By Khari Johnson CalMatters Writer Your children could be among a growing number of California kids having their writing graded by software instead of a teacher. California school districts are signing more contracts for artificial intelligence tools, from automated grading in San Diego to chatbots in central California, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. English teachers say AI tools can help them grade papers faster, get students more feedback, and improve their learning experience.
But guidelines are vague and adoption by teachers and districts is spotty. The California Department of Education can’t tell you which schools use AI or how much they pay for it. The state doesn’t track AI use by school districts, said Katherine Goyette, computer science coordinator for the California Department of Education.
While Goyette said chatbots are the most common form of AI she’s encountered in schools, more and more California teachers are using AI tools to help grade student work. That’s consistent with surveys that have found teachers use AI as often if not more than students, news that contrasts sharply with headlines about fears of students cheating with AI. Teachers use AI to do things like personalize reading material, create lesson plans, and other tasks in order to save time and reduce burnout.
A report issued last fall in response to an AI executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom mentions opportunities to use AI for tutoring, summarization, and personalized cont.