Maine-Endwell CSD develops a 'curriculum continuum' on AI

On Board Online • June 8, 2026

By George Basler
Special Correspondent

When schools open for the next academic year in September, teachers in the Maine-Endwell Central School District will be greeted with a new board policy and a "curriculum continuum" to guide use of artificial intelligence (AI) in district classrooms.

The continuum will specify what school officials want students to learn and be able to do. It will serve as a starting point for teachers to integrate AI literacy instruction into their curriculum, Superintendent Jason Van Fossen said. It was developed by an AI advisory team that worked with educational technology specialists from Broome-Tioga BOCES.

"AI is here and being used," Van Fossen said. "We can put our head in the sand and look the other way, allow its use without teaching how to use it, or we can embrace it and work to ensure it is understood and used appropriately."

Like every other industry, public education is reckoning with the potential - and risks - of AI. The nation's largest school district, New York City, has done an about face on the issue. In March, the New York City Education Department unveiled preliminary guidelines for AI use in the city's schools. That came nearly three years after a short-lived ban on ChatGPT.

Developing policies on how AI can be used in school districts has become essential, according to Rebecca Winthrop, director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. The center released a study at the end of 2025 on the impact of generative AI on education.

"You have to provide clarity to everyone in the school community to think about AI," Winthrop said. "You can't leave classroom teachers on their own."

While teachers will vary in how much they use technology including AI, they all need some level of guidance from their school districts, according to Jessica Goldstein, NYSSBA's deputy director of policy services. "The leadership of each school district needs to decide the extent to which the use of AI is permitted in the district, and for which uses," she said. "School boards should be involved in those discussions and decisions."

Goldstein said NYSSBA generally recommends against highly detailed board policies, especially in areas that are subject to rapid change. "One option is for the board to adopt a policy that outlines overall expectations," she said. "Superintendents and principals can address specifics through memos, trainings and written administrative regulations."

Most school districts in the U.S. lack an AI policy, according to the most recent available data. A survey released by the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup on May 27, 2026, said 69% of American teachers report receiving "absolutely no guidance" on how to apply AI to one-on-one instruction or tutoring, and 58% receive no guidance on using AI for grading.

Developing an AI policy that is both comprehensive and nuanced can be quite an undertaking, said Christopher Doss, professor of public policy at the RAND School of Public Policy. At a minimum, a district policy must provide clear guidance to teachers and students on what constitutes cheating, he said. At the same time, he said it's important to encourage the use of AI in productive ways that help students develop their skills as independent learners and critical thinkers.

That's Maine-Endwell's approach. It's not enough to just set guiderails on AI, Van Fossen said. "We have to also look at what we can do to use it positively."

Assistance from BOCES technology staff

Broome-Tioga BOCES has been helping Maine-Endwell and other districts address the pitfalls and potential of AI. The BOCES has an 11-person team that provides technical support for 22 school districts.

Many have at least established task forces or advisory committees on AI, according to Dustin Andrus, administrator of educational technology at BT BOCES. Andrus said that in his 16 years of working in educational technology he's never seen anything develop as fast as AI.

Maine-Endwell's journey began in December 2024, when it formed a task force that included teachers, administrators, aides and monitors. The group identified four priority areas: critical thinking, safety and security, ethics and how to use AI effectively in instruction.

One key recommendation: no direct, independent use of AI until high school. A pilot program with teachers from all grade levels will explore the most effective way to use AI in their classrooms, with a focus on AI literacy.

This spring, the AI advisory team and two educational technology specialists from Broome-Tioga BOCES, Kyle Verspoor and Jessica Edwards, will put the finishing touches on "mini-lessons" that teachers can use to integrate AI into their instruction. For example, a social studies teacher could touch on how AI can create false propaganda. Or a music teacher could ask students to contrast traditional and AI-generated music.

The district is also examining whether generative AI chatbots could help English Language Learners in grades 9-12 acquire English skills faster. That work is financed by a grant through BT BOCES.

Teachers across the nation are going to have to make changes in their evaluation methods because of AI, said Winthrop of the Brookings Institution. For example, some teachers are shifting from assigning take-home essays to process-based assessments, such as oral exams and handwritten work.

Doss of RAND said it's important to not become wedded to any particular AI tool. Professional development will need to be updated regularly as AI technology advances, he said.

Ignoring AI is not a viable strategy, Van Fossen said. "Much like the internet in the late 1990s, AI is a tool that we have to learn how to use so we can teach how to use it," he said.

Editor's Note: NYSSBA developed a sample AI policy in 2023 and revised it in May 2026. NYSSBA member districts may request a copy by emailing policy@nyssba.org.