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Many schools across Arizona are heading into the new school year with updated guidance on how to handle artificial intelligence in the classroom, and the focus is on preparing students to use it well.
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There is no statewide mandate governing how AI should or should not be used in Arizona classrooms, but there is guidance written on behalf of the Arizona Institute for Education and the Economy and Northern Arizona University.
The guidance was first written in 2024, but underwent a rewrite last month. Despite being voluntary, Director of EdTech and Innovation LeeAnn Lindsey says many districts across the state are using it.
She helped write the guidance, alongside other education leaders and parents across the state.
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“School districts for the past several years since the release of ChatGPT have really been begging for guidance in this area,” Lindsey said.
She says the central question the guidance addresses is not whether to allow or ban AI, but how schools can prepare students to use it responsibly and effectively.
“We have people out there who consider AI like a magic bullet, and we have people out there who consider AI the demise of education and the world as we know it, and so it’s really important that we don’t go to either one of those extremes in our thinking, especially when we’re talking about AI within an educational environment,” she said.
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To read the full guidance,