What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to systems designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding natural language, recognizing patterns, making decisions, and learning from data. AI systems produce outputs by using complex mathematics to process and analyze vast amounts of data, and continually improve their results as they receive new data and feedback. When implemented with safety and ethical use in mind, AI technology can enhance a wide variety of aspects of teaching and learning.

AI systems aren’t human, just very good at finding patterns in the data they’ve learned from. Sometimes they make mistakes, misunderstand requests, or provide information that just isn’t true. Responsible AI use means thinking critically about the responses it gives you and using it to enhance your ideas, not replace them.

Artificial Intelligence in CUSD

Our vision is to prepare students to succeed in a future shaped by artificial intelligence. By responsibly using AI in the classroom, we aim to spark curiosity, encourage problem-solving, and build confidence for lifelong learning. We want every student to utilize artificial intelligence to explore new ideas, work together, and gain the skills they will need to thrive in a world that is constantly changing.

To date, our efforts to develop understanding and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence have included:

• Family information sessions covering responsible AI use at school and at home.
• Continued meetings of our Technology Advisory Committee, a group of community members and CUSD staff focused on examining emerging technologies.
• Involving of student ambassadors from each school site in the Technology Advisory Committee to provide a student perspective on AI in education.
• Ongoing AI-focused professional development workshops as part of our EdTech Methods initiative.
• A Board-approved Educational Technology Plan that includes Artificial Intelligence in the digital literacy and citizenship curriculum for all CUSD students.

Parent Resources

We understand that parents play a crucial role in helping students navigate the digital world. Here are some resources to help you talk with your child about AI, digital citizenship, and safe online practices, as well as tools used in CUSD to enhance both teaching and learning with AI:

Resources and Information:

• Common Sense Media: Parents' Ultimate Guide to Generative AI
• Common Sense Media: 5 Tips for Talking to Your Kids About Generative AI
• Family Online Safety Institute: Parenting Resources
• Cyber Civics: Family AI Use Agreement

California Department of Education:

• California Department of Education: Learning With AI, Learning About AI
• California Department of Education: Information regarding the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in California K12 education
• California Department of Education: Artificial Intelligence Resource Kit

Educational Tools:

• Snorkl: Analyzes student’s work to provide student feedback and help teachers refine their lessons.
• MagicSchool: AI resources that include adaptive quizzes and student brainstorming tools.
• Google Gemini (Upcoming): Google's AI-powered assistant, tailored for education.
• AI integrations in other tools used in the district, such as Adobe and Canva.

Federal and State Guidance

Our district's AI initiatives are fully aligned with federal and state guidance, including the recent U.S. Executive Order, 'Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth.' We adhere to federal laws like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), ensuring the protection of student records and online safety. At the state level, we are guided by California laws, including the Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA), which prohibits the use of student data for targeted advertising. We also secure California National Data Privacy Agreements (CA NDPA) with all web-based tools, legally guaranteeing the protection and limited use of student data, and requiring strong security measures. We regularly update our procedures to maintain compliance with all relevant laws and policies.

Although Artificial Intelligence can be a valuable learning tool for both students and educators, Carlsbad Unified School District board policy prohibits students from using generative AI or other technology primarily or solely for the completion of coursework as a student's original work and generating answers to mathematical, scientific, or analytical problems. For more information, please refer to Board Policy 5131.9 - Academic Honesty.