Connecticut's Cheshire Academy is navigating AI in the classroom by training staff on general techniques and piloting student-led initiatives to encourage responsible use.
Key facts
- •Cheshire Academy serves about 400 students across grades 9 through 12.
- •The school uses a traffic light system to clearly define AI-permitted and AI-banned assignments.
- •MagicSchool provides specialized educational tools, with individual plans priced at just under $100 annually.
- •Teachers use AI primarily for administrative tasks like lesson planning and creating grading rubrics.
- •The Student AI Council is a pilot program focused on reflecting on community-wide AI usage.
- •Staff training emphasizes the risks of AI hallucinations and the importance of verifying citations and statements.
Cheshire Academy, a private school in Connecticut serving approximately 400 students in grades 9 through 12, is experimenting with generative AI integration. Rather than mandating specific software, administrators have focused on training staff in general prompting techniques and the technology's limitations. Educators are currently utilizing a mix of general-purpose chatbots and specialized educational platforms to assist with administrative tasks and lesson planning.
By the numbers
Staff Training and Tool Adoption
The school's approach emphasizes staff training on how to craft effective prompts while remaining aware of AI's potential for bias and incorrect responses. Teachers use tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity for lesson planning and creating grading rubrics. Some staff members also utilize MagicSchool, a specialized platform that offers features such as quiz generation, lesson plan creation, and rubric templates. While MagicSchool offers free versions, individual plans for unlimited access cost just under $100 per year.
Student Engagement and Policy
To address student AI use, the school has implemented a "traffic light" labeling system for assignments: green allows full AI use, yellow permits specific tools, and red bans AI entirely. Additionally, the school has formed a "Student AI Council" to lead discussions on healthy AI habits. Individual teachers, such as French instructor Miriam Przybyla-Baum, have developed specific exercises where students analyze AI-generated edits to understand how the technology impacts their personal voice and language learning.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by MIT Technology Review.
