As Mass. rolls out new guidance on AI, teachers say it's already in play

Massachusetts teachers now have new state guidelines to help them navigate the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms as the technology becomes increasingly commonplace.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issued new guidance in August that calls for embedding AI literacy into curricula by providing resources and to offer opportunities for teachers to better understand AI tools.

The new state guidelines, drafted by an task force of educators, focus on how to handle AI topics such as bias, ethics, misinformation, data privacy and environmental impacts.

AI is already familiar ground to Rayna Freedman, a fifth-grade teacher at Jordan/Jackson Elementary School in Mansfield. She uses AI tools to curate individualized lesson plans, such as synthesizing material into a slideshow or a podcast so students can learn in a way that’s appealing to them.

Freedman, a member of the state task force, said she started using generative AI — such as ChatGPT — in her class two years ago. Freedman used the chatbot to create a lesson on the chemical properties of air, in the voice of Beyoncé.

“You better believe I had 100% attention and people actually talking about what was in air,” Freedman said.

The state guidelines make clear that AI is not replacing educators, but rather “empowering them to facilitate rich, human-centered learning experiences in AI-enhanced environments.” The guidance is part of what Massachusetts education officials are calling a “multi-year AI roadmap” to support AI in K-12 schools, an effort that began last fall. That work continues this school year with planned workshops and trainings before officials plan to more officially integrate AI tools into Massachusetts curriculums, according to the state.

The task force will continue to collaborate with state education officials as instructors implement their guidelines in the classrooms, according to DESE. 

Kim Zajac, a middle school speech language pathologist and audiologist in Norton, said the new guidance from DESE around AI is helpful. Zajac, who is joining the task force, works with students who are developing their speech and language skills. She said she leverages AI to unpack figurative language, like idioms, metaphors and similes, by using the tool to generate images explaining them.

AI works well “in terms of leveling the playing field, deepening knowledge and giving more opportunity overall to any learner, regardless of their skills, languages [and] abilities,” Zajac said.

In Lenox, technology teacher Kate Olender introduces her second graders to concepts like data sets and bias in AI using picture cards. Her fourth- and fifth-grade classes spend 10 to 11 weeks just on AI literacy.

When ChatGPT first came out, Olender said she was adamant about learning it so she could teach it to her students. She started attending conferences and taking classes within the first six months it was released.

“Even though I work in an elementary school, it's going to be here, and we're going to deal with it,” said Olender, who is also a member of the AI task force.

In Salem, the district is hosting monthly educator workshops on AI starting in October, said Kate Carbone, deputy superintendent of Salem Public Schools. Teachers can take after-school training and be paid for their time.

The first one next month will cover fundamentals of AI. The district is also convening a technology advisory committee to unpack some of the guidelines DESE put out.

“We're not taking a back seat, and yet we're proceeding with caution and with excitement,” Carbone said. “Technology can be scary, but there's also an upside. So we want to encourage people to be curious and while at the same time careful.”

This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.