For ISH secondary teaching staff

ManageBac AI: all you need to know

Four tools are now available in ManageBac. They can save a little time, but they do not know your lesson, task or professional judgement unless you provide the context.

The short answer

Should I use this?

Yes

For a first draft, clearer wording, quick translation, tag suggestions or a summary of unread notifications.

Maybe

For spotting patterns in analytics. Ask a narrow question and check every claim against the actual chart or table.

For final feedback, grading or decisions about a student. The teacher remains responsible for the result.

The one thing to remember

The notification summary hides itself

Click the bell and wait about 10 seconds. When the AI Summary bar appears, it may already be collapsed. Click the chevron on the right to open it.

It summarises unread notifications only. Use Mark All as Read regularly, or the summary may describe last term instead of this week.

✦ AI Summary

Task

Deadline

Routine

Simplified visual, not a ManageBac screenshot. No student data is shown.

What is available

The four tools

Notifications Summary

Sorts unread notifications into a short overview.

Available to everyone

Writing Assistant: Ask AI

Creates or revises text inside rich-text editors.

Teacher access can be toggled

AI Curriculum Tagging

Suggests curriculum tags for Portfolio and Class Stream entries.

Available to everyone

AI Assistant

Answers questions inside Academic Analytics.

Teacher access can be toggled

At ISH: Robin confirmed that these features are enabled without an extra cost or token limit for teachers. One correction from testing (1 Sep 2026): the Academic Analytics assistant is on admin accounts only — a regular teacher account does not have that Insights entry at all, and that is normal, not a permissions fault. If you cannot see Ask AI in the places this tutorial shows for teachers, that is when to ask about your individual permission.

Notifications Summary

The most immediately useful feature, once you know where it hides.

Live checked at ISH Zero-student test surface

What it is

A digest of unread activity

It groups unread notifications into categories such as Task, Deadline and Routine. It can combine information across classes and flag items that are due soon.

Where to find it

Top bar → bell icon

BellWait about 10 secOpen AI Summary

Good at

Turning a busy notification list into a quick overview.
Grouping routine updates separately from deadlines.
Flagging patterns such as several overdue submissions.
Avoiding individual student names in the summary seen during the ISH check.

Cannot do

Summarise notifications that are already marked as read.
Know that an old unread item is no longer important.
Replace opening the original notification when action is needed.
Stay visible after generating. You may need to reopen the collapsed bar.

Best input: no prompt needed

1. Mark old notifications as read. 2. Leave only current items unread. 3. Open the bell and wait for AI Summary. 4. Click the chevron, then open any source notification before acting.

Writing Assistant: Ask AI

A general writing box inside ManageBac, not a planner-aware co-teacher.

Official ManageBac guidance Robin tested at ISH

What it is

Generate or improve text

In a supported rich-text editor, click Ask AI to create new text. You can also highlight existing text first, then ask for a revision, simplification, correction or translation. Shortcut buttons include options such as Clarify and Improve Flow and Check Grammar and Spelling.

Where to find it

Any supported rich-text editor

Open editorAsk AIReviewKeep or Discard

Good at

Drafting a short description when you provide the full brief.
Shortening, clarifying or changing the tone of selected text.
Checking grammar and spelling.
Translating text that you explicitly select or enter.
Referring back to the last three AI responses while you refine the current exchange.

Cannot do

Read the rest of your unit planner.
Know the task, subject, criteria or task description in a feedback box.
Know your students or your intended learning sequence.
Take responsibility for accuracy, tone or final feedback.

Copyable prompt: a useful first draft

Draft a student-facing [unit / task / message] for [year group and subject]. Students will [what they will do]. They need to [key requirements]. The final outcome is [what they submit or produce]. Use plain English, a calm teacher voice and no more than [word count] words. Do not invent dates, resources, criteria or requirements. Return only the final text.

“Ask AI” in unit planners “does not know the content of the rest of the planner”. In task feedback, it “does not know the context of the task”.

Robin Hare, ISH hands-on evaluation, 28 August 2026

AI Curriculum Tagging

Suggestions for curriculum labels, not an automatic curriculum decision.

ISH feature information ManageBac AI data principles

What it is

Suggested tags from your entry

When tagging Portfolio or Class Stream entries, ManageBac can suggest items such as ATL skills, Learner Profile attributes, transdisciplinary themes, standards or syllabus links.

Where to find it

Portfolio or Class Stream

Create or edit entryCurriculum tagsReview suggestions

Good at

Offering a starting list when the activity text is specific.
Reminding you of plausible tags you may want to inspect.
Reducing the time spent opening several tag menus.

Cannot do

Know which skill you explicitly taught or assessed.
Know your wider curriculum map or intended progression.
Decide that every plausible tag belongs on the entry.
Replace a teacher’s curriculum judgement.

Input text that produces better suggestions

In this activity, students compare two possible solutions, explain the evidence behind their choice, and give one specific improvement after peer feedback. The focus is evaluating evidence and communicating a justified decision.

Practical rule: Add only the tags you can point to in the activity or evidence. A long list of plausible tags is not the same as taught curriculum.

AI Assistant

A question box in Academic Analytics that benefits from narrow prompts.

Robin tested at ISH Analytics path officially documented

What it is

Chat-style help with analytics

Inside Academic Analytics, the assistant can try to summarise patterns. ManageBac’s analytics workspace covers achievement status, grades, workload and submission information. Do not assume the assistant sees every filter on your screen, so name the scope and term in your question.

Where to find it

Insights → Academic Analytics (admin accounts)

InsightsAcademic AnalyticsAI Assistant

Teacher accounts do not see this menu. Checked on a regular ISH teacher account (1 Sep 2026): Insights shows only Curriculum, Engagement Analytics and eCoursework Dashboard. Academic Analytics is an admin-level view, so this assistant is for coordinators and leadership. If your role needs it, ask Robin about access.

Good at

Trying a first summary of a narrowly defined trend.
Turning a chart into questions for further investigation.
Helping you decide which metric to inspect next.

Cannot do

Explain every cause behind a pattern.
Know classroom context that is not in the data.
Turn correlation into a reliable conclusion.
Replace opening the source chart and checking the selected term and scope.
Reliably infer filters or classroom context that you did not state.

Copyable prompt: evidence first

For [programme / subject / class], during [selected term], list up to three patterns in [achievement / workload / submissions] that are supported by the analytics available to you. For each pattern, name the chart or metric. Separate observation from possible explanation. If you cannot access enough evidence, say so.

The assistant “does have a try at summarising trends in curriculum” and, like other AI tools, “needs clear prompts”.

Robin Hare, ISH hands-on evaluation, 28 August 2026

What staff will reasonably ask

Privacy and safe use

Does Ask AI read the whole page?

No. ManageBac says the Writing Assistant sends only the text you explicitly type or select, plus its system instructions and model settings. It does not silently pull the rest of the planner or task page.

Is personal information used to train AI?

ManageBac states that it does not share personally identifiable information with third-party LLMs, and that prompts and responses are not used to train those models.

Are prompts stored?

Yes. ManageBac says queries and responses are logged and may be reviewed by trained specialists to improve the service. It gives an approximate 30-day retention period for the service hosting the LLM.

So can I paste student details?

Do not. Even with ManageBac’s safeguards, use the minimum information needed. Write “the learner” or use a placeholder, then add names only after the AI text is back in your own editor.

Never place in an AI prompt:

Student names or IDs Medical or safeguarding details SEN or wellbeing information Private family or behaviour notes

Before you click Keep

1No personal data

2All context supplied

3Facts checked

4Criteria checked

5Edited into your voice

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

Why did the notification summary disappear?

It may collapse as soon as it finishes generating. Click the chevron on the right of the AI Summary bar.

Why is it telling me about old work?

It summarises unread notifications, not “this week”. Mark old notifications as read, then generate the summary again when new items arrive.

Why does Ask AI give generic feedback?

It does not know the task or criteria unless you put that information in the prompt. For sensitive student feedback, the safer use is to ask for a neutral structure with no personal data, then write the evidence and judgement yourself.

Can I use it on a phone or tablet?

The official Writing Assistant guide says it works in web and mobile browsers, but not yet in the ManageBac iOS or Android apps.

Can I refine an answer before inserting it?

Yes. ManageBac’s Writing Assistant guidance says you can continue refining a generated response before choosing Keep or Discard. Treat the current editing exchange as temporary working space, not as a durable record.

Why can a colleague see a feature that I cannot?

Notifications Summary and Curriculum Tagging are available to everyone at ISH. Writing Assistant and AI Assistant can be enabled or disabled per teacher. Ask your SAL or ManageBac administrator to check your permission.

Does it cost me tokens or have a teacher limit?

Robin confirmed with ManageBac that ISH’s enabled features have no extra cost or token limit for teachers. This is an ISH administration confirmation, not a general pricing claim for every school.

Who is responsible for the final text?

You are. ManageBac’s own guidance says the author remains responsible for reviewing and finalising generated content.

Evidence, not sales copy