Microsoft has released some exciting updates to their Learning Accelerators, designed to make teaching easier and learning more engaging.
The new school year always comes with fresh priorities – new classes, new timetables and new challenges. But, there’s some good news – schools can take advantage of the powerful new features just released for Reading Progress, Reading Coach, Speaker Progress and Math Progress.
Keep reading to see what’s new for Microsoft Learning Accelerators:
Jump to section:
What are Microsoft Learning Accelerators?
Microsoft Learning Accelerators are built-in tools within Microsoft 365 and Teams for Education that help students practise key skills, while giving teachers quick, clear feedback on their progress.
From developing reading fluency and presentation skills to building confidence in maths and digital research, these accelerators provide proven ways to help students make progress, while saving teachers hours of marking and admin.
Below is a brief recap of what each Learning Accelerator does, plus some useful links to previous guides we’ve created for teachers and school leaders:
Reading Progress
Tracks students’ reading and gives teachers instant feedback on fluency, pronunciation and comprehension. This cuts marking time and makes it easier to spot where students need extra support.
Learn more about Reading Progress:
Reading Coach
Gives pupils personalised reading practice with pronunciation help, visual prompts and encouragement to build confidence.
Learn more about Reading Coach:
Speaker Progress
Helps pupils develop speaking and presentation skills, while giving teachers a simple way to see where they’re growing in confidence and where they need extra practice.
Learn more about Speaker Progress:
Speaker Coach
Gives real-time feedback on presentations, helping pupils practise pitch, pacing and filler words – without the pressure of a live audience.
Learn more about Speaker Coach:
Math Progress
Makes it quicker to set maths assignments, add quizzes and give feedback, so teachers can see exactly where pupils are struggling and where they’re excelling.
Learn more about Maths Progress:
Search Coach
Teaches pupils how to search the web effectively, find reliable information and develop critical digital literacy skills.
Learn more about Search Coach:
Search Progress
Shows how students’ search skills improve over time, giving teachers an easy way to guide them towards more effective research habits.
Reflect
Supports pupil wellbeing by encouraging regular emotional check-ins and helping teachers spot who may need extra support.
Learn more about Search Reflect:
What are the new updates for Autumn/Winter 2025?
This term, Microsoft has added some useful new features to their Learning Accelerators.
Reading Progress updates
Students can now see comprehension questions alongside the reading text. Instead of answering at the end, they can look back at the passage as they work, making it easier to answer accurately and with confidence.
Math Progress updates
Two of the most requested features are here: you can now add images and generated graphs directly into questions. This makes assignments more visual and easier to tailor to your lesson.
Speaker Progress updates
With the new AI-powered feedback, teachers can choose to turn on new AI support, which provides draft feedback and comments on student speeches. Importantly, teachers always review and approve this before sharing with pupils.
Plus, Microsoft has added new languages. Support has been expanded to include Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, German, French, Dutch and Danish – with more being added regularly.
Reading Coach updates
Teachers can now:
- Share their own custom passages
- Set reading time goals
- Track pupil growth with new guided practice tools
Students benefit from:
- A new dark mode “Midnight” theme and alternative coaching voices
- Tips to stay motivated while reading
- The option to use Copilot to create their own passages and stories to practise in over 80 languages
Microsoft Learning Accelerators are developing all the time, making it easier for teachers to personalise learning and help students succeed. These updates make Autumn and Winter 2025 the perfect time to start using them more widely in lessons.
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Get the most out of Microsoft 365, Teams and SharePoint for learning – contact our Microsoft Education experts today.
