AI grading error affects hundreds of MCAS essays in Massachusetts: Here’s what went wrong

An AI grading error affected about 1,400 Massachusetts MCAS essays after a technical glitch in the AI scoring system used by DESE and Cognia. The issue was uncovered by a Lowell teacher who noticed unusual scores. DESE rescored affected essays and notified 145 districts. The incident underscores the need for human oversight in AI-driven education assessments.