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Home » Departments » Academics Office » Artificial Intelligence and APS

Artificial Intelligence and APS

APS Guidance for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools

The rapidly evolving accessibility and sophistication of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools provides opportunities to develop human-like generated text and rich multimedia content in a way that has not previously been possible. Generative AI technology has great potential to revolutionize K-12 education.

The guidance below, which will continue to evolve, provides direction for the adoption of generative AI in Arlington Public Schools, drawing from various sources to fit APS’s context. It will assist stakeholders, including school leaders, operations staff, teachers, support staff, parents, and students in aligning generative AI use with the district’s values and strategic objectives.

Learn about the APS “Year of Empowered Learning” for Staff for the 2025-26 School Year

Defining Generative Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence works by simulating human intelligence through the use of algorithms, data, and computational power. The goal is to enable machines or software to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and language understanding.

Generative AI is a type of technology that generates new content such as text, images, audio, code, and video that resembles what humans can produce by learning patterns and structures from existing data. It learns from inputs and searchable data.

Interacting with Generative AI

AI Literacy is the knowledge and skills needed to interact with artificial intelligence (AI) systems effectively. It is not just about understanding how AI functions, but also about being able to use it responsibly, monitor its performance, and think deeply about its role in our lives. This includes asking important questions about how AI is made and used, recognizing both its positive aspects and potential issues, and considering the moral questions it raises.

“It is not just about understanding how AI functions, but also about being able to use it responsibly”

For K-12 educators, being AI literate means having the knowledge and skills to integrate AI into teaching effectively. Educators need to be prepared to guide students through the complexities of AI, helping them develop a critical perspective on its use and implications. By becoming AI literate, teachers can not only improve their own professional practice but also prepare their students for a future where AI will be an integral part of many careers. For students from kindergarten to 12th grade, becoming AI literate means they’re prepared to make smart choices about using AI in different areas of life.

Guiding the Adoption of Generative AI

Generative AI technology has great potential to assist current teaching and learning practices and reduce administrative workload in APS. The growing accessibility and sophistication of generative AI tools provides opportunities to develop human-like generated text and rich multimedia content in a way that has not previously been possible. This technology will allow teachers to focus on some of the more creative aspects of instructional best practices. Generative AI tools can also enhance student creativity, critical thinking, and engagement, and support personalized and differentiated learning.

These principles and guiding statements are intended to help APS align existing approaches while also supporting the development of future work.

However, generative AI technology also poses significant challenges and risks that need to be carefully managed. These include the potential for errors and algorithmic cultural bias in generative AI content; the misuse of personal or confidential information; the use of generative AI for inappropriate purposes, such as to misrepresent, plagiarize, or harm others; and the impact of generative AI on student well-being, academic integrity, and intellectual property rights. To fully harness the potential of high quality and safe generative AI, APS will need to be supported in understanding and appropriately managing a range of privacy, security and ethical considerations.The framework is designed to help APS address these challenges and risks, and to ensure that generative AI tools are used in ways that benefit all students, schools, and society. The framework is aspirational in nature, defining what safe, ethical, and responsible use of generative AI should look like to support better school outcomes. The framework’s principles and guiding statements are intended to help APS align existing approaches while also supporting the development of future work.

Circular graphic of AI principles

Guiding Principles for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools

Teaching & Learning

 Arlington Public Schools leverages generative AI tools to enhance and support teaching and learning.

Professionalism & Operational Efficiency

 Arlington Public Schools use of specific generative AI tools is informed and responsible and supports continuous improvement.

Personal & Social Wellbeing

 Arlington Public Schools utilizes generative AI tools to provide equitable advantages to every individual within the school community.

Transparency

 Members of the APS community are informed about how and when generative AI tools are used in the district and understand their impact on staff, students, and the community.

Equity

 Generative AI tools are employed in a manner that ensures equity, accessibility, inclusivity, and respectfulness in Arlington Public Schools.

Accountability

 In Arlington Public Schools, the implementation of generative AI resources is strategically designed to reinforce human governance and ensure accountability throughout the decision-making process.

Privacy, Security & Safety

 Generative AI tools recommended for use in Arlington Public Schools are designed to guarantee the protection of personal data and uphold the privacy of both staff and students.

 

How Was the Framework Developed?

The framework was developed by adapting various resources including the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools, published in 2023 as a national education priority. The Australian framework was published in 2023 in consultation with unions, teachers, students, industry, academics, and parent and school representative bodies from all sectors. The adaptation process involved reviewing current research and developing guidance that would suit the context and needs of APS. The adaptation process also involved consulting with various stakeholders within APS including school leaders, teachers, staff, students, parents, and community partners. The adaptation process was overseen by a steering committee composed of representatives from the APS Departments of Academics, Information Services, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Student Support, and Chief of Staff.

How Should This Guidance Be Used?

The framework is intended to provide guidance and support for APS in developing and implementing policies, practices, and resources related to the use of generative AI tools in schools. The framework is not a prescriptive or binding document, but rather a reference point and a tool for reflection and action. The framework is also flexible and adaptable, allowing for different levels of implementation and innovation across schools and classrooms.

It is not the goal of this framework to recommend specific products, tools, or uses of generative AI, or to outline a specific plan of action for the adoption and use of generative AI.

How Will This Guidance Be Reviewed?

The guidance will be reviewed and updated periodically to accommodate the fast-moving pace of technological development in generative AI. The review process will involve collecting and analyzing feedback and data from various sources, such as surveys, focus groups, interviews, and case studies. The review process will also involve engaging with relevant stakeholders within and outside APS, such as, but not limited to teachers, students, parents, academics, industry partners, and other school districts. The review process will be led by the steering committee, with input from appropriate advisory councils.

The guidance will be reviewed and updated periodically to accommodate the fast-moving pace of technological development in generative AI.

Detailed Guiding Principles for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools

SUBJECT AREA GUIDANCE DETAILS

Teaching & Learning

Arlington Public Schools leverages generative AI tools to enhance and support teaching and learning.
  1. Maximize Impact: APS utilizes generative AI tools to enhance teaching effectiveness, support administrative efficiency, and increase student learning outcomes.
  2. Enhance Instruction: Staff promotes opportunities for student engagement with generative AI, educating them about its functions, limitations, and potential biases, with deeper learning as usage grows.
  3. Cultivate Teacher Knowledge: APS utilizes generative AI tools to complement teacher expertise, celebrating teachers as the primary knowledge authorities in the classroom.
  4. Foster Critical & Creative Thinking: APS will utilize generative AI tools in ways that promote critical thinking and creativity, rather than confining the potential of human intellect and creativity.
  5. Innovate Learning Design: Lesson assignments, including assessments, clearly specify the appropriate use of generative AI tools in APS (whether it can be used or not) to ensure an accurate assessment of students’ knowledge and skills.
  6. Uphold Academic Integrity: In APS, purposeful instruction is provided to guide students in the ethical use of generative Al tools in their academic work, which includes proper credit and citation.
  7. Utilize Appropriately for Special Education Services:
    1. Staff may use generative AI tools as a starting point to help generate ideas when writing an IEP if they are struggling to identify goals, accommodations, etc. specific to a student and their disability. However, consistent with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), staff may never include or input any student information or personally identifiable information (PII) into a generative AI tool. Additionally, staff must always review, edit, and customize the output so that it is uniquely written for the individual student.
    2. IEP goals must be individualized, based on data, and written in a SMART format (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time Frame). AI-driven IEP goal generator tools can help suggest IEP goals, but their accuracy and relevance are not guaranteed. Special education teachers and related service providers must use their professional judgment and never solely rely on such tools.
    3. Maintain Human Representation in all Education Meetings. Chatbots and other AI tools may not represent or replace a parent in any educational meeting. If a parent attempts to use such technology during a special education meeting, it should be explained that the meeting will not continue and will need to be rescheduled.
    4. AI should not be used to transcribe or summarize IEP meetings unless the data privacy and security of the tool can be specifically verified for this purpose by the Office of Special Education. APS does not currently have a tool approved for this task.

Professionalism & Operational Efficiency

Arlington Public Schools use of specific generative AI tools is informed and responsible and supports continuous improvement.
  1. Uphold Professional Integrity: Al staff are expected to use generative AI tools ethically in their work.
  2. Cultivate Technological Literacy: Staff are engaged in understanding how generative AI tools work, taking into consideration its potential limitations and biases, questioning its design and implementation, and understanding its benefits and challenges.
  3. Maximize Value & Efficiency: Staff use generative AI tools that reliably provide identifiable, useful benefits to the institution or community in an efficient manner.

Personal & Social Wellbeing

Arlington Public Schools utilizes generative AI tools to provide equitable advantages to every individual within the school community.
  1. Nurture Staff & Student Wellbeing: APS promotes positive uses of generative AI in support of maintaining the health and safety of all school community members. Students and staff prioritize a balance between the use of technology tools and in-person didactic methods to research and produce evidence of learning.
  2. Value Diverse Perspectives: Generative AI tools are leveraged to introduce a range of thoughts and viewpoints in APS through a critical lens, actively preventing the perpetuation of existing biases.
  3. Protect & Respect Rights: APS is committed to protecting the individual rights of students and staff, ensuring the use of generative AI tools is consistent with the values of personal autonomy and the preservation of human dignity.
  4. Prevention of Harm: APS emphasizes the potential use of generative AI to cause harm when misused. APS acknowledges that it is the responsibility of all to prevent and intervene in instances of bullying and harassment, including those that involve the use of generative AI.

Transparency

Members of the APS community are informed about how and when generative AI tools are used in the district and understand their impact on staff, students, and the community.
  1. Provide Guidance: APS offers clear and relevant information and support regarding generative AI use to staff, students, and families. A published set of specific, vetted tool recommendations will help the district ensure the highest standards of safety, privacy, and educational value for all stakeholders.
  2. Ensure Transparency: The school community receives timely information about the application of generative AI tools that affect them.
  3. Facilitate Understanding: APS partners with vendors of generative AI tools, to have a general understanding of how these tools operate, their limitations, and their inherent biases.

Equity

Generative AI tools are employed in a manner that ensures equity, accessibility, inclusivity, and respectfulness in Arlington Public Schools.
  1. Advance Inclusive Accessibility: APS staff utilize generative AI to provide equitable access to high-quality, personalized learning experiences for al students, regardless of their ability or background.
  2. Promote Equity & Opportunity: Deploy AI-driven support systems to meet the varied needs of students and foster a culture that strives for excellence according to the APS Strategic Plan core values and goals.
  3. Champion Workforce Diversity: APS leverages AI to nurture a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes the professional advancement of each employee.
  4. Honor Cultural & Intellectual Property: The use of generative AI tools is carried out with a deep respect for the cultural rights and intellectual contributions of our diverse APS community.

Accountability

In Arlington Public Schools, the implementation of generative AI resources is strategically designed to reinforce human governance and ensure accountability throughout the decision-making process.
  1. Support Decision-Making Autonomy: Educators and administrators maintain authority over decision-making processes, upholding accountability for AI-supported decisions.
  2. Ensure Tested Dependability: Before deployment, generative AI tools will undergo testing by various APS stakeholders to ensure, to the best of our knowledge, that they will function reliably as intended.
  3. Conduct Ongoing Evaluation: The effects of generative Al tools on the APS community are consistently monitored, with proactive identification and management of potential risks and benefits.
  4. Foster Open Communication: APS community members impacted by generative AI tools receive information as needed and are encouraged to engage in dialogue about the application of these tools and related decision-making outcomes.
  5. Cultivate Proactive Responsiveness: In the swiftly changing landscape of generative AI, APS recognizes that complete foresight is not always possible. We are committed to a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, where any emerging issues with these tools should be reported through the established APS Process.

Privacy, Security & Safety

Generative AI tools recommended for use in Arlington Public Schools are designed to guarantee the protection of personal data and uphold the privacy of both staff and students
  1. Safeguard Data Rights & Privacy: APS utilizes generative AI in a manner that protects the privacy and data rights of staff and students and adheres to educational privacy laws such as the Family Educational Rights &Privacy Act and other APS policies and safety practices. This ensures that student and staff data is only used and shared in compliance with legal requirements, including collection, retention, distribution, and the prohibition of selling student data. Consent is sought when needed.
  2. Ensure Responsible Prompting: APS provides targeted instruction for staff and students to cultivate an understanding of how to interact with generative AI tools in a way that prioritizes the protection of individual data privacy and personal identity when crafting prompt inputs.
  3. Uphold Copyright Law Adherence: APS staff using generative AI tools are made aware of copyright laws and ensure compliance with these legal requirements.

 

List of Referenced Online Resources

 

Revised August 2025

Learn about the APS “Year of Generative AI Exploration” for Staff from the 2024-25 School Year