Albany schools update board on testing, cybersecurity and classroom AI tools

Albany City School District technology leaders told the Board of Education on a presentation that the district completed its spring New York State computer-based test administration after statewide testing platform disruptions and described plans to expand data-privacy safeguards, cybersecurity and responsible classroom use of artificial intelligence.

The report, delivered by leaders from the Office of Assessment, Accountability and Technology Innovation, said the district completed nearly 13,000 online test sessions in grades 3–8 ELA and math and grades 5 and 8 science, alongside about 1,600 paper-based tests. "The 6 week testing window was extended an extra week due to that CBT glitch, but our testing was completed within the original window," Testing Coordinator Shana Barber told the board.

Why it matters: The shift to New York’s computer-based testing platform gives districts scheduling flexibility but raises logistics and equity questions — notably for English learners and students needing paper-based accommodations. The technology division’s work to standardize devices, expand monitoring and centralize vendor data agreements aims to reduce testing disruptions and protect student information.

Board members heard detailed updates across four division areas: assessments, data and accountability, infrastructure and instructional technology. April Presadino (presenting for the office) said the district is reviewing student management systems to replace SchoolTool, narrowing candidates to Aspen and Infinite Campus after stakeholder feedback. "Thus far, the data indicates a desire for change and we will continue to delve deeper into these two systems," the presentation said.

Data privacy and vendor compliance: The district joined the Student Data Privacy Consortium, which staff said has sped up vendor agreement reviews and may reduce redundant contract work. The presentation said leveraging the consortium could allow the district to retire or reduce use of some legacy tools.

Cybersecurity and federal support: Director John Wild described network upgrades — more than 300 wireless access points replaced, new battery backups for network closets, and more than 20 switches updated. Wild said the district reported 59 phishing attacks this year involving more than 10,000 malicious emails and stressed training and multi-factor authentication for staff. He also announced the district received roughly $386,000 over three years through an FCC cybersecurity pilot tied to E-rate funding to bolster defenses.

AI in classrooms: Technology staff described a district AI task force and an evaluation rubric for instructional AI tools. The board heard that the district is already piloting Snorkel, an AI formative-assessment tool (26,000 student responses and 66,000 feedback items reported), and Magic School (about 1,000 staff users and more than 64,000 AI generations). "Sometimes you might be tempted to just go to an AI tool and try to get that answer right away. Instead in this case, they were using the research assistant that was providing them with links to articles or reference materials to go out and do the research," said an instructional technology coach describing classroom use.

Implementation challenges and next steps: Leaders flagged the labor-intensive setup for computer-based testing, the need to support out-of-district placements and the administrative burden of running paper and computer systems in parallel. The division plans to develop an AI guidebook this summer, continue professional development tied to AI literacy, further investigate a student-management-system replacement and pilot chatbots and self-serve knowledge tools to reduce help-desk volume.

Board discussion focused on practical concerns: members asked how AI use is being balanced with teaching research skills and academic integrity, whether staff should be restricted from using unvetted AI services, and how to expand parent and student training on phishing risks. John Wild said student access to public ChatGPT is blocked through the district content filter; adults currently have no formal ban but are encouraged to use vetted district tools. "We also make sure that everyone is well aware of the fact that they can accomplish a lot of the same things that they want to use ChatGPT for inside of Magic School as well," an instructional technology representative said.

Ending note: The division described multiple near-term pilots — chatbot-based help-desk support, continued expansion of Snorkel and Magic School in classrooms, and continued work on disaster recovery and business-continuity planning to reduce future interruptions to instruction and testing.