As artificial intelligence (AI) grows in popularity, students aren’t the only ones who are attracted to its usefulness. Behind the scenes, some of Analy’s teachers are starting to rely on AI, and resources are being developed to make AI easier to integrate into the classroom.
Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool, allowing for near-instantaneous generation of information based on a simple prompt. Since the first wide-scale AI chatbot, ChatGPT, was released to the public in 2022, there has been increasing concern over students using it to cheat on assignments. There has been less conversation about the teaching world, where educators could use AI in the classroom to help them in their instruction.
Currently, there is little school-wide regulation on the use of artificial intelligence. In the Student Handbook, AI is only mentioned once, when discussing plagiarism. While many classes have specific rules regarding AI, such as only using it for brainstorming extending to a full ban on the technology, there are currently few regulations on how teachers use the tool. Mr. Chuck Wade, Analy’s principal, commented on the future of Analy in regard to regulations on how teachers use AI, saying, “There may be a place for [a ban on AI] in the future. I think it’s a bit of a moving target right now. So at least for the present, we don’t have a specific policy aimed straight at AI.” He also emphasized that using AI properly would be an important skill for both teachers and students to learn, explaining that there are many ways that AI might improve student learning.
An emphasis on employing AI in the classroom has been clear in communication between teachers about artificial intelligence tools. In late January, West County World acquired two documents that were sent to teachers regarding AI. One of these documents listed eleven different AI tools for teachers — ranging from well-known models like Gemini or NotebookLM to specialized AI tools like ChalkieAI or Snorkl. The list is described as a “shared working document” to support teachers in using AI effectively. It noted that each of the tools had been “verified” by at least one teacher, though it did not indicate what that meant. The document included tools intended to “quickly draft emails,” “make student thinking visible,” create “visually polished presentations,” and even draft IEPs, or Individualized Education Programs.
An IEP is a legal document that is customized to a student’s needs and is created for students who need a specialized education. This document can contain information such as a student’s name, their medical information, student ID, and sensitive notes on their progression. Using AI with student data, such as creating IEPs, is regulated by federal and state laws, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA. This federal law, enacted in 1974, manages the privacy of student education records. Since AI often uses the data entered in a prompt to train its models, FERPA regulates how IEPs could be created using artificial intelligence. Evie Blad, a senior staff writer for Education Week, suggests that AI should not be used for “high-stakes” items such as making IEPs.
In addition to FERPA, California has multiple state-level laws that impose additional restrictions on how student data is shared. While they currently do not include direct clauses on AI, a proposed amendment to these laws, known as AB 1159, would prohibit educational technology operators from allowing student data to be used to train artificial intelligence models. This includes both confidential data like what could be found on an IEP, and general information, like a student’s name or email address. Mr. Chris Meredith, the district superintendent, described the complex process of putting together an IEP, which involves entering information into what’s known as the Special Education Information System, or SEIS. Due to this highly regulated process, it is unclear how artificial intelligence would fit into the picture.
The second document acquired by West County World was an organized list of how AI can help teachers. It was divided into the following categories: “Planning & Preparation (Saves hours outside the school day),” “Instructional Support (You stay the expert),” “Assessment & Feedback (Reduces grading fatigue),” “Differentiation & Inclusion (Without extra prep),” and “Communication & Professional Tasks (Hidden time drains)”. The list was likely generated with AI, using typical AI-sounding language and bulleted headers. Multiple online “AI checkers” — which analyze text for patterns commonly seen in AI-generated work — verified that an AI chatbot, such as ChatGPT or Gemini, very likely generated the document.
During the interview with Wade, he didn’t like the idea of an overall ban on the technology. “We need to support folks in sort of understanding where, when, and how AI needs monitoring,” he explained. When asked whether it should be allowed to use AI for more important activities, such as creating IEP reports or grading, he responded, “I don’t think there’s a blanket statement I can make about where that line is. I think it’s pretty contextual. It’s going to depend, right?”. Wade also added that, “teachers have very broad discretion over their curriculum and instructional practices,” meaning that regulation over AI tools would be complicated to implement.
In this interview, he also expressed that making all students learn how to use AI effectively was a priority. “I think it’s super important. I think that we have an obligation to support students in understanding all aspects of AI. And I think if we don’t, we run the risk of being complicit in creating a second digital divide,” he said. The ‘digital divide’ refers to unequal access to digital resources and technologies that worsens information inequalities. Wade was concerned that if students were not taught how to use artificial intelligence properly, then it could leave some students with less access to or knowledge of how to use this powerful technology.
Wade was clear that he thought there were very smart and important ways to use AI in the classroom, both in terms of teaching students how to use the tool and making teacher’s lives easier. “There are some sort of procedural kinds of things that you got to do a thousand times or whatever,” he explained. “ If we can lighten the load by doing some of that kind of stuff with AI, rather than through tedious, repetitive exercises on the part of an educator, all for it,” he said.
“But in terms of really thinking carefully about the needs of individual students and how to best support the learning of individual students, there is no replacement for an experienced teacher.”
