Massachusetts had a jump from last week executive decree Integrate artificial intelligence yesterday in kindergarten schools in the 12th year, because its education department announced the launch of the first phase of a multi -year plan.
For this phase of the plan, the Department of Massachusetts of Primary and Secondary Education (DESE) develops resources to help schools establish a common understanding of the functioning of AI, to form staff on the integration of AI and the confidentiality of students' data and create directives and policies of use of AI, according to the press release.
These resources should be published this summer, according to the website from the Educational Technology Office (OET), which led a working group on AI last year to produce recommendations For the IA integration plan of the ministry.
The objective of these recommendations and the plan they have helped to shape, what the Oet calls an “AI roadmap” is to describe the stages that the State Education Department will take to support kindergarten schools in the 12th year while “navigate the opportunities and challenges that present on AI”, according to DESE's announcement.
“Massachusetts has long been a world leader in technological innovation and education,” said Governor Maura Healey in a statement. “This strategy will help students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the economy of tomorrow and to engage in a thoughtful way with these powerful tools.”
The second phase of the strategy, intended to support the implementation of the AI and planned during the 2025-26 school year, will include workshops and training of AI sponsored by the State, technical assistance and specific tool recommendations.
“Thanks to the availability of a confidence and centralized resource to identify the appropriate AI tools, DESE would provide educators the information necessary to reduce the risk of using harmful or ineffective AI solutions while supporting more equitable access to the educational resources of high quality AI”, according to the recommendations of the work force.
The OET website shows that the final phase of the plan, scheduled for the 2026-27 school year, will see that DESE will work to “integrate AI” in the preparation programs for educators and state programs.
“Without clear advice on what students must know and be able to do at each level, educators are left from their own point of view to determine how and when to integrate the literacy of AI. “The AI working group recommends reviewing its curricula, including, but without limiting itself, digital literacy and IT, for opportunities to add explicit standards for AI literacy on levels and subjects.”
Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Non -Lucrative Society for Technology in Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ISTE + ASCD), praised the Massachusetts for having adopted an “intentional and inclusive approach to fight against the complexity of AI in education”.
“The strategies that Dese Lances will support educators to use AI to provide Transformational learning experiences While creating environments for safe, responsible and ethical use, ”said Culatta in a public statement.
ISTE + ASCD worked with DESE to convene his working group on AI last year, indicates the OET website, and to launch a cohort of local education agencies for the development of AI integration strategies which can be shared through the State.
