Testing and Scaling an Artificial Intelligence-Based Functional Literacy Program

Many of Brazils 28 million public school studentsespecially those from economically disadvantaged familiesare unprepared to attend university and enter the workforce.

Nearly one-third of 15-to-64-year-old Brazilians are functionally illiterate, meaning they lack the reading, writing, and math skills required for everyday life.

To help solve this literacy gap at scale, the implementing partner developed an artificial intelligence (AI)powered educational program that engages students in the classroom and supports teachers by providing specific, prompt feedback on writing submissions.

The system goes beyond spelling and basic grammar to support students skills in diction, organization and flow, reading comprehension, and other aspects to promote functional literacy.

A smaller-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) found that using the system in the final year of high school improved students essay scores on Brazils college entrance exam by 0.1 standard deviations (or 17 points out of a possible 1,000), compared with the control group, results that may reduce inequalities between public and private schools.

With support from Development Innovation Ventures, the implementing partner will conduct a second RCT with 200,000 students to generate evidence on the programs longer-term effects, including university enrollment and employment.

In addition to contributing to the global dialogue on the value of functional literacy, if the system demonstrates a positive impact on education and labor market outcomes, it may support the case for the cost-effectiveness and scalability of lighter touch, AI-based models in classrooms around the world.