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- Forty-three teachers are using AI tools in a pilot program aimed at making instruction more engaging while helping students struggling in certain subjects.
A pilot program gauging the effectiveness of AI use by teachers to help develop effective lesson plans is underway in Mississippi.
The Mississippi State Board of Education was updated on the program during last week’s meeting. Members were told how the new program is being used to develop more compelling instruction time in the classroom.
John Kraman, Chief Information Officer for the Mississippi Department of Education, said the program’s inception began after State Superintendent Dr. Lance Evans approached his agency last winter to request the design and development of a method for schools to utilize artificial intelligence in that manner.
“Our goal was to implement a program where teachers use a generative AI tool help them as they plan and customize instruction in their classrooms. Notice that I did say teachers, we are not focusing on student use of AI tools at this time,” Melissa Banks, MDE’s Director of Data Use and Professional Learning, explained.
Tools being used by teachers participating in the pilot program include the Google products Gemini and NotebookLM. The goal is to evaluate how the use of those tools could potentially impact the instruction planning process.
Fifteen school districts across Mississippi are participating in the pilot program, which is comprised of a total of 43 teachers focusing on the areas of English Language Arts, science, U.S. History and Career and Technical Education.
Participating districts were selected through an application process that opened in September, followed by technical training on the use of the tools in November. Participation in the pilot program required a support commitment from an administrator. The program will continue through the remainder of this school year and will entail monthly check-ins with participants.
The pilot program will also be used to later develop roadmaps other districts and schools can use in the adoption of their own AI educator tools.
Data gathered by the program will also include the impacts AI use will have on the class, including the tool’s efficiency, the support it provides for students who are struggling in a subject, and if its use is keeping students engaged.
“Because we want to make sure that what they are implementing in their classrooms is aligned to standards, and it meets the rigor, and the appropriateness of the grade level that they’re teaching,” Banks explained.
She added that educators participating in the pilot program range from new to experienced.
“Some of the feedback that we got, one of the teachers said, ‘I felt like there are now no limits on what I can do with my students,'” Banks told the Board.
Next summer, the participating teachers could be asked to act as ambassadors for the use of AI in the classroom, Kraman added.
“I think harnessing these tools in a responsible and productive way is the goal here,” Kraman said. “And AI is just a tool. The instruction really at the end of the day is the interaction between a teacher and students and we want to help facilitate and strengthen that.”
The Mississippi Department of Education is already looking to the future of continuing the program.
“We’re also trying to find some ways to fund the continuation of this work, so that’s a goal,” Evans told the Board.
