CARY, N.C., Dec. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The makers of Curriculum Pathways^®, free interactive learning resources from SAS, are equipping more students and adults with powerful tools to make them more effective and compelling writers. Curriculum Pathways Writing Reviser, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze writing and highlight areas for improvement, can now be added to Microsoft Word in just a few simple steps.

Many US students continue to struggle with writing, which can have far-reaching effects. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress found that three-quarters of 8th and 12th graders lack proficiency in writing. The inability to write clearly and with purpose undermines a student’s work in nearly all subjects and often requires remediation at the college level.

Adding Writing Reviser to Microsoft Word will help educators cultivate more precise and expressive writers.

“We are excited that with this integration, students can transform prose with the new Writing Reviser add-in,” said Eran Megiddo, Corporate Vice President of Education for Microsoft. “This is a natural integration that supports addressing the needs of teachers and learners.”

A stalwart in the world of education, Microsoft Word is the word processing program of choice around the globe. It is one of the many Office 365 resources available for free to educators. 

Writing Reviser is among the most popular resources from Curriculum Pathways, a philanthropic division of analytics company SAS. Curriculum Pathways is used by more than 4 million teachers and students worldwide at no cost. Writing Reviser is one of more than 1,800 free tools, resources and apps covering English language arts, mathematics, sci­ence, social studies and Spanish.

Former English teachers have joined forces with experts in AI to advance the algorithms in Writing Reviser to identify potential areas for improvement in writing. By learning to spot problems like passive voice, run-on sentences, weak verbs and wordiness, students become more effective and persuasive communicators.

Whether bolstering an essay’s argument, justifying a math result or explaining complicated science concepts, all students can benefit from more economical, varied and powerful writing. The Microsoft Word add-in enables students to call up Writing Reviser while they work.

“Many educators do not have the time to focus on writing fundamentals while trying to teach other subjects,” said Scott McQuiggan, Director of Curriculum Pathways at SAS. “Writing Reviser eases that burden, helping students think like seasoned writers. They can simply launch the tool at any point in the writing process, giving them instant feedback powered by AI. Writing Reviser doesn’t fix student writing; instead, we focus on making students better writers.”

Learn how to get started with Writing Reviser and MS Word.

Beyond the classroom, creating better professional and personal communication

Microsoft Word remains the most popular word processing program in the corporate world and at home. Any Word user can add Writing Reviser to gain confidence in their business and personal writing.

“Whether it’s a proposal, blog, newsletter or heartfelt message, anyone can use Writing Reviser to become more effective and persuasive communicators,” said McQuiggan.

About Curriculum Pathways and Writing Reviser

Used in traditional, virtual and home schools, Curriculum Pathways increases student learning and teacher effectiveness by targeting higher-order thinking skills. Mapping resources to individual state standards helps educators across the country in their planning.

Writing Reviser is one of the resources within Writing Navigator, which helps students become more accomplished writers. They learn to pinpoint their purpose, organize and convey main points, spot missed opportunities, revise their work, and finally document sources and publish a final draft. The app is free at WritingNavigator.com, as well as the Curriculum Pathways site and through iPad and Chromebook apps.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW^®.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2018 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

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SOURCE SAS