Writing process goes high-tech.

Nearly 33,000 students in 33 middle schools across eight Los Angeles County districts will reap the benefits of $11 million in grant money starting this fall. Those are the numbers behind a two-year SouthEast Educational Technology Consortium writing program.

"Middle school students don't write enough," says Pat Sanford, president/CEO of Tech Ed Services, the company that researched and wrote the grant for SEETC. So, they'll be spending a minimum of one class period per week honing their writing skills with Vantage Learning's MY Access Web-based tool.

During pilot tests, Sanford says, the tool's automatic feedback process engaged the students. "It's quiet in those rooms when they're doing this.... They're aware of what they're doing and accountable for their own learning in a way that was a paradigm shift for them," she adds.

Teachers, who are receiving professional development training this month, are expected to focus more on individualized writing instruction as less grading time is needed. They'll also be more connected to parents, who can access their child's writing samples online and discuss them with the teacher at any time.

Representatives from multiple departments within each district are meeting regularly to implement the project, which is funded by No Child Left Behind's Enhancing Education Through Technology grant program. Sanford has noticed "some fabulous cross-district information" sharing, and she says she hopes it will lead to more collaboration, such as between teachers and students in the different districts.