Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly integrated into K-12 educational products, yet significant gaps in knowledge sharing are hindering the technological advancements that could benefit student learning. To address this issue, a new national initiative launched by Digital Promise aims to reshape how K-12 ed-tech companies develop AI products, particularly those focusing on assessment.
The K-12 AI Infrastructure Program, a multi-year effort with a budget of $26 million, seeks to create openly shared and freely available models, datasets, and benchmarks tailored for the education sector. This program has released its first request for proposals, concentrating specifically on formative assessments.
Digital Promise, an organization dedicated to making learning accessible and equitable, is partnering with Learning Data Insights, DrivenData, the Massive Data Institute at Georgetown University, and Catalyst @ Penn GSE. Jeremy Roschelle, director of the program, noted that the creation of open-license public goods could reduce barriers for developers, facilitating the creation of AI products that serve diverse student needs. However, this initiative may also elevate the standards against which technology is evaluated.
Roschelle emphasized the risks associated with a lack of shared datasets and collaboration, which can lead to AI tools being developed with unreliable or incomplete information. “The program is meant to build that supporting infrastructure,” he said, highlighting the necessity of reliable resources to guide effective AI tool development in K-12 settings.
Despite rapid advancements in AI, many current educational tools fail to align with how students learn or how instruction operates in real classrooms, particularly in formative assessment settings where data can be gathered through various methods such as discussions and classroom observations. “AI being developed today doesn’t always fit users’ needs,” Roschelle explained, pointing out that this mismatch has limited the effectiveness and trustworthiness of AI applications in the K-12 sector.
“AI is attracting a lot of attention, but we need to dig a little deeper to get the true value,” Roschelle remarked. He stressed the importance of foundational resources, stating, “Really good things are built on building blocks that come from public goods, so we need those building blocks to get to the things that really help students.”
The program aims to award grants between $50,000 and $250,000 during its first funding cycle, with tracks focused on proof-of-concept and enhancement intended to expedite the development of public assets over a 6-12 month period.
Many companies are already exploring the potential of formative assessments enhanced by AI, but notable implementation challenges persist. Roschelle indicated that this focus area was chosen for the program’s initial call for proposals due to its promising potential. “We’re seeing AI transition from being very text-based to include voice, to include students’ drawings, or things they may move around on a screen,” he noted. This multimodal approach can significantly enhance formative assessment methodologies.
Digital Promise’s initiative aims to disseminate knowledge that enables vendors to construct more effective tools capable of providing timely, personalized feedback and insights to continuously evaluate student understanding and guide instruction. The first step involves companies joining this program to contribute to the development of shared data and benchmarks. “That’s what really drives progress in AI, is having some metric that everyone can try to improve against,” Roschelle asserted.
He stressed the urgency of establishing usability benchmarks that incorporate learning science content, stating, “At the rate technology is moving, waiting 10 years to progress up four tiers of ESSA feels like an eternity. We need to…crowdsource the solution to product improvement in respect to how developers today build and think.” The program will be accepting applications through March 8.
See also
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AI’s Growing Influence in Higher Education: Balancing Innovation and Critical Thinking
AI in English Language Education: 6 Principles for Ethical Use and Human-Centered Solutions
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