Illinois state education officials’ approach to AI in schools? If you can’t beat it, use it responsibly. – Chalkbeat

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Illinois state education officials issued a 400-page document Thursday that provides teachers with an extensive framework for using artificial intelligence responsibly in the classroom.
How the technology gets used in schools is ultimately up to district leaders and the guidance document emphasizes the importance of human relationships in teaching and learning. It also discloses that popular AI chatbots ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini assisted in early drafts of the framework.
Rather than releasing a state mandate, state lawmakers directed the Illinois State Board of Education to develop AI recommendations for district policymakers last year — a step a majority of states have already taken. That flexibility is by design, as the guidance emphasizes “informed decisions based on local context, capacity, and community priorities,” according to the state’s top education agency.
“Our responsibility is to help schools navigate new technologies in a way that strengthens instruction, protects students, and builds trust for informed AI use between districts and the families and communities they serve,” state Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders said in a statement.
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Educators across the country are grappling with how to ethically use the cutting-edge technology in the classroom. In some ways, Illinois is late to the game compared with much of the country.
At least 34 states have adopted some form of guidance on using AI in K-12 schools, according to AI for Education, an advocacy group that trains teachers on how to use AI responsibly. A handful of other states also issued guidance this month, including Oklahoma, which added restrictions on educators using AI to grade or discipline students.
Illinois’ document states that educators shouldn’t only ask if AI can do a task, but “whether its use supports the purposes of schooling.” Illinois’ guidance also lays out four main principles:
Initial language for the guidance was created without AI, the ISBE document reads. Instead, officials relied on AI to provide links for sourcing, check over sections for conciseness, and give feedback on the guidance’s clarity. Much of those tasks were checked over by a human to ensure accuracy.
Throughout the document, the agency gives specific examples of how teachers can use AI to enrich their planning process depending on grade level. That includes writing more effective prompts for chatbots to assist with lesson plans.
It also provides examples of instances where teachers may encounter ethical issues, such as student data privacy, transparency about using AI in email communications, cultural bias, and misinformation spread through AI hallucinations — a term used to describe when a chatbot presents incorrect or fabricated information as factual.
Over the next school year, ISBE will continue to release further guidance to schools, as well as create professional training on how to implement the AI framework, according to the department. The current guidance includes multiple templates for districts to develop their own AI policies.
Along with the guidance, the legislation also tasks schools to include internet safety instruction about the dangers of inappropriate AI-generated content as a form of cyberbullying.
Makiya Seminera is a reporter covering how the state and federal government affect education in Chicago and across Illinois. Contact Makiya at mseminera@chalkbeat.org.
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