While artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow and improve, making its way into classrooms across the region, some educators are feeling stuck.
When the Enquirer surveyed local school systems at the beginning of the school year, more than a dozen school districts had AI policies in place. But dozens of others didn’t know where to start.
More: How artificial intelligence is leading to true intelligence in Cincinnati classrooms
“This is a very complex topic,” Norwood City School District Superintendent Mary Ronan wrote in an email to the Enquirer. “AI is working on everything from Siri to spell checkers to ChatGPT to software that transitions students to different skill levels based on their responses. We need expert guidance.”
The guidance has finally arrived.
The Ohio Department of Education and Labor launched the “Ohio AI Strategy in Education” in December. This toolkit includes recommendations for AI policy. The guidance also includes resources on how to incorporate AI literacy into educational preparation programs and how to incorporate AI into Ohio’s learning standards.
Lt. Governor Jon Husted led a coalition of educators, industry representatives, AI experts, and other experts to develop the recommendations. Recommendations are available online. This site has resources for teachers, parents, and policy makers.
“This toolkit is not intended to mandate the use of artificial intelligence in education, but rather as a trusted, vetted resource to assist Ohio educators and parents in their mission to prepare students for this new technology. ” says the website abstract. Read.
Below are the coalition’s recommendations for K-12 school districts.
Establish policies governing the use of AI in schools.
Provide AI professional development and staff support.
When it comes to developing AI policy, the coalition recommends:
Clearly define how students and staff should use AI.
Provides standards for maintaining privacy and personally identifiable information.
Include guidelines on how to use AI ethically.
Discuss and outline how to evaluate AI tools from third-party vendors.
Consider how the use of AI will impact learning objectives and student assessment.
This article originally appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer: AI school policy: Ohio releases guidance for teachers, school boards
