Arizona invests $2 million in artificial intelligence for schools

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - The Arizona Department of Education is investing $2 million to put artificial intelligence in the classroom, and early results suggest it’s working.

The rural Sonoita Elementary School District is one of the first to use new AI software designed specifically for students, moving away from traditional AI that simply provides answers. The school said 91 students from 2nd to 8th grade have been using the software for four days.

Ezekiel Kramer, a student at Elgin Elementary, said he had bad grades last year.

“When I get stuck on a problem, I would sit there for an hour or so,” Kramer said. “My grades would go down, and everything would snowball with other classes too.”

Now things are different. Kramer works ahead while the teacher helps other students, and also uses the AI tutor in his free time at home.

How the AI works differently

Kramer said his grades are improving thanks to the new artificial intelligence called Khanmigo AI, created by Khan Academy. Khan Academy has a well-known reputation as a leader in online education.

Math teacher Kyndra Alexis Ortiz said the AI is different from ChatGPT.

“How we can use AI to help us think and not necessarily to cheat,” Ortiz said.

She said it’s already improving student engagement.

“It diverts them away from misuse on the computer to a platform they enjoy interacting with that keeps them on task,” Ortiz said.

The system may keep students on task, but it doesn’t provide direct answers.

“If you ask it to give you the answer, it won’t. It’s purposefully designed not to do that. It’s designed to help make you think and not give you an answer, which we love so far,” said Superintendent Daniel Erickson, who is also the principal of Elgin Elementary.

Tracking student progress

Erickson showed a dashboard where teachers track student progress, review flagged conversations, and create lesson plans in minutes. The top Khanmigo performer will get to be principal for the day, and Kramer is winning so far.

“I use it to get ahead, so I know what I’m learning about and know what I’m talking about, so I can interact more with the lesson,” Kramer said.

Khanmigo AI costs $15 per student. The state offers $5,000 through the Direct Student Services grant for Title I schools to cover the cost. The Arizona Department of Education said 40 school districts have won grants for Khanmigo so far.

Isabela Lisco is a Report for America corpsmember covering education solutions for 13 News. Her position is made possible through funding from Report for America and the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.

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