NYC just officially approved AI tools for students in public schools.
When I read the announcement, my first thought was: we've already been doing this.
Not with a fancy app. Not with a school program.
Just me, my son, and ChatGPT at the kitchen table.
The Problem Wasn't What I Thought
Earlier this year, my son was struggling in math. Not catastrophically — he could explain the concepts back to me. He understood the lesson. But when it came time to actually solve problems on his own, something wasn't clicking.
We'd go over his homework together. Review the lesson again. He'd nod along.
Then the next test would come and he'd make the exact same mistakes.
I kept thinking the problem was understanding. But it wasn't.
The problem was practice. There just wasn't enough of it.
His textbook had maybe 8–10 problems per topic. If he got 4 wrong, he reviewed the answers and moved on. That's not enough reps to build a real skill. That's just enough to feel like you did something.
What We Tried Instead
One night after a disappointing test, I tried something different.
I took a photo of his test and uploaded it to ChatGPT. I asked it to give us one similar question — same type, different numbers.
He solved it on paper. Showed his work.
Then I took a photo of his work and uploaded that too.
ChatGPT showed him exactly where he went wrong. Not just the right answer — the specific step where his thinking broke down.
We did another one. Then a few more. Then 10. Then a whole set of the same type.
At one point he stopped mid-problem and said, *"oh… I keep doing that same thing wrong."*
That was the moment.
He wasn't just getting answers corrected anymore. He was seeing his own pattern. He understood his mistake on a deeper level — not because someone explained it to him, but because he'd practiced enough to notice it himself.
What Happened Next
Next test on that topic: 100.
Then another 100.
Same concept he was stuck on just weeks earlier.
I want to be clear about what changed: he didn't suddenly get smarter. He didn't get a tutor. We didn't buy a prep book.
He just got more reps, with immediate feedback on every mistake, until the skill was actually built.
Why This Works (The Simple Version)
There's a well-known gap in how most students study versus how learning actually happens.
Reading an explanation after getting something wrong feels productive. But passive review doesn't build the neural pathways that make a skill automatic. Practice does.
The sequence that actually works:
Most test prep skips steps 3 and 4. You get a red X and an answer key. That's it.
What AI makes possible — and what we stumbled into at our kitchen table — is closing that loop. Every wrong answer becomes a conversation. Every mistake becomes a teachable moment with a follow-up question attached.
How to Try This at Home
You don't need anything special. Here's the exact method:
Step 1: Take a photo of a recent test or homework assignment where your child struggled.
Step 2: Upload it to ChatGPT and ask: *"Can you give my child one similar practice question on this same topic?"*
Step 3: Have them solve it on paper, showing all their work.
Step 4: Take a photo of their work and upload it. Ask: *"Where did they go wrong, and what should they focus on?"*
Step 5: Do 3–5 more of the same type.
Step 6: The next day, do 5 more without reviewing notes first.
That's it. Twenty minutes. No tutor. No app.
If you do this consistently around your child's weak topics, you'll see the same thing I saw: the mistakes stop repeating because they now understand them on a level that sticks.
Why This Matters for the SHSAT
The Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) covers 39 math and ELA topics. Most students prep by going through practice books and reviewing wrong answers.
The problem: the test is long, the topics are specific, and "reviewing" isn't the same as drilling.
The students who score highest aren't necessarily smarter. They've just practiced the right topics enough times that they stop making careless mistakes on them. They've built the skill, not just learned the concept.
That difference — concept vs. skill — is everything on a timed test.
This Is What We're Building
Most AI tools are general. Ours isn't.
SHSATlab is built on an AI trained specifically on the SHSAT — its structure, its patterns, the exact ways students lose points, and the exact progression of practice that turns those losses into wins. Not a generic tutor. Not recycled test prep. Something built from the ground up for one test, one goal.
The students who score highest on the SHSAT aren't the smartest kids in the room. They're the most prepared. They've seen the patterns. They've built the skills.
We built the platform to get your child there.
Early access is opening soon — waitlist families get in first. Join below.