Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Student advisory council urges career‑connected math, earlier AI literacy and monitored school AI tools
Summary
Student members presented research showing foundational math gaps and recommended career-connected K–8 math, math labs and smaller classes; a second student group urged early AI literacy, monitored AI platforms in schools and teacher training to preserve academic integrity.
Students serving on the State Student Advisory Council presented two linked reports to the board on June 3: one on math foundations and one on artificial intelligence in K–12.
Math presentation: Student interview work in New Haven found broad difficulty with fractions and decimals among fifth graders and persistent gaps in algebraic reasoning and geometry in middle school. Presenters said 100% of interviewed younger students reported difficulty with fractions/decimals and many were embarrassed to ask teachers for help. Student recommendations included smaller class sizes for targeted instruction, ‘‘math labs’’ (drop-in tutoring), career-connected units added to the K–8 model curriculum, and expanded online offerings where local schools cannot provide advanced coursework.
AI presentation: A separate student panel reported on an AI pilot and teacher survey, noting rapid growth in classroom AI use (students cited teacher survey data showing 83% of teachers used generative AI in 2024). They urged the state and districts to develop an AI literacy curriculum beginning in elementary school, provide teacher professional development, prefer monitored/education‑grade platforms (NotebookLM, Magic School AI) over unmonitored public chatbots, and set clear classroom norms and ethical definitions of cheating.
Board members pressed students on classroom culture, gender gaps in math pathways, and how schools could help students move between levels. Agency officials and the commissioner told the students the board had legislative support to redesign high‑school math pathways and praised their focus on elementary‑age interventions. The board received the presentations for information; no formal policy decision was taken at the meeting.
