What to Expect (and Not Expect) From Khan Academy Writing Coach

Breaking down Khan Academy Writing Coach for teachers

When it comes to supporting students in developing strong writing skills, the right tools make all the difference. Khan Academy Writing Coach is designed to provide structured guidance for your students so they engage deeply in the writing process while giving teachers like you valuable insights into their progress. 

But what exactly does that look like in the classroom? Let’s break down what Writing Coach is (and what it isn’t) to help you make the most of it.

Writing Coach isn’t just a place for students to type their essays. It’s a step-by-step writing guide that models, supports, and encourages real writing growth.

Writing Coach supports student learning and teacher transparency in your classroom:

• You can assign a literary analysis essay and use Writing Coach to guide your students through each stage: brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising, and finalizing their work.
• You can review Writing Coach’s teacher dashboard to track where your students are in the writing process and provide targeted mini-lessons or one-on-one support.
• You can use Writing Coach to differentiate instruction by allowing advanced writers to move ahead while giving extra scaffolding to those who need it.

Unlike generic essay-writing platforms that serve as a blank canvas for students to type out responses, Writing Coach is highly interactive. It provides structured guidance, prompts, and built-in supports to help your students develop their writing in a meaningful way. The goal isn’t just to complete an essay. It’s to help students develop strong writing habits and critical thinking skills.

Writing Coach provides guardrails for your class and moves beyond a simple digital-writing platform:

• Students can’t just paste in an essay from another source and submit it without engaging in the process.
• Students won’t be able to click “Next” to bypass essential steps like brainstorming and outlining.
• Students won’t just use it as a one-time writing assignment. It’s designed for active learning and writing growth over time.

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Students don’t just get to the final draft. They go through a structured journey that prevents shortcuts and encourages authentic writing. Writing Coach’s step-by-step framework ensures that your students develop their own ideas and engage in deep revision rather than relying on AI-generated content or outside help, reducing the temptation to plagiarize.

Writing Coach guides students in your class through the full essay-writing process:

• You can assign an argumentative essay and require students to submit their brainstorming notes and outlines before moving on to a full draft.
• You can monitor student progress to see who is skipping steps or struggling, then provide intervention strategies before the final draft.
• You can also use Writing Coach alongside plagiarism-checking tools to ensure your students are submitting original work.

Writing Coach does not assign grades or provide automated scores. Instead, it helps you see student progress and identify areas where feedback is needed.

Writing Coach keeps you at the center of writing practice with your students:

• Writing Coach cannot replace your role in providing meaningful feedback on content, structure, or style.
• The tool cannot assign a final score or rubric-based evaluation.
• Writing Coach will not automatically “correct” student writing like a grammar checker—it’s about learning, not shortcuts.

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Writing Coach allows your students to practice writing regularly in a structured environment, which is critical for building confidence and fluency.

Writing Coach can help you give your students more writing practice and real-time support:

• You can incorporate Writing Coach into daily bell-ringer activities, asking your students to draft strong thesis statements or topic sentences.
• You might use the tool for low-stakes writing assignments that help your students build writing stamina before tackling a full-length essay.
• You can have your students revise their drafts multiple times based on your feedback, rather than just submitting one-and-done essays.

Writing Coach isn’t designed to speed up the writing process. It actually slows it down in meaningful ways, encouraging students to think critically and revise intentionally.

Writing Coach produces better writers in your classroom, not just better writing:

• Writing Coach is not a quick essay generator that lets your students rush through assignments.
• It is not a tool designed to “just get writing done” without deep engagement.
• Writing Coach will never be a replacement for discussion, collaboration, or your feedback—it enhances these crucial steps, not eliminates them.

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One of Writing Coach’s most powerful features is its teacher dashboard, which helps you track student progress and intervene effectively.

Writing Coach helps you gather insights about your students’ writing processes:

• You can see which students haven’t moved past the brainstorming phase and conference with them to get them unstuck.
• You can identify common struggles, such as weak thesis statements or lack of textual evidence, and plan targeted mini-lessons.
• You can group your students based on progress and provide differentiated support—for example, allowing some students to move into advanced revisions while others work on foundational writing skills.

Writing Coach is not a grammar checker or quick-fix editing tool. While it encourages revision, your students must think critically about how to improve their writing rather than simply accepting automated corrections.

Writing Coach shifts your students’ focus from simple editing to improved writing:

• Writing Coach doesn’t auto-correct errors or suggest “click-to-fix” grammar solutions.
• Writing Coach is not an AI cheating detector, but it can raise originality flags for you to investigate further. 
• The tool does not replace the need for peer editing, teacher feedback, or self-revision.
• Writing Coach doesn’t function as a simple spellcheck. It’s about developing real writing skills, not just cleaning up errors.

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Making the most of Writing Coach

Nearly ten thousand teachers signed up to use this free writing tool in the last three weeks! Writing Coach provides an instructionally rich, scaffolded writing experience that ensures your students don’t just write—they learn how to write well. By using it strategically, you can:

• Give students regular, structured writing practice
• Monitor writing progress and intervene when needed
• Encourage authentic writing while reducing plagiarism
• Support struggling writers while challenging advanced students

In short, Writing Coach isn’t just a tool. It’s your teaching partner in helping your class build writing confidence and become stronger, more independent writers.

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