Standards committee forwards classroom-technology rule, adds ban on AI auto-grading

The Utah State Board of Education Standards and Assessment Committee voted to move a new classroom-technology rule, R277-334, to the full board on first reading after approving amendments clarifying statutory citations and restricting certain artificial-intelligence uses.

Jennifer Wadsworth, the board’s policy adviser, told the committee the rule implements provisions of House Bill 273 and will be paired with a model LEA policy that staff expect to deliver this summer. She said the model will include grade-level instructional technology frameworks, an AI sandbox course option for grades 9–12, and sample training materials for educators.

Board members pressed staff on specific details, including whether the draft bans one-to-one devices (Wadsworth said the rule prohibits mandating assigned devices but does not bar device use at school) and how third-grade classroom practice — the committee called it “a bridge year” for typing and assessment readiness — will be treated in model guidance.

During a redline review, staff proposed and the committee adopted two amendments: replacing a drafting placeholder with statutory citations (53G-7-229 and 53G-7-142) and adding a new subsection clarifying that educators must “refrain from using generative artificial intelligence to independently grade student work.” The AI provision was read into the motion wording and discussed as aligning the rule to existing statutory expectations for student privacy and assessment integrity.

A motion to approve R277-334, draft 1, as amended on first reading and forward it to the full board for second and final reading carried with four votes in favor and one abstention (board member Green).

What happens next

The rule will return to the full board for a second and final vote. Staff said they are drafting a model policy LEAs may adopt or adapt; districts must have a model policy in place by July 2027 or adopt their own policy that meets statutory requirements. Wadsworth also told the committee staff will produce a sample training curriculum to accompany the model policy.

The committee’s discussion highlighted three issues likely to shape the final rule and the model policy: how districts may adapt grade-specific technology expectations (particularly for early grades and third-grade assessment preparation), how the AI provisions align with district contracts (several members referenced recent contracts with vendors such as Gemini and the need for data-privacy assurances), and how LEAs will document compliance.