I'd like to add a Buffalo Chip to the Daily Herald writer who censured public schools for using the MyAccess writing software. All professionals (yes, public school teachers are professional) understand that it should not replace teacher grading, but rather is a useful tool. I use it in my class frequently to help students revise and edit their writing. Does it have flaws? Yes. Are there ways that students can alter the validity of the score? Yes. Was your description of the program grossly simplified? Yes. Do I use it as a final grade? No.

I do, however, use it to motivate my students. Students get immediate scores from the program, something I cannot possibly provide with 30 or more students in a class. When using MyAccess, my students are active writers, raising their hands frequently, asking me how to improve their writing. What a fabulous, realistic learning opportunity!

I find it interesting that the writer did not bother to find out (or report, as the case may be) whether that one teacher was using MyAccess as a tool for teaching writing or as a final assessment. If the former, shame on Daily Herald. If the latter, shame on that one teacher. Please leave the rest of us out of it.

• Kami Bone, Springville