Student Use of AI
The purpose of this guidance is to foster positive student habits when using AI that honors academic integrity and responsible use.
Your Work, Your Voice
The most important rule of academic integrity is that the work you submit must represent your own learning, ideas and effort. The Rockwood School District believes AI is a powerful, collaborative tool that can amplify your learning and voice when used appropriately. Student work generated completely by AI is a form of academic dishonesty. This is a violation of Policy 2611: Academic Honesty and could result in disciplinary action.
Follow Your Teacher's Directions
Teachers will provide clear directions on if and how students can use AI for assignments. It is the student's responsibility to understand and follow these directions carefully. If a student is ever unsure whether AI is allowed or how you can use it for a specific assignment, you must ask your teacher for clarification before you use an AI tool.
Citing Your Sources
When your teacher allows students to use AI, they must give credit to the AI tool they used. This is called citing your source, and it is a key part of using technology with honesty and transparency. Teachers will provide guidance on how they wish for students to appropriately cite AI for the learning task.
Protect Your Personal Information
Student privacy and safety are extremely important. Sharing personal information puts you and others at risk. When students use any AI tool, they must never share personally identifiable information (PII) in a prompt. This is because many public AI tools save your conversations and can use that data in ways you cannot control.
PII you must NEVER enter into an AI tool includes:
- Full name, home address, email address or phone number.
- ID numbers or passwords.
- Birthdate.
- Any private details about family, friends or teachers.
- Photos or videos of yourself or others.
Be a Critical Thinker
AI tools are powerful, but they are not perfect and they are not human. Students must always evaluate what AI produces.
- Fact-Check Everything: AI can make mistakes, invent facts and create false information. This is known as a "hallucination." Students are responsible for verifying any information they get from an AI using other reliable sources, such as library databases or trusted websites.
- Look for Bias: AI learns from the internet, which contains human biases. The information it gives students might be unfair, leave out important perspectives or reinforce stereotypes. It is the student's job to think critically about the AI's response and consider what might be missing.
Age and Access
Students are only allowed to use AI tools that have been approved by the district for student use. Many popular AI tools, including ChatGPT, have terms of service that restrict their use to individuals aged 13 and older. Using these tools under the specified age without both district approval and parental consent is a violation of these guidelines. Currently approved AI platforms/platforms with AI components for students are listed below.
Use AI to Enhance Your Learning
We encourage students to use district-approved AI tools as a powerful assistant to help you learn, create and solve problems. When used responsibly, AI can be your partner in education. AI can be used to:
- Brainstorm ideas for a story or project when you feel stuck.
- Ask for a simpler explanation of a complex topic you are studying.
- Act as a personalized tutor to create practice questions for an upcoming test.
- Help you check your grammar and spelling to make your writing clearer.
Think of AI as a powerful co-pilot. It can help students navigate, but they are the ones flying the plane. Students are in charge of their learning journey. AI can give students a great starting point, but the final work, the deep thinking, the creativity and the unique voice must come from the student. An AI-generated response should never be your final product.