diff --git a/src/routes/api/grade/+server.ts b/src/routes/api/grade/+server.ts
index 79b0bdd..c712594 100644
--- a/src/routes/api/grade/+server.ts
+++ b/src/routes/api/grade/+server.ts
@@ -1,58 +1,70 @@
 import type { RequestHandler } from '@sveltejs/kit';
 import type { RequestEvent } from '@sveltejs/kit';
-import { gradeSubmissionWithAgent } from '$lib/server/ai';
+import { client } from '$lib/agent/services/agentService';
+import { buildGradingPrompt, buildGradingPromptWithSupportForHumanInTheLoop } from '$lib/server/ai';
+import { error, json } from '@sveltejs/kit';
+
+interface GradingRequest {
+    submission: string;
+    task: string;
+    roomId?: string;
+    hitl?: boolean;
+}
 
 export const POST: RequestHandler = async (event: RequestEvent) => {
-	try {
-		const data = await event.request.formData();
-		const file = data.get('file');
-		const text = data.get('text');
-		const task = data.get('task');
-		const roomId = data.get('roomId') as string | undefined;
-		const hitl = data.get('hitl') === 'true';
-		let submission = '';
+    try {
+        const data = await event.request.formData();
+        const file = data.get('file');
+        const text = data.get('text');
+        const task = data.get('task');
+        const roomId = data.get('roomId') as string | undefined;
+        const hitl = data.get('hitl') === 'true';
+        let submission = '';
 
-		if (!task || typeof task !== 'string' || !task.trim()) {
-			return new Response(JSON.stringify({ error: 'Task/assignment description is required.' }), {
-				status: 400
-			});
-		}
+        if (!task || typeof task !== 'string' || !task.trim()) {
+            throw error(400, 'Task/assignment description is required.');
+        }
 
-		if (file && typeof file === 'object' && 'arrayBuffer' in file && 'name' in file) {
-			// Only support .txt for now for hackathon speed
-			const fileObj = file as File;
-			if (!fileObj.name.endsWith('.txt')) {
-				return new Response(
-					JSON.stringify({ error: 'Only .txt files are supported at this time.' }),
-					{ status: 400 }
-				);
-			}
-			const buffer = await fileObj.arrayBuffer();
-			submission = new TextDecoder('utf-8').decode(buffer);
-		} else if (typeof text === 'string' && text.trim().length > 0) {
-			submission = text.trim();
-		} else {
-			return new Response(JSON.stringify({ error: 'No valid input provided.' }), { status: 400 });
-		}
+        if (file && typeof file === 'object' && 'arrayBuffer' in file && 'name' in file) {
+            // Only support .txt for now for hackathon speed
+            const fileObj = file as File;
+            if (!fileObj.name.endsWith('.txt')) {
+                throw error(400, 'Only .txt files are supported at this time.');
+            }
+            const buffer = await fileObj.arrayBuffer();
+            submission = new TextDecoder('utf-8').decode(buffer);
+        } else if (typeof text === 'string' && text.trim().length > 0) {
+            submission = text.trim();
+        } else {
+            throw error(400, 'No valid input provided.');
+        }
 
-		// Call the AI grading agent with threading and fallback
-		const aiResult = await gradeSubmissionWithAgent(submission, task.trim(), roomId ?? '', hitl);
+        // Create a new thread
+        const thread = await client.agents.createThread();
+        
+        // Add the initial message with the grading prompt
+        await client.agents.createMessage(thread.id, {
+            role: 'user',
+            content: hitl
+                ? buildGradingPromptWithSupportForHumanInTheLoop(submission, task.trim())
+                : buildGradingPrompt(submission, task.trim())
+        });
 
-		return new Response(
-			JSON.stringify({
-				success: true,
-				task: task.trim(),
-				feedback: `Suggested Grade: ${aiResult.grade}\nStrengths: ${aiResult.strengths}\nAreas for Improvement: ${aiResult.areasForImprovement}\nIndividualized Activity: ${aiResult.individualizedActivity}\nSpelling and Grammar: ${aiResult.spellingAndGrammar}\nReasoning: ${aiResult.reasoning}`,
-				...aiResult
-			}),
-			{
-				status: 200,
-				headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }
-			}
-		);
-	} catch (err: any) {
-		return new Response(JSON.stringify({ error: err.message || 'Internal server error.' }), {
-			status: 500
-		});
-	}
+        // Start the run asynchronously
+        const run = await client.agents.createRun(thread.id, (globalThis as any).agent.id, {
+            parallelToolCalls: false
+        });
+
+        // Return immediately with the thread ID for polling
+        return json({
+            success: true,
+            threadId: thread.id,
+            runId: run.id,
+            status: 'started',
+            statusUrl: `/api/grade/status/${thread.id}`
+        });
+    } catch (err: any) {
+        console.error('Error starting grading operation:', err);
+        throw error(500, `Error starting grading operation: ${err.message}`);
+    }
 };
diff --git a/src/routes/api/grade/status/[threadId]/+server.ts b/src/routes/api/grade/status/[threadId]/+server.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8b27dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/routes/api/grade/status/[threadId]/+server.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+import { json, type RequestHandler } from '@sveltejs/kit';
+import { client } from '$lib/agent/services/agentService';
+import { error } from '@sveltejs/kit';
+import type { ThreadRunOutput } from '@azure/ai-projects';
+
+export const GET: RequestHandler = async ({ params }) => {
+    const { threadId } = params;
+    
+    if (!threadId) {
+        throw error(400, 'Thread ID is required');
+    }
+
+    try {
+        // Get the thread to check if it exists
+        const thread = await client.agents.getThread(threadId);
+        if (!thread) {
+            throw error(404, 'Thread not found');
+        }
+
+        // Get the latest run for this thread
+        const runs = await client.agents.listRuns(threadId);
+        const latestRun = runs.data[0];
+
+        if (!latestRun) {
+            return json({
+                status: 'completed',
+                message: 'No runs found for this thread'
+            });
+        }
+
+        // Get the run status
+        const run = await client.agents.getRun(threadId, latestRun.id);
+        
+        // Get the latest messages to see if we have a result
+        const messages = await client.agents.listMessages(threadId);
+        const assistantMessage = messages.data.find((m: any) => m.role === 'assistant');
+        let result = null;
+
+        if (assistantMessage) {
+            const raw = assistantMessage.content
+                .filter((c: any) => c.type === 'text')
+                .map((c: any) => c.text.value)
+                .join('\n');
+
+            // Try to parse the JSON response
+            try {
+                const match = raw.match(/\{[\s\S]*\}$/);
+                const jsonText = match ? match[0] : raw;
+                result = JSON.parse(jsonText);
+            } catch (e) {
+                // If we can't parse JSON, return the raw text
+                result = { raw };
+            }
+        }
+
+        return json({
+            status: run.status,
+            runId: run.id,
+            threadId,
+            result,
+            completed: ['completed', 'failed', 'cancelled', 'expired'].includes(run.status)
+        });
+    } catch (err: any) {
+        console.error('Error checking status:', err);
+        throw error(500, `Error checking status: ${err.message}`);
+    }
+};
diff --git a/src/routes/upload/+page.svelte b/src/routes/upload/+page.svelte
index 29b050f..38981cf 100644
--- a/src/routes/upload/+page.svelte
+++ b/src/routes/upload/+page.svelte
@@ -39,17 +39,70 @@
 		errorMsg = '';
 	}
 
+	// Poll for completion of the grading operation
+	interface PollResult {
+		completed: boolean;
+		result?: any;
+	}
+
+	interface ToolEvent {
+		tool: string;
+		time: string;
+		// Add other properties as needed
+	}
+
+	async function pollForCompletion(threadId: string, runId: string, maxAttempts = 60, interval = 2000): Promise<PollResult> {
+		let attempts = 0;
+		
+		const checkStatus = async (): Promise<PollResult> => {
+			try {
+				const response = await fetch(`/api/grade/status/${threadId}`);
+				if (!response.ok) {
+					throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
+				}
+				
+				const result = await response.json() as PollResult;
+				
+				if (result.completed) {
+					// If we have a result, return it
+					if (result.result) {
+						return result;
+					}
+					// If no result but completed, throw an error
+					throw new Error('Operation completed but no result was returned');
+				}
+				
+				// If not completed and we have attempts left, poll again
+				if (attempts < maxAttempts) {
+					attempts++;
+					await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, interval));
+					return checkStatus();
+				}
+				
+				// Max attempts reached
+				throw new Error('Operation timed out');
+			} catch (error) {
+				console.error('Error polling status:', error);
+				throw error;
+			}
+		};
+		
+		return checkStatus();
+	}
+
 	async function handleSubmit(event: Event) {
 		event.preventDefault();
 		submitting = true;
 		successMsg = '';
 		errorMsg = '';
 		const THINKING_EVENT = { tool: 'thinking', time: new Date().toISOString() };
-		function ensureThinkingStep(events) {
+		
+		function ensureThinkingStep(events: ToolEvent[]): ToolEvent[] {
 			// Remove any existing 'thinking' event
-			const filtered = events.filter((e) => e.tool !== 'thinking');
+			const filtered = events.filter((e: ToolEvent) => e.tool !== 'thinking');
 			return [THINKING_EVENT, ...filtered];
 		}
+		
 		toolEvents = [THINKING_EVENT];
 
 		// Generate a unique roomId for this submission
@@ -69,6 +122,7 @@
 			submitting = false;
 			return;
 		}
+
 		const formData = new FormData();
 		formData.append('task', taskDescription.trim());
 
@@ -82,6 +136,7 @@
 
 		errorMsg = '';
 		try {
+			// Start the grading operation
 			const response = await fetch('/api/grade', {
 				method: 'POST',
 				body: formData
@@ -96,53 +151,64 @@
 				submitting = false;
 				return;
 			}
-			if (response.ok && result.success) {
-				if (result.grade === 'HUMAN_REVIEW_REQUIRED') {
-					humanReviewRequired = true;
-					aiReasoning = result.reasoning;
-					hitlContext = result.hitlContext || { threadId: result.threadId, runId: result.runId };
-					submitting = false;
-					return;
-				}
 
-				try {
-					// Save to localStorage history
-					let prev = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('assessmentHistory') || '[]');
-					const entry = {
-						timestamp: Date.now(),
-						...result,
-						submission: result.submission || textInput || '',
-						task: taskDescription
-					};
-					prev.unshift(entry);
-					localStorage.setItem('assessmentHistory', JSON.stringify(prev.slice(0, 50)));
-				} catch {}
-
-				// Redirect to /results if HITL is not needed
-				window.location.assign('/results');
-
-				file = null;
-				textInput = '';
-				taskDescription = '';
-				return;
-			} else {
-				console.error('Grade API error or non-success:', response, result);
-				if (result && result.error) {
-					errorMsg = `Sorry, something went wrong: ${result.error}`;
-				} else if (response.status === 413) {
-					errorMsg = 'The uploaded file is too large. Please upload a smaller file.';
-				} else if (response.status >= 500) {
-					errorMsg = 'The server encountered an error. Please try again later.';
-				} else {
-					errorMsg = 'An unknown error occurred. Please check your input and try again.';
-				}
+			if (!response.ok || !result.success) {
+				throw new Error(result.error || 'Failed to start grading operation');
 			}
-		} catch (err) {
-			console.error('Error submitting grade:', err);
-			errorMsg = 'Network or server error. Please check your connection and try again.';
-		} finally {
-			// Disabled to make the transition to the results page smoother
-			// submitting = false;
+
+			// Start polling for completion
+			try {
+				const pollResult = await pollForCompletion(result.threadId, result.runId);
+				
+				if (pollResult.result) {
+					// Handle the result
+					const finalResult = pollResult.result;
+					
+					if (finalResult.grade === 'HUMAN_REVIEW_REQUIRED') {
+						humanReviewRequired = true;
+						aiReasoning = finalResult.reasoning;
+						hitlContext = finalResult.hitlContext || { 
+							threadId: result.threadId, 
+							runId: result.runId 
+						};
+						submitting = false;
+						return;
+					}
+
+					// Save to localStorage history
+					try {
+						let prev = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('assessmentHistory') || '[]');
+						const entry = {
+							timestamp: Date.now(),
+							...finalResult,
+							submission: finalResult.submission || textInput || '',
+							task: taskDescription
+						};
+						prev.unshift(entry);
+						localStorage.setItem('assessmentHistory', JSON.stringify(prev.slice(0, 50)));
+					} catch (e) {
+						console.error('Error saving to history:', e);
+					}
+
+					// Redirect to results page
+					window.location.assign('/results');
+
+					// Reset form
+					file = null;
+					textInput = '';
+					taskDescription = '';
+				}
+			} catch (pollError: unknown) {
+				console.error('Error during polling:', pollError);
+				const errorMessage = pollError instanceof Error ? pollError.message : 'An unknown error occurred during polling';
+				errorMsg = `Error during grading: ${errorMessage}`;
+				submitting = false;
+			}
+		} catch (err: unknown) {
+			console.error('Error starting grading operation:', err);
+			const errorMessage = err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'An unknown error occurred';
+			errorMsg = `Failed to start grading: ${errorMessage}`;
+			submitting = false;
 		}
 	}