Martin County unveils AI guidebook, emphasizes 'show your work' and leadership training

Martin County School District staff introduced an AI guidebook and a professional learning pathway designed to help teachers use artificial intelligence to strengthen instruction while protecting student privacy and preserving human judgment.

Kristen Register, coordinator of professional learning, introduced digital learning specialists Patrick Sermino and Kelsey Levanerton, who described a multi-year effort including collaboration with the Florida K-12 AI task force. Sermino said the pathway emphasizes instruction-first design: "The best use of AI begins with human thinking and it ends with human judgment." Presenters said the guidebook intentionally avoids prescriptive tool recommendations and instead focuses on learning goals, classroom protocols, and professional discussion.

Presenters emphasized student-facing protections and the need for students to "show their work" when AI is used: that is, explain reasoning, show drafts and revisions, and reflect on what they accepted or rejected from AI. They said teachers will design AI interactions so the AI coaches and prompts rather than providing final answers, and all student-AI interactions should be visible to teachers. They also highlighted privacy and data protections as nonnegotiable.

Board member Miss Roberts asked whether the district will set incremental benchmarks and track completion across principals, assistant principals and teachers. Sermino said incremental goals are appropriate and leadership buy-in is key; Superintendent Main said the executive team will be trained first and that the district will track who has taken the training.