AI in Action for Educators

In our last lesson, we explored a simple but important idea:

👉 Who is doing the thinking?

Now comes the next step:

How do we turn that idea into clear expectations for students?

Because when expectations are unclear:

• Students guess
• Teachers feel inconsistent
• And frustration builds on both sides

The goal of this lesson is simple:
👉 Give you a starting point you can actually use.

What You’ll Learn

• How to create clear, age-appropriate expectations for student AI use
• What responsible AI use can look like at different grade levels
• Why consistency across teams and departments matters
• What real school policies (including Minnesota) are starting to include
• A copy-and-paste AI policy you can adapt for your classroom

Schools across the country are figuring this out in real time.

A recent Education Week article describes how districts are “crafting AI policy on the fly,” balancing opportunity with concerns about misuse, privacy, and academic integrity.

In many cases:

• There is no single, consistent policy
• Expectations are still evolving
• And teachers are helping define what this looks like day to day

👉 Which means your classroom decisions really matter.

In Minnesota, there is not a single required AI policy for schools.

The Minnesota Department of Education provides guidance and resources, but districts are expected to develop their own approach.

That guidance emphasizes:

• Keeping people and thinking at the center of learning
• Using AI to support—not replace—teaching and learning
• Prioritizing data privacy, equity, and responsible use

Organizations like the Minnesota Association of School Administrators are also supporting schools with tools and implementation resources.

👉 In other words:
Many of the decisions about AI use are still being made locally—which makes teacher and team conversations especially important.

The Minnesota Department of Education has created a dedicated AI resource hub for schools:

👉 https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/tech/AI/AIEd/

Rather than issuing strict rules, MDE provides guiding principles for districts to build their own policies.

Key Ideas from Minnesota’s Guidance

• People (not AI) should remain at the center of decision-making
• AI should support teaching and learning—not replace it
• Schools should prioritize:
  • Data privacy
  • Equity
  • Ethical use
• Districts are encouraged to build policies collaboratively

👉 Schools should ensure students continue developing critical thinking and collaboration, even when using AI.

Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA)

👉 https://www.mnasa.org/ai-resources

• Provides tools, playbooks, and implementation resources
• Focus is on helping leaders:
  • Introduce AI thoughtfully
  • Build systems and processes
• Less about strict policy language, more about practical leadership guidance

What About the School Boards Association?

The Minnesota School Boards Association does not yet have a widely adopted, standardized AI policy for districts.

• Policies are still emerging
• Districts are creating their own approaches
• Many are using sample frameworks (like ISTE, TeachAI, MDE) as starting points

Several Minnesota districts have already created guiding principles, including:

• Austin Public Schools https://www.austin.k12.mn.us/district-resources/aps-and-generative-ai/student-procedures
  • Focus on:
    • Student learning
    • Equity and access
    • Alignment with existing policies
  • Emphasizes AI as a tool to support—not replace—learning
• Other districts (like St. Cloud and Bloomington) are developing:
  • AI guiding principles
  • Staff and student expectations
  • Academic integrity language

Minnesota is not behind—it’s actually very typical.

👉 The current reality:

• There is no single required policy
• The state provides guidance, not mandates
• Districts—and teachers—are actively shaping expectations

And as one summary puts it:

Clear guidelines are still developing, and schools are learning as they go.

You don’t need a perfect policy.

You need a clear, simple starting point—one your students can understand and follow.

One of the biggest challenges right now isn’t just what to allow—it’s consistency.

• Students get mixed messages
• Teachers feel unsure

• 👉 This is a great opportunity to collaborate.

• What does appropriate AI use look like in your grade level or subject area?

Even though policies vary, most include a few key ideas:

• AI should support learning—not replace it
• Students should not submit AI-generated work as their own
• AI use should be guided by the teacher and the assignment
• Students should be able to explain their thinking

👉 In other words: keep the thinking with the student.

At this level, students are learning to think, create, and communicate independently.

Sample Policy

In our classroom, we focus on doing our own thinking and learning.

We may sometimes use teacher-approved technology tools to help us learn, but we do not use AI tools to do our work for us.

Our goal is to practice our own ideas, words, and creativity every day.

Students are developing independence, but still need clear boundaries.

Sample Policy

In our classroom, AI tools may be used for learning support, such as helping us understand ideas, brainstorm, or check our work.

AI should not be used to complete assignments for you.

If you use AI, you must be able to explain your thinking and how you used it.

Our goal is to use AI as a helper—not a shortcut.

Students can use AI more independently—but expectations must be clear.

Sample Policy

In this class, AI tools may be used for specific purposes such as brainstorming, outlining, or getting feedback—when allowed.

AI may not be used to generate or submit work as your own unless explicitly stated.

You are responsible for all work you submit and must be able to explain your thinking and process.

When AI is used, you may be asked to disclose how and why you used it.

Our goal is to use AI to support learning while maintaining academic integrity.

Because policies are still evolving, collaboration matters.

Use these questions with your team:

• What do we want students to learn—and where does thinking matter most?
• What AI use feels like support vs. replacement?
• Where do we need consistency across our grade level or department?
• What will we say to students about what’s allowed and not allowed?
• What’s one simple statement we could all agree on?

👉 A simple starting point:

AI may be used to support learning, but not to replace student thinking. Students must be able to explain their work.

If you’d like to explore how others are approaching this:

• International Society for Technology in Education: https://iste.org/ai
• TeachAI: https://www.teachai.org
• Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsense.org/education

👉 These provide real examples, frameworks, and guidance you can adapt.

Most policies aren’t very long—and they’re still evolving.

Start small:

• Adjust for your subject area
• Align with your team
• Keep the language simple and clear

“You may use AI for brainstorming, but you may not submit AI-generated work as your own.”

Think about one assignment you already use:

• How could a student use AI on it?
• What would you allow?
• What wouldn’t you allow?

Even one small clarification can make a big difference.

When we stay focused on who is doing the thinking, we can create classrooms where AI supports learning—without replacing it.

— Laurie

Once expectations are clear, the next question is:

How do we design assignments that still work—even when AI is available?

In the next lesson, we’ll explore:

• Simple ways to make assignments more thinking-focused
• How to design work that encourages original ideas and reasoning
• Practical examples you can use right away (no matter what subject or grade you work with!)

To help me make these lessons most useful (and to use my time wisely), I’d love your input:

How do you prefer to receive these AI lessons?

☐ Short written newsletters like this

☐ Short video walkthroughs

☐ A combination of both

You don’t need to reply unless you’d like to—this is just helpful feedback.

And finally, if you would like a short video or Google Meet walkthrough of anything we cover, please let me know. I’m happy to create videos or meet virtually with you when you'd like help.

You can view all of the AI in Action for Educators lessons on our district website through this link: https://www.parkrapids.k12.mn.us/departments/technology-homepage/ai