How PerformanceXcel Gives Teachers Time Back
Candice Nicholson shares the personal journey that inspired her AI-powered assessment platform, from years lost to grading to a mission focused on helping educators reclaim their time. She explains how PerformanceXcel works, why teachers need technology as an assistant rather than a replacement, and what the soft launch means for classrooms.
Chapter 1
From the Classroom to the White House: The Journey to PerformanceXcel
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
Welcome to the show everyone! I'm Candice Nicholson (Jackson). And I want to start today with a calculation that absolutely broke my heart when I first sat down and did the math.
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
Think about your career. For me, I've spent twenty-five years in Detroit Public Schools. Twenty-five years of lesson planning, grading during lunch, grading on weekends, grading late at night while my own family was asleep. And when I finally calculated the actual hours? I realized I've spent more than two whole years of my life just grading papers. Two entire years. Not teaching. Not mentoring. Just staring at worksheets.
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
And that's why I've been a little quiet lately on the podcast. I've been working on something to change that. But to understand why this means so much to me, we have to go back to my time as the 2023-2024 Michigan Teacher of the Year. That experience completely changed my life. I got to travel the country, meet incredible educators, and even attend a State Dinner at the White House with my son, Joseph. What a moment that was, just standing there under those chandeliers, looking at my son, thinking about how far we'd come.
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
But as I traveled from school to school, whether it was in Michigan or across the country, I heard the exact same struggle from every single teacher. It didn't matter the zip code. Teachers are drowning. They're stretched thin, the data requirements keep growing, and they are begging for one thing: time. Time to actually connect with their students.
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
Now, I'm a mother of three amazing boys. My middle son just graduated from Michigan State -- go Green! -- with his degree in Media and Advertising, and he's heading off to Manhattan for grad school soon. As a mom, you want your kids to have the time and space to chase their dreams. And as a teacher, I want that same thing for my third-graders at Mann Learning Community here in Detroit. But how can we give them that when we're buried under a mountain of grading?
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
That's when I started looking at technology. Not to replace us -- let's be very clear about that. A computer cannot build trust. A computer cannot look at a struggling third-grader and know they just need a bit of encouragement. Teachers are completely irreplaceable. But what if technology could be our assistant? What if we could use artificial intelligence to handle the repetitive, mind-numbing administrative stuff so we can get back to the human side of teaching?
Chapter 2
Reclaiming Time: How the Platform Works
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
That question is exactly why I built PerformanceXcel. It's an AI-powered instructional assessment platform designed by an educator -- yours truly -- specifically for educators. And when I say it's fast, I mean it grades math and writing assignments in under two seconds.
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
I wanted to keep it incredibly simple because, let's face it, we don't have time to learn complicated new software. So, there are exactly three steps. Step one: you upload your rubric. That's your instructional framework. Step two: you upload the student assignments, whether it's math problems or writing prompts. And step three? You get instant insights and reports, completely aligned with Common Core and state standards. All in under two seconds.
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
Think about what that actually means. If you reclaim just five hours a week -- five hours that you used to spend sitting at your kitchen table grading -- what could you do with that time? You could design a targeted small-group math lesson. You could call a parent to share some good news instead of just sending home a report card. You could actually mentor that student who's been having a rough week.
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
Being named a Distinguished Alumna of Michigan State's College of Education in 2025 was a massive honor. But honestly, building something that gives teachers their lives back? That belongs in the exact same conversation. We are officially in our soft launch phase right now, and I want to invite you to be a part of it.
Candice Nicholson (Jackson)
Go ahead and visit PerformanceXcel.net to sign up for updates and see how we're working to transform education, one assignment at a time. Thank you for listening, thank you for supporting Chalkboard Chatter, and most of all, thank you for showing up for our kids every single day. Until next time, I'm Candice Nicholson. Take care of yourselves, and keep inspiring.