【Press Release] Kyoikudojinsha and AI Startup, Recursive, Enhance MITORU, an AI Model that Automatically Grades Elementary School Students’ Handwritten Answers, with New Features as a Google Classroom Add-On

MITORU will be further enhanced and developed as a Google Classroom add-on, offered by Google for Education.

- In addition to grading elementary school students’ work, the new enhancement enables a seamless workflow from assignment creation to feedback.

- This enhancement is expected to help teachers deliver personalized instruction based on their observations while fostering autonomous learning among students.

- A demo of MITORU will be unveiled for the first time at the tradeshow, EDIX Tokyo, at the exhibition booth of Google.

Tokyo, Japan - March 27, 2025 - Kyoikudojinsha Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Toshima-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Tatsuya Mori; hereafter, "Kyoikudojinsha"), the Japanese publisher of educational materials for elementary and middle schools, and Recursive Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Tiago Ramalho; hereinafter, "Recursive"), a developer of AI solutions that help achieve sustainable business transformation, are pleased to announce that we have begun developing an enhanced version of MITORU (*1), an AI model jointly developed by both companies that automatically grades elementary school students’ handwritten answers in paper-based math workbooks, as a Google Classroom add-on provided by Google for Education™ (*2). This initiative is part of our efforts to support autonomous learning for elementary school students, assist teachers in delivering personalized instruction through their observations, and minimize administrative burdens. The Google Classroom add-on for MITORU is scheduled to be available on the Google Workspace Marketplace in the first half of 2025.

MITORU is designed for paper-based math workbooks used by elementary school students. When students take pictures of their handwritten answers using their tablets and upload them, the AI automatically grades the answers, assisting teachers with the grading process. Currently, MITORU supports the four arithmetic operations with integers and decimals, as well as column (vertical) calculations. Enhancing MITORU as a Google Classroom add-on will allow both teachers and students to complete the entire process, from assignment creation to grading and submission, entirely within Google Classroom. Teachers will be able to centrally manage assignments, track submission status, and provide feedback directly within Google Classroom. For students, once they complete their handwritten assignments, they can take a photo of their work using their tablets, upload the image to Google Classroom, and view the grading results from MITORU displayed on the screen. If any answers are incorrect, students can redo the problem and resubmit it for grading using the same process. Additionally, they will be able to communicate with their teachers through comments within Google Classroom.

The Google Classroom add-on for MITORU (alpha version) will be showcased at the exhibition booth of Google at the 16th EDIX Tokyo education trade show, taking place at Tokyo Big Sight from April 23 to 25, 2025. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience MITORU firsthand on Friday, April 25, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM.

Current landscape of education in Japan and background behind this joint development In recent years, as Japan's education landscape has become more complex and diverse, long working hours for teachers have become a serious social issue. In response, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has been promoting digital transformation (DX) in the education field as part of work style reform for teachers. In the second phase of the "GIGA School Program" (*3), personalized learning is expected to be further enhanced by strengthening ICT infrastructure and expanding the use of digital teaching materials.

On the other hand, the demand for paper-based educational materials remains strong in Japan’s education system, particularly in elementary schools, where paper-based materials are often better suited to many aspects of the curriculum. As a result, the time spent grading students’ work can become a significant burden for both teachers and guardians.

To address these challenges, Kyoikudojinsha and Recursive have partnered with the aim of streamlining the grading process for paper-based educational materials, accurately tracking each student's learning progress, and contributing to the effective use of educational data. As a result, we have been collaborating on the development of the AI model MITORU (alpha version), which includes automatic grading functionality.

Transitioning from the initial development phase to phase 2 In the second phase of development, we focused on MITORU's primary application for elementary schools: supporting students' at-home learning (homework). Additionally, with the advancement of the GIGA School Program and the growing adoption of Google for Education across many municipalities in Japan, we decided to expand MITORU's capabilities by enhancing it as a Google Classroom add-on.

This enhancement will streamline the entire process, which includes typical daily tasks managed between students and teachers, such as collecting and grading notebooks and workbooks, as well as tracking the assignment submissions and returns all within Google Classroom.

What can be achieved through enhancement as a Google Classroom add-on When students complete their handwritten assignments and take a photo of their work using their devices, MITORU’s AI engine automatically grades the answers. If any answers are incorrect, students can redo the problem, take another photo, have it graded again, and then submit it through Google Classroom.

After the assignments have been graded and corrected, teachers can check the submission status and progress of students' work, allowing them to quickly and accurately track student progress. In the past, there was a time lag between when students completed their work and when it was graded by teachers or guardians. However, with MITORU, students can receive immediate grading results and can redo their work right away, fostering autonomous learning.

Additionally, by utilizing the comment feature in Google Classroom, teachers can provide follow-ups and feedback directly within the platform rather than on physical workbooks or notebooks, as was done previously. This also facilitates communication with students who are unable to attend school due to illness or other reasons, enabling personalized instruction that aligns with each student's learning pace and understanding.

Kyoikudojinsha and Recursive will continue to develop this AI model and incorporate feedback from its use in educational settings. By doing so, we aim to foster students' independent learning, help teachers deliver personalized instruction through careful observation, and reduce their workload, ultimately striving to create a sustainable educational environment for both teachers and students.

MITORU will be showcased to the public for the first time through a demo exhibition MITORU will be available for a hands-on demonstration at the Google exhibition booth at the 16th EDIX Tokyo education tradeshow, taking place at Tokyo Big Sight from Wednesday, April 23, to Friday, April 25, 2025. This will be MITORU’s first public showcase, so please take this opportunity to experience it firsthand.

- Overview of the tradeshow:

• Exhibition Name: 16th EDIX (Education Expo) Tokyo
• Dates: Wednesday, April 23 - Friday, April 25, 2025
• Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (※On the final day, the event will end at 5:00 PM)
• Venue: Tokyo Big Sight, South Exhibition Hall (3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0063)
• Admission: Free
• How to Attend: Pre-registration is required for entry. Please refer to the official website for more details: https://www.edix-expo.jp/tokyo/en-gb.html

- Overview of the MITORU demo session

• Booth: Inside Google exhibition booth
• Booth Number: 18-6
• Demo Session Schedule: Friday, April 25, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

*1 "MITORU" has been applied for patent and trademark registration by Kyoikudojinsha in December 2024.

*2 Google for Education is a trademark of Google LLC.

*3 GIGA School Initiative: GIGA stands for Global and Innovation Gateway for All. The initiative aims to establish an educational ICT environment that is fair, individually optimized, and ensures the development of students' abilities and potential, including those requiring special support. This is achieved through providing one device for each student and building a high-speed, high-capacity communication network, ensuring that no child is left behind. The goal is to create an education system where all children, regardless of their needs, can thrive. (Source: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), "Overview and Issues Related to Digital Learning Infrastructure" (Draft), September 30, 2024).

Reference materials:

- Other press releases related to this matter: "AI startup, Recursive, develops an AI model for Kyoikudojinsha, a Japanese publisher of educational materials: enables automatic evaluation of whether answers handwritten by children are correct,” January 21, 2025, https://recursiveai.co.jp/en/news/20250121/

- Report from the trial implementations at selected public elementary schools, conducted by Kyoikudojinsha (Japanese only):

• 「児童が『自ら気づく学び』を仕掛ける　【MITORUデザインプロジェクト】実践レポートvol.1」(“Creating 'Self-Discovery Learning' for Students: [MITORU Design Project] Implementation Report No.1”), February 25, 2025, https://www.djn.co.jp/case-study/mitoru_001/
• 「紙で実施しても、児童の取り組み状況がパッと把握できる！【MITORUデザインプロジェクト】実践レポートvol.2」(“Even with Paper, It's Easy to Grasp Students' Progress! [MITORU Design Project] Practical Report No. 2”), March 11, 2025, https://www.djn.co.jp/case-study/mitoru_002/

- Details about Kyoikudojinsha's "MITORU Design Project" (Japanese only): 「教育同人社　児童が手書きした計算ドリル紙面の解答をAIで自動正誤判定する「MITORU」の研究開始へ！サポーター先生・ご賛同企業様を募集！」(Kyoikudojinsha Begins Research on ‘MITORU,’ an AI System for Automatically Grading Handwritten Calculation Drill Pages by Students! Seeking Teachers and Companies to Join as Supporters!), February 13, 2025, https://www.djn.co.jp/topics/topics20250213/

About Kyoikudojinsha Co., Ltd. Company Name: Kyoikudojinsha Co., Ltd. Representative: Tatsuya Mori, President & CEO Address: 2F Owl Tower, 4-21-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0013 Capital: 48 million yen Founded: April 1933 (Established: December 1949) Business Activities: 1. Publishing and selling textbooks for use in elementary and junior high schools 2. Manufacturing and selling teaching materials and tools for elementary schools 3. Publishing and selling educational books for teachers 4. Organizing and hosting seminars for education professionals, etc. Website: https://www.djn.co.jp/

About Recursive Inc. Recursive is a service provider that offers AI solutions for building a sustainable future. By combining expertise in diverse industries such as environment, energy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, food, and retail as well as advanced technological capabilities and specialized knowledge in sustainability, Recursive provides AI consulting and technical development services. Committed to leaving a better global environment and society for future generations, Recursive’s unparalleled professionals are leading the creation of a new society with world-class, cutting-edge technology.

Company name: Recursive Inc. Headquarter: Shibuya S-6 Building 6F, 1-7-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Founded: August 2020 Co-Founders: Tiago Ramalho, Katsutoshi Yamada Business: Research and development of AI and provision of sustainability-related solutions Number of Members: 48 Website: https://recursiveai.co.jp/en/

Media inquiries - Inquiries regarding Kyoikudojinsha’s business and MITORU Kyoikudojinsha Co., Ltd Kyoiku Contents Honbu, DX Group (Educational Content Division, DX Group) Contact via: https://djn.tayori.com/f/other/ - Inquiries regarding Recursive’s business and technical details of MITORU Recursive Inc. Public Relations: Marika Kishimoto Email: marika.kishimoto@recursiveai.co.jp | Phone Number: +81-90-9847-7832 (Direct line to Kishimoto)