In November 2022, the artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT was released, which quickly caught the attention of administrators from Tehachapi Unified School District (TUSD). During a brief report to the district’s Board of Trustees on 9th May, Superintendent Stacey Larson-Everson outlined how the tool works. ChatGPT is able to generate realistic responses to the user’s questions and queries by learning from data it gathers from the internet. It can thus be used for virtual assistants, AI systems, and chatbots.
Given the potential for students to copy-paste or misuse the text generated by the tool for their own work, TUSD took action to safeguard their students. They blocked access to ChatGPT on all district devices and lecturers at Jacobsen Middle School and Tehachapi High School employ AI writing detection software, Turnitin. This software allows teachers to spot plagiarism in student work.
TUSD has effectively adopted preventative measures to ensure students are not engaging in any copy-paste behavior and are instead producing their own original work. This reinforces the idea that the district is priority number one, giving students the opportunity to thrive academically.
Speaking of which, the person mentioned in the article is Claudia Elliott, a freelance journalist and former editor of the Tehachapi News. She lives in Tehachapi and can be reached by email at claudia@claudiaelliott.net.
The organization mentioned in the article is EducationWeek.com, an education-focused website that is dedicated to providing news, research, and analysis related to K12, higher education, and school districts in the United States. The organization is owned by the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group EdWeek, Inc.
As a sixth step, TUSD encourages parents to remember the importance of having “Don’t let the robot do your homework” conversations with their children. This helps children understand the implications of plagiarism, and to understand the importance of doing their own work and giving proper credit where it is due.
By taking these precautionary measures, TUSD is making sure that students are using ChatGPT responsibly and not relying on the tool to do their work for them. Through education and enforcement, they are setting a strong example to their students of the value of integrity and hard work.
