A panel discussion on AI in the classroom and beyond is coming to Arlington Public Schools, supporting efforts to keep pace with the developing technology.
Superintendent Francisco Durán will moderate the community conversation next Tuesday, April 7. Educators, students and leaders in higher education and the workplace will “talk candidly about what AI means for teaching and learning right now,” Chief Academic Officer Gerald Mann said in an email to teachers.
Topics slated for discussion at the event — scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. at the Wakefield High School Auditorium — include the following.
- Why is AI becoming part of the K–12 conversation now, and what might this mean for our classrooms?
- How can schools set thoughtful guardrails that address academic honesty and responsible use?
- What does responsible student use of AI look like in classrooms?
- How do equity and access factor into AI use across student populations and different learning contexts?
- What skills still matter most as tools continue to evolve?
Registration is encouraged.
APS has fairly extensive guidance on its approach to AI, addressing considerations such as transparency, accountability, privacy, security and personal and social well-being.
The school system’s AI digital learning hub discusses ways to teach students about AI tools. Suggested lessons include “the editor method,” in which students review AI-generated text to identify errors, gaps or inaccuracies, and “bias detective,” in which students compare multiple AI responses to the same prompt to find “missing perspectives, assumptions, or bias.”
“Once students have a strong foundation in AI literacy, tools may also be used for creative simulations, exploration, and personalized pacing,” the school system suggests. “These uses are intentionally layered on top of literacy skills, not introduced in isolation. Teachers guide when and how these tools are used so learning goals remain clear and human‑centered.”
According to APS’ website, the school system does not rely on AI detection tools, citing concerns about a lack of reliability, a tendency to misclassify writing from non-native English speakers as “AI-generated” and the impossibility of a tool providing concrete evidence that someone used AI for a task.
“Research has not shown a notable increase in the number of high school students who self‑report cheating since generative AI tools became widely available,” says the APS page on ethical use and academic integrity. “Instead, studies suggest that AI has changed how students seek help, not how many engage in misconduct.”
That said, the school system says chatbots can create “gray areas” when students use them without proper guidance.
“Many students are already familiar with the use of digital tools to support their learning, which can make it harder for them to recognize when generative AI shifts from supporting thinking to doing the thinking for them,” the webpage says. “Clear expectations and AI literacy skills help students understand when AI supports learning and when AI is replacing it.”
Suggestions to teachers include the following:
- “Break large writing tasks into graded checkpoints: topic selection, annotated bibliography, outline, and rough draft.”
- “Incorporate very recent news or niche local topics where AI training data may be outdated or generic.”
- “Briefly ask a student to explain a complex sentence or argument in their paper. If they cannot define the vocabulary they used or explain their own logic, it warrants a supportive conversation about authorship.”
- “Require students to write a short paragraph explaining why they chose their specific evidence or how their thinking changed during the writing process.”
- “Instead of banning AI, ask students to cite it. If they used SchoolAI or another tool at home to brainstorm ideas, ask them to include the transcript and proper citations in their work. Have them reflect on which ideas they kept and which they rejected (this could also be an in-class activity).”
The school system’s stated goal is to use “generative AI tools to enhance teaching effectiveness, support administrative efficiency, and increase student learning outcomes.”
“This technology will allow teachers to focus on some of the more creative aspects of instructional best practices,” APS guidance says. “Generative AI tools can also enhance student creativity, critical thinking, and engagement, and support personalized and differentiated learning.”
Photo via Anastassia Anufrieva/Unsplash
