Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Classroom Technology topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State board committee advances classroom-technology rule with AI-grade ban, forwards to full board
Summary
The Standards & Assessment Committee approved R277-334 on first reading with amendments requiring model policies for LEAs, adding statutory citations and a prohibition on using generative AI to independently grade student work; committee vote was 4–0 with one abstention.
The Utah State Board of Education Standards & Assessment Committee advanced a new classroom-technology rule, R277-334, on first reading Thursday after adopting several staff-proposed amendments.
The committee’s action updates board policy to implement House Bill 273, which requires LEAs to adopt model policies by July 2027 and sets grade-level limits on instructional technology. Jennifer Wadsworth, the board’s policy adviser, told the committee the model policy would include training materials and age-appropriate practices to help districts apply the statute and that staff aim to deliver the model policy to the committee by August or September.
Committee members approved two specific amendments before the first-reading vote. One replaced a drafting placeholder with precise statutory citations (53G-7-229 and 53G-7-1402). The other added text that reads, in effect, that educators should “refrain from using generative artificial intelligence to independently grade student work.” That AI provision was explained by staff as aligning the rule with existing statutory limits and concerns about automated grading accuracy.
Assistant Superintendent Amy Hunt said the rule’s model policy will be more prescriptive than a typical model policy, offering examples of best practices for principals and district leaders and guidance on how to account for assessment preparation (for example, allowing device use for administering required state tests). Hunt told the committee that line items in the bill permit technology use to prepare for or administer mandated assessments, addressing teacher concerns about third-grade readiness for computer-based tests.
Board members asked repeatedly how the new rule aligns with vendor contracts and privacy agreements. Committee members and staff said any LEA choosing to adopt a particular AI or vendor solution remains responsible for ensuring appropriate privacy and training; staff noted they already review contracts to confirm privacy protections are in place.
On the committee’s vote to approve R277-334 draft 1 as amended on first reading, the tally was four in favor and one abstention (Board Member Green). The committee forwarded the rule to the full board for second and final reading.
What’s next: The rule will return to the full Utah State Board of Education for a second and final reading; staff said they expect to publish the model policy and example training in time for LEAs to begin a phased implementation ahead of the July 2027 compliance deadline.
