Mississippi Department of Education: Artificial Intelligence Guidance

This document offers guidance on leveraging AI to enhance personalized learning and teacher productivity while mitigating risks like plagiarism, bias, and data privacy concerns. It emphasizes the importance of digital citizenship and provides actionable strategies for students, teachers, and administrators to use AI responsibly.

# ARTIFICIAL

## INTELLIGENCE

### Guidance for K-12 Classrooms

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# MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

## Dr. Raymond C. Morgigno { INTERIM STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER Dr. Donna H. Boone { CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER John Kraman **{ CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER**

**OFFICE OF DATA AND REPORTING** Melissa Banks { DIRECTOR OF DATA USE AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

**OFFICE OF DIGITAL LEARNING** Elise Brown { STATE DIGITAL LEARNING COORDINATOR Heather Ascherl { REGIONAL DIGITAL LEARNING COORDINATOR Lakyn Kirk { REGIONAL DIGITAL LEARNING COORDINATOR Tanjanikia McKinney { REGIONAL DIGITAL LEARNING COORDINATOR Brooke Morehead { REGIONAL DIGITAL LEARNING COORDINATOR Gina Pepperman { REGIONAL DIGITAL LEARNING COORDINATOR Dr. Diane Fisher { DIGITAL LEARNING COACH John Harlow { DIGITAL LEARNING COACH

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# ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Mississippi Department of Education appreciates the dedication of the following educators who contributed their talent and extensive knowledge to the review of this document:

## ITEACH AT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY

Anna Bilyeu { PROJECT MANAGER Jennifer Grimes **{ ITEACH COACH** Erin Hall { ITEACH COACH Dr. William Wright **{ ITEACH COACH** Samantha York { ITEACH COACH

## AI COLLABORATIVE POWERED BY MICROSOFT

JJ Townsend **{ MICROSOFT** Dr. Brittany Myburgh **{ COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS, JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY** Krystal Chatman **{ COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER ASSOCIATION** Bob Buseck **{ MISSISSIPPI CODING ACADEMIES** Jim St. Clair { MISSISSIPPI AI COLLABORATIVE / MISSISSIPPI CODING ACADEMIES

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT is Artificial Intelligence? .....5

HOW can AI impact the classroom? .....6

HOW can AI be leveraged in the classroom? .....7

$\\textcircled{1}$ Digital Citizenship.....8 Strategies to Deter Cheating and/or Plagiarism .....11

$\\textcircled{2}$ Standards-Aligned Content & Tools.....13

$\\textcircled{3}$ Active Learning & Engagement.....15

$\\textcircled{4}$ Formative Assessment & Feedback .....17

$\\textcircled{5}$ Accessibility .....19

WHAT should be considered when creating a policy for AI use? .....22 Training on the use of AI .....23

RESOURCES .....25

REFERENCES.....26

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IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? WHAT

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of a computer or computer-controlled robot to mimic human tasks that require learning, problem solving, and recognizing patterns to make predictions. Developers program AI to learn from data and then use that information to solve problems, make predictions, and emulate human thought-processes.

AI is powered by machine learning, which is the process that allows machines to learn from data independently. Through machine learning, computers can pull in large amounts of data in the form of images, video, text, and audio and learn to recognize patterns and make predictions.

Machine learning processes often use large language models that can understand and generate human language. These models, known as generative AI, produce content such as text, images, and audio. Google Genesis and Open AI ChatGPT are examples of generative AI that utilize machine learning and large language models.

While AI may seem like the newest tool in the world of technology, it’s been working behind the scenes for decades. Today, we are surrounded by AI in our personal and professional lives, including Google search assistant, virtual assistants (e.g., Siri and Alexa), predictive text, facial recognition, medical procedures, and countless other applications.

IN EDUCATION

SAINT Student-Aligned Instruction (SAINT), the first intelligent tutoring system, was designed to teach basic Math and English Language Arts skills.

ALEKS Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) was created as an adaptive assessment tool for personalized math instruction.

• Background noise cancellation or reduction for video or audio recordings

As AI has grown, so has its uses in education. Below are examples of commonly used classroom AI tools: • Dictation (speech-to-text)

• Dictation (speech-to-text) • Grammar and spelling suggestions

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Translation tools for text, speech, and images

• Design suggestions (such as in Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint)

• Real-time fluency trackers

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CAN AI IMPACT THE CLASSROOM? HOW

As with any technology, the tool, device, or process itself is not right or wrong, good or bad. Rather, educators’ and students’ purpose and intent when using the technology determines its benefits and appropriateness. It is important to understand the potential for the misuse of AI tools, while simultaneously balancing the benefits of incorporating AI in the classroom.

AI-powered tools can:

OPPORTUNITIES

ª Adapt to students’ needs for mastery of content and provide personalized learning experiences.

ª Act as a personal tutor that helps students learn at a comfortable pace and understand complex concepts.

ª Provide basic accommodations or support to students (e.g., text-tospeech or translations), freeing up teachers to focus on OPPORTUNITIESproviding more intensive and individualized support. ª Stimulate discussions, spark

ª Stimulate discussions, spark curiosity, and unlock creativity.

ª Create opportunities for students to solve problems and analyze, synthesize, and share their thinking.

ª Increase teacher productivity and student productivity.

CAUTIONS

ª Serve as a brainstorming partner for teachers to enhance lessons in their classrooms.

ª Create opportunities for cheating or plagiarizing material.

ª Provide inaccurate information.

ª Reinforce unfair biases through the tool’s structure and design or by drawing information from data sets that lack balance.

ª Suggest information, activities, or assessments that do not adequately meet the rigor or intent of a content area standard. CAUTIONS

ACCURACY & BIAS

AI is only as accurate as the data it processes. AI’s machine learning models draw from large data sets, often gathered from the Internet, which are not guaranteed to be accurate, as not all information on the Internet is factual. Generative AI tools like Google Genesis or Open AI ChatGPT are not specifically coded to provide accurate information. Instead, they

ª Invite over reliance that may limit critical and original thinking.

ª Generate harmful or inappropriate images or disinformation.

ª Blur the boundaries surrounding content ownership, copyright, and licensing.

ª Increase data privacy and security risks depending on the technology provider’s privacy and data sharing policies.

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CAN AI BE LEVERAGED IN THE CLASSROOM? **HOW**

It is important to note that AI-powered tools can never replace the human element of teaching. Educators are integral to the instructional process. They support students’ learning journeys by building relationships, developing critical thinking and creativity skills, responding to student needs, providing timely feedback, and fostering ethical values. AI-powered tools can enhance classroom instruction by helping educators design personalized learning experiences and provide scaffolded support for students. In addition to instructional uses, educators and students can use AI tools, such as virtual assistants, to improve organization, productivity, and communication.

The following sections are arranged according to the five components of digital learning found in the Digital Learning Instructional Guide. These five components represent areas of instructional enhancements within the learning environment, as shown in the graphic below.

Each of the five sections presents strategies for students, teachers, and administrators on the utilization of AI in the classroom.

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AI and Digital Learning: Digital Citizenship

The first and most essential component for ensuring proper use of AI and other digital tools is developing digital citizenship skills. DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP includes teaching students how to be safe, kind, and responsible in a digital world, as well as how to critically analyze resources and use those resources appropriately. Instruction on digital citizenship topics should not be a one-and-done lesson each year. Instead, educators should discuss and model these skills whenever technology tools are used in the classroom.

STUDENTS

Students, teachers, and administrators can use the following strategies to support the appropriate use of AI tools in the classroom.

Know and follow the acceptable use policies developed by the school district that outline ethical student use of AI tools.

Adhere to plagiarism and STUDENTSacademic integrity guidelines by not directly copying information provided by AI tools and passing it off as original work.

Use generative AI tools to find information or sources about a topic, then check the validity of the information and sources.

Apply spam filters in email systems to help catch phishing, scam, and malware attempts.

Employ citation gene