With the many advances happening in the area of artificial intelligence, schools are using AI in innovative ways, both in the classroom and behind the scenes. Perhaps one of the most impactful ways AI can support students is through the use of adaptive technology to support students, especially neurodivergent learners. Several SAIS schools share the ways their schools are using AI and adaptive technology.

Using AI With a Focus on Safety & Play

In Charlotte, NC, The Fletcher School specializes in empowering students with learning differences in grades K-12 through an individualized, multisensory, college-preparatory curriculum. Director of Educational Technology Dr. Heather Ramsey says the school approached AI with cautious curiosity in the spring of 2023. “We immediately saw the potential to support our neurodiverse students, but we wanted to keep their privacy and safety at the forefront of all conversations,” Ramsey shares. “We quickly learned that our older students were exploring on their own, so we met with them during their English classes [to discuss usage].”

The school initially focused on defining gen AI and discussing appropriate and inappropriate ways to use it for learning. They also addressed potential threats to academic integrity and plagiarism with students and ended by asking students who chose to use programs like ChatGPT to be transparent about their use. The school also uses lessons from Common Sense Media to educate students about AI. 

Simultaneously, Ramsey, along with several teachers, began exploring AI tools and attending webinars on generative AI, considering how the tech could be used to support the school’s neurodiverse learners. They paid close attention to privacy policies and terms of service but did not initially endorse or encourage a particular chatbot.

After trying several programs, the team decided to roll out a more structured plan for addressing AI, with the goal of ensuring that students were aware of the risks and rewards that come with its usage. Faculty and staff attended professional development sessions and then formed a team of teachers from all three divisions to develop an AI position and addendum to the school’s student technology agreement. 

Of the tools The Fletcher School has explored, Ramsey reinforces the concept of play with teachers, encouraging them to figure out how to best identify and use the tools. “There are lots of tools we’ve played with and ultimately decided to steer away from,” she says, “but there are a few that I hope to be using more widely in the near future.” Below are a few tools The Fletcher School utilizes.

The Fletcher School has expanded upon their Responsible Use Policy to include a position on AI, a disclosure statement, and an acceptable use scale. The aim is to be transparent and teach students what’s expected of them when they are using devices.

Supporting Diverse Learners & The Entire School

Dr. Angela Allen, associate head of school at Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, SC, shares that administration has partnered with teachers on using a number of AI tools and resources. CCES is a co-ed day school serving grades K-12. The school’s Achievement Center supports students across all three divisions, with approximately 30 percent of the student body receiving some sort of support through the center, including working directly with students with learning differences and supporting faculty and staff to provide accommodations. What follows are a few examples of assistive technology and AI used at CCES.

Making Magic With AI

One of the challenges with implementing AI is allowing time for teachers to become comfortable using the tools. Emily Adams, science department chair and innovative teaching chair for The Walker School in Marietta, GA, shares, “I encourage administrators to be intentional about setting aside small chunks of time to highlight particular tools and give teachers an opportunity to try out one or two things at a time so it feels less overwhelming.”

Walker, which serves students in PK3-grade 12, partners with MagicSchool AI, which offers an array of teacher and student-facing AI tools. “It’s been amazing!” says Adams. Teachers have been particularly excited by the ability to create custom AI-powered virtual spaces where students can have complex tasks broken down into smaller, concrete steps; input their own work, either verbally or in text, for feedback against teacher-created standards; and chat with an AI tutor and have the tutor’s response played out loud. The fact that teachers can see students’ inputs and outputs and that students can access the tools through multiple modalities (eg. speech to text, text to speech, uploading a variety of file types) is particularly powerful for students who benefit from adaptive technology.

Before launching MagicSchool last January, Walker conducted an initial one-hour “design sprint” so teachers could begin interacting with the tools and share their initial ideas and products on a school-wide Padlet. They focused on tools that would be quick to learn while offering an immediate positive impact for teachers. 

Walker also supported a “Co-creating with AI” summer mini-grant program that was hugely successful, generating enthusiasm for and confidence among teachers with using educational AI tools. Teams of two or three teachers spent two days working with a curated selection of AI tools to create new or enhance existing lessons with their students to facilitate the learning experience. 

One team of teachers in the school’s dyslexia program, New Avenues, used MagicSchool’s student tools to make a traditional mythology program more engaging and accessible for their students. By providing this opportunity for an initial group of interested teachers in an intimate environment with intense support, teachers gained confidence and shared their positive experiences with others in their division. This has resulted in more teachers reaching out to Adams in her role as innovative teaching chair to help faculty further explore the AI tools available. To encourage further innovation and experimentation with AI tools, The Walker School plans to host monthly contests for teachers to share their creations with a particular tool.


Want to explore more about this topic? Watch the recording of the SAIS webinar “Four Priorities for Human-Centered AI in Schools”.