology is intended to save teachers time and make their tasks easier. Here are some performance highlights:

Literacy Skill Growth: Students who use Newsela’s ELA tools, including the writing component, have shown significant growth in literacy skills. For instance, students who read and take quizzes twice a week on Newsela ELA see an additional three months of literacy skill growth by the end of the school year.
Real-Time Feedback: The AI technology provides real-time, rubric-aligned feedback to students, which helps them improve their writing skills. This immediate feedback motivates students to revise and improve their work.
Pedagogical Alignment: The AI model has been trained by a team of curriculum experts to align with teachers’ pedagogical goals, ensuring that the writing aid supports the educational objectives.

Accuracy

The accuracy of Newsela’s Writing Tools is supported by several factors:

Curriculum Expertise: The AI model is trained by curriculum experts to ensure that the feedback and guidance provided to students are accurate and relevant to the educational standards.
Research-Rooted: Newsela’s products, including the writing tools, are rooted in research and learning science. Efficacy studies have shown that these tools drive learning outcomes, meeting ESSA standards for “Tier 2 – Moderate” research.
Student Safety and Data Privacy: Newsela ensures that identifiable student data is not sent to third-party models, maintaining student privacy and data security.

Engagement

Engagement is a critical aspect of Newsela’s Writing Tools:

Student Motivation: Students are highly motivated by the immediate feedback they receive. Many students have expressed a desire to continue using the program and even apply it to writing tasks from other classes.
Interactive Learning: The tools encourage students to practice and internalize writing structures, such as the language of argumentation and the organization of paragraphs. This interactive approach helps keep students engaged and focused on their writing.

Limitations and Areas for Improvement

While Newsela’s Writing Tools are highly effective, there are some limitations and areas where improvement could be beneficial:

Geographical Focus: Although this is more relevant to the content side, it’s worth noting that Newsela’s resources are somewhat U.S.-centric, which might make it challenging for teachers in other countries, like Canada, to find content that is directly relevant to their local curriculum and context.
Content Specificity: While Newsela offers a wide range of texts and topics, there could be a need for more specialized or region-specific content to better serve diverse educational needs.

In summary, Newsela’s Writing Tools demonstrate strong performance and accuracy, supported by research and curriculum expertise. However, there are areas where the platform could be improved, particularly in terms of geographical diversity and content specificity.

Newsela - Pricing and Plans

Pricing Structure

Newsela’s pricing varies based on the plans and the number of students or the level of access required.
For schools and districts, the pricing can be as follows:
$6,000 per school for the Pro version.
$2,000 per grade level.
$18 per student per year.

Plans and Features

Newsela Lite

This is a free version available to any teacher.
Features include:
Access to four leveled news articles at a time, each available for four weeks.
Articles are hand-selected by the editorial team and offered at five reading levels.
Alignment to state standards.
Ability to schedule assignments and set due dates.
Access to students’ quiz scores and write prompt submissions.
Automatic differentiation and embedded scaffolds.

Newsela Premium (Newsela ELA, Newsela Science, Newsela Social Studies)

These plans are available for purchase by schools and districts only.
Features include:
Access to a broader range of instructional resources, including texts, videos, primary sources, and more.
Multiple-choice quizzes and writing prompts.
Classroom- and student-level reporting to track performance and growth.
Newsela Writing’s Beta experience is currently included with these premium subscriptions until July 2025. After this period, Newsela Writing will be available as an add-on purchase.

Newsela Writing

Currently included in the premium subscriptions (Newsela ELA, Newsela Science, Newsela Social Studies) until July 2025.
After July 2025, it will be available as an add-on to premium subscriptions.
Features include the ability for students to write and receive feedback, and for teachers to monitor student progress.

Free Trial

A 45-day free trial of Newsela Premium is available, which includes all the features of the premium plans. After the trial, users can continue with the free Newsela Lite version.

In summary, Newsela offers a free Lite version with limited but useful features, and several premium plans that schools and districts can purchase, each with more comprehensive features and tools, including the Newsela Writing tool. For exact pricing tailored to specific needs, it is recommended to contact Newsela directly.

Newsela - Integration and Compatibility

Newsela Integration Overview

Newsela, an instructional content platform, integrates seamlessly with a variety of learning management systems and educational tools, ensuring ease of use and enhanced engagement for both teachers and students.

Integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Newsela is compatible with several LTI-configured learning management systems, including Schoology, Canvas, Blackboard, and others. This integration allows for single-sign-on capabilities, eliminating the need for separate Newsela usernames and passwords. Classes are automatically created for teachers when they log in through their LMS, and students are added to their respective classes as they access Newsela from the LMS.

Authentication and Rostering

Newsela supports authentication and rostering through multiple platforms such as Google, Canvas, Schoology, Clever, ClassLink, and Microsoft. This ensures that teachers and students can access Newsela content without additional login hurdles.

Integration with Formative

Newsela integrates with Formative, a real-time instruction and assessment platform. Teachers can enhance student interaction with Newsela articles by importing them into Formative, where they can add customized questions, graphic organizers, and other content items. This integration requires that both Newsela and Formative accounts be associated with the same email address.

Compatibility with Google Classroom

While Newsela Writing does not integrate with Google Docs, teachers can share Newsela Writing assignments via Google Classroom. This allows for smooth assignment distribution and tracking within the Google Classroom environment.

Cross-Platform Compatibility

Newsela’s flexible platform supports various teaching models, including virtual, in-person, and hybrid learning. It is accessible across different devices, making it suitable for a wide range of educational settings. Newsela’s content and activities are optimized to meet the needs of all learners, regardless of the device or platform used.

AI-Driven Features

Newsela’s AI-driven tools, such as article summaries, key term supports, writing prompt generation, and real-time writing feedback, are accessible across its integrated platforms. These features help teachers create engaging lessons and support students in developing critical literacy skills without the need for additional setup or compatibility checks.

Conclusion

In summary, Newsela’s integration with various LMS, authentication platforms, and educational tools like Formative and Google Classroom ensures a seamless and engaging learning experience. Its compatibility across different devices and platforms makes it a versatile and effective tool for educators.

Newsela - Customer Support and Resources

Customer Support Options

Phone Support

You can contact Newsela’s customer service via their toll-free number, (855) 711-0118. The best time to call is on Mondays when wait times are the shortest, while Tuesdays have the longest wait times.

Email Support

For email inquiries, you can use the general info email address, info@newsela.com, which is the primary email used by customers to address their issues.

Support Center

Users can log into their Newsela account, click on the question mark icon at the top right corner, and select “Support Center” from the dropdown list. Here, you can fill out a form with detailed information about your issue and submit it for support. The support team is available Monday through Friday, 8 AM – 8 PM ET.

Live Chat

For urgent issues, especially for those with a Newsela subscription, you can initiate a live chat with a support representative by clicking the “Chat with an Expert” button at the bottom right corner of the screen.

Additional Resources

Help Center

Newsela has a comprehensive Help Center that includes articles and guides on various topics, such as using Newsela Writing, reporting technical issues, and more. This resource is accessible from the Newsela dashboard and website.

Newsela Writing Basics

The support site provides detailed articles on how to use Newsela Writing, including how students can request and receive rubric-aligned feedback, the types of writing supported, and how AI is used to provide feedback.

Assignment Creation Guides

Step-by-step instructions are available for creating assignments in Newsela Writing, including how to add content sources, set reading levels, and generate prompts using AI.

Technical Issue Reporting

There are specific guidelines on how to report technical issues, including the need for detailed descriptions, screenshots, and screen recordings of the problem. This helps the support team resolve issues more efficiently.

Community and Educator Center

Newsela offers resources and community support for educators, including dashboards, online assessments, and content alignment tools. This helps teachers integrate Newsela effectively into their classrooms.

By leveraging these support options and resources, users can effectively address their queries and issues related to Newsela’s Writing Tools and other products.

Newsela - Pros and Cons

Advantages

Adaptive Reading Levels

Newsela allows students to read articles at their individual reading levels, adjusting vocabulary and syntax to fit different Lexile scores. This feature helps in differentiating instruction and ensuring all students can engage with the same content.

Wide Selection of Articles

Newsela offers a broad range of articles organized by subject matter, making it easy to find content that aligns with various courses and units. These articles are topical and high-interest, which can enhance student engagement.

Factual Accuracy and Neutrality

Newsela is rated as Least Biased and High for factual reporting. It uses credible sources such as the New York Times, Washington Post, and Scientific American, ensuring that the content is reliable and unbiased.

Writing Feedback and Support

Newsela Writing provides real-time, rubric-aligned feedback to help students improve their writing skills. The tool focuses on structure, language, and evidence-based claims, which can significantly enhance literacy skills.

Student Safety and Privacy

Newsela ensures that student data is secure and does not send identifiable information to third-party models, adhering to strict privacy guidelines.

Disadvantages

Limited Free Features

The free version of Newsela offers only basic features. To access more comprehensive tools and features, a subscription to the Pro Version is necessary.

Lack of Explanations in Quizzes

The quizzes provided by Newsela do not offer explanations for correct answers, which can limit the depth of feedback students receive.

Dependence on Content Partners

While Newsela’s content partners are credible, the absence of right-leaning sources might raise concerns about the diversity of perspectives presented. However, it is important to note that the sources used are generally considered least biased or left-center.

Overall, Newsela’s writing tools and AI-driven products are highly regarded for their ability to adapt to different reading levels, provide factual and unbiased content, and offer practical writing feedback. However, users should be aware of the limitations of the free version and the potential lack of diverse perspectives in the content sources.

Newsela - Comparison with Competitors

When comparing Newsela’s AI-driven writing tool, Newsela Writing, with its competitors, several key features and differences stand out.

Unique Features of Newsela Writing

Real-Time Feedback and Standards-Aligned Rubrics: Newsela Writing provides immediate, rubric-aligned feedback to students, which is a significant time-saver for teachers. It also ensures that the feedback is aligned with educational standards, helping students meet specific pedagogical goals.
Student Safety and Privacy: Newsela Writing prioritizes student safety by not sending identifiable student data to third-party models, ensuring privacy guidelines are met.
Integration with Educational Content: Newsela Writing can be paired with Newsela’s extensive library of educational content, providing students with relevant and engaging material to inspire their writing.
Specific Writing Assignments and Checklists: Teachers can create assignments in various writing types (e.g., Literary Analysis, Argumentative/Persuasive, Narrative) and use checklists to help students include necessary sentence types and track their progress against selected rubrics.

Competitors and Alternatives

Quill

Focus on Literacy Skills: Quill focuses on enhancing literacy skills in English Language Arts (ELA) through interactive tools. While it offers free tools, it does not provide the same level of real-time feedback and integration with educational content as Newsela Writing.
Interactive Tools: Quill’s tools are more geared towards general literacy improvement rather than the structured writing feedback offered by Newsela Writing.

Achieve3000

Personalized Learning: Achieve3000 provides personalized learning solutions, but it is more focused on reading comprehension and does not offer the same level of writing feedback and tools as Newsela Writing.
Different Target: Achieve3000 is more about adjusting reading levels to student needs rather than providing detailed writing feedback.

WizeNoze

Simplified Content: WizeNoze simplifies educational content to make it more accessible, but it does not have a built-in writing tool with real-time feedback like Newsela Writing.
Content Adaptation: WizeNoze adapts content to different reading levels but does not offer the writing support features that Newsela Writing does.

General AI Writing Tools

While the above competitors are more education-specific, general AI writing tools can also be considered as alternatives for certain aspects of writing support.

Jasper

Content Creation: Jasper is versatile in creating both short-form and long-form content and supports multiple languages. However, it is more expensive and may require additional editing, especially for long-form content. It does not have the educational focus or integration with educational content that Newsela Writing offers.
SEO Optimization: Jasper’s content is optimized for SEO, which may not be a primary concern for educational writing assignments.

KoalaWriter

SEO-Optimized Content: KoalaWriter excels in creating SEO-optimized content quickly and efficiently, using GPT-4 and Google’s AI technologies. It is more suited for professional content creation rather than educational writing assignments.
User-Friendly Interface: KoalaWriter has a user-friendly interface but lacks the educational alignment and real-time feedback features of Newsela Writing.

Conclusion

Newsela Writing stands out for its integration with educational content, real-time feedback, and focus on meeting educational standards. While competitors like Quill, Achieve3000, and WizeNoze offer valuable tools for literacy and reading comprehension, they do not match the specific writing support and feedback features of Newsela Writing. General AI writing tools like Jasper and KoalaWriter are more geared towards professional content creation and lack the educational focus of Newsela Writing.

Newsela - Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create my own writing prompts in Newsela Writing?

Yes, you can create your own writing prompts from scratch or paste them from another source, such as a curriculum document. Newsela Writing also helps you generate prompts on any given topic by entering a few keywords and using AI to provide a list of options.

How do students access Newsela Writing assignments?

Students access Newsela Writing assignments by clicking on the assignment link provided by their teacher. This link can be shared via a learning management system, email, or any other preferred method. Once they click the link, they will be asked to log in to Newsela, and if already logged in, they will go straight to the assignment.

Can students view the rubric for an assignment?

Yes, students can view the rubric for an assignment. The rubric’s title is located at the top left corner of the assignment, and clicking it will open the rubric in a new tab. This allows students to track their progress and meet the goals of the selected rubric.

How does Newsela Writing provide feedback to students?

Newsela Writing provides real-time, rubric-aligned feedback to students. When students request feedback, they will see sentences highlighted with labels, helping them understand their progress. The feedback is delivered as streaming text via the OpenAI API. Additionally, the Newsela Writing checklist reviews the types of sentences students need to include for a given assignment and offers tips, examples, and explanations.

Can I include Newsela content in my writing assignments?

Yes, you can include Newsela content in your writing assignments. You can copy and paste the URL of a Newsela article into the designated field, and the selected content will appear in the assignment. You can also adjust the reading level to your preference or keep it unlocked, allowing students to select from various reading levels.

Can students style their writing in Newsela Writing?

Yes, students can style their writing using the styling menu located at the top of the page. This allows them to format their text as needed while working on their assignments.

Is it possible to lock the reading level for an article in an assignment?

If you are using an assignment from the Newsela Writing Library, you cannot lock the reading level. However, if you create a new assignment, you can lock the reading level at any of the levels displayed within the dropdown menu.

Can students use Newsela Writing without a teacher-created assignment?

Currently, students must have an assignment link from their teacher to use Newsela Writing. However, Newsela is interested in feedback on how to support independent student writing outside of teacher-created assignments.

What is the Newsela Writing Library?

The Newsela Writing Library contains hundreds of pre-made short-answer assignments featuring Newsela content. These assignments are built from released items on state ELA tests in various states and are organized by state rubric, grade level, and genre. Teachers can rename the assignment and select different rubrics when using assignments from the library.

How do rubric meters help students in Newsela Writing?

Rubric meters in Newsela Writing help students track their progress to meet the goals of the selected rubric. These meters include sections such as “Reasoning and support” or “Organization,” allowing students to see how they are performing against the rubric criteria.

Newsela - Conclusion and Recommendation

Final Assessment of Newsela Writing

Newsela Writing is a highly regarded AI-driven tool in the educational technology sector, particularly for enhancing writing skills in students from grades 4 to 12. Here’s a comprehensive overview of its benefits and who would most benefit from using it.

Key Features and Benefits

Real-Time Feedback

Newsela Writing provides immediate, rubric-aligned feedback to students, which motivates them to revise and improve their work. This real-time feedback is delivered through AI technology, saving teachers time and ensuring students receive timely guidance.

Customizable Writing Prompts

Teachers can create assignments with various types of writing, such as literary analysis, argumentative/persuasive, narrative, expository, and more. These prompts can be paired with Newsela content to provide inspiration and context for students.

Adaptive Learning

The platform adjusts the reading level of texts to suit individual students’ needs, allowing for differentiation and ensuring that all students can engage with the material regardless of their reading level.

Student Safety and Privacy

Newsela prioritizes student safety by not sending identifiable student data to third-party models, ensuring that privacy guidelines are met and student information remains secure.

Engagement and Motivation

Students are highly motivated by the immediate feedback and the ability to track their progress through rubric meters. This engagement can lead to significant improvements in literacy skills, with students showing up to three additional months of literacy skill growth by the end of the school year.

Who Would Benefit Most

Teachers

Educators benefit greatly from Newsela Writing as it saves them time by automating the feedback process and provides valuable insights into student writing. The platform also offers tools for creating and managing assignments, making it easier to integrate into daily instruction.

Students

Students are the primary beneficiaries, as they receive immediate feedback, guidance on sentence structure, and the ability to track their progress. This helps them develop better writing skills, including focus, intensity, and attention to content, flow, and organization.

Schools and Educational Institutions

Schools can enhance their curriculum with high-quality, personalized, and customizable learning materials. Newsela’s content is aligned with educational standards, ensuring that it meets the pedagogical goals of educators.

Overall Recommendation

Newsela Writing is a valuable tool for anyone involved in education, particularly for those looking to improve student writing skills. Its combination of real-time feedback, adaptive learning, and customizable assignments makes it an excellent resource for teachers and students alike. The emphasis on student safety and the alignment with educational standards further solidify its position as a trusted and effective educational tool.

Given its ability to engage students, provide immediate feedback, and cater to diverse learning needs, Newsela Writing is highly recommended for educators seeking to enhance their teaching practices and for students aiming to improve their writing skills.