Guidance for Students · AI Implementation Toolkit

Guidelines describe how students should engage with AI tools to support intentional learning, integrity, and responsible use.

⚠Review federal, state, & local statutes to ensure compliance as you build your boundaries & guidelines for use.

Explainability & Ownership of Learning

Students are accountable to explain any work they've completed to demonstrate ownership and understanding of content, concepts, and skills.

Transparency & Disclosure

Students must disclose when, where, and how AI tools were used to ensure their use of resources is transparent and verifiable.

Integrity, Productive Struggle, and Agency

AI use should build student agency and independence, not dependence or passivity. Students must invest genuine effort in productive struggle; their work must honestly reflect what they know and can do.

Verification & Critical Evaluation

All AI-generated content must be fact-checked for accuracy, bias, and appropriateness. AI errors ("hallucinations") are common and expected; human review is always required.

Teacher / Instructor Permission

AI use requires explicit teacher permission. Your teacher will specify the appropriate Level of AI use.

Bias Awareness

AI can reflect biases in its training data; students must approach all outputs critically and discuss concerns about bias with teachers.

AI Literacy as a Core Competency

Students should develop skills in learning about AI (how it works and affects society) and learning with AI (using it effectively, ethically, and with minimal environmental impact). Passive consumption of AI output undermines learning.

Prompting as a Skill

Constructing clear, purposeful prompts is a learnable competency. Students should prompt and interact with AI tools intentionally. AI should be used to pursue learning goals rather than seeking shortcuts.

Workforce Readiness & Future Fluency

Effective AI use depends on foundational competencies: creative and critical thinking, collaboration, questioning assumptions, and evaluating information for bias, credibility, and accuracy. Ease of access to AI makes these skills more important than ever.

Examples of Guidelines for AI Use: Students · Part 1 of 2 — © Tony Frontier, PhD & the AI Center for Effective Teaching & Learning, 2026.

Boundaries describe what students should not do. Respecting boundaries ensures AI tools are used in ways that are safe and supportive rather than undermining their well-being and learning.

⚠Review federal, state, & local statutes to ensure compliance as you build your boundaries & guidelines for use.

Data Privacy: No Personal Information

Students must never enter personally identifiable information (names, addresses, phone numbers, photos) into AI tools.

No Academic Dishonesty or Plagiarism

Submitting AI-generated content as original student work is prohibited. Submitted work must follow teacher guidelines for transparency & explainability and honestly reflect what students know and can do.

Approved / Authorized Tools Only

Students may only use AI tools sanctioned by their teacher, school, or district. All use must comply with the platform's Terms of Service and applicable district policy.

Assessment & Assignment Restrictions

AI is prohibited on tests, quizzes, and assignments unless a teacher explicitly permits it. These tasks reveal what students genuinely know and can do; unauthorized AI use undermines that purpose.

No Harmful, Disruptive, or Inappropriate Content

Students may not use AI to generate content that is harmful, harassing, discriminatory, or disparaging toward individuals or groups.

No Sharing Others' Private Information

Students may not use AI to access or share private information about classmates, teachers, or community members.

AI use must comply with each platform's Terms of Service and age restrictions. COPPA applies to students under 13; schools must enforce minimum age requirements.

AI-generated content raises unresolved copyright questions. AI output is not automatically free to use or claim as original work, especially when drawn from protected source material.

No Use of School Data to Train AI Models

Student and institutional data must not be used to train AI models without authorization. Students should avoid AI tools that may use their inputs for model improvement without consent.

Equity & Access

AI must not be used in ways that widen equity gaps or disadvantage peers with less access to tools or technology. Equitable AI use is an ethical obligation, not just a logistical consideration.

Examples of Boundaries for AI Use: Students · Part 2 of 2 — © Tony Frontier, PhD & the AI Center for Effective Teaching & Learning, 2026.

Questions about how to establish guidance like this in your school or district? Contact tony@firsteducation-us.net

Integrity

My work accurately and honestly reflects what I know and can do. I invested strategy & effort into the task and followed the assigned guidelines.

Transparency

I report every tool, source, and resource I used and how I used it.

Explainability

I can explain, expand on, and defend every part of my submitted work.

Effective

Agency & Integrity

“I use AI with agency and integrity. I follow my teacher's expectations for AI use and can explain and justify every part of my work.”

What Effective Use Looks Like

I use AI at the level my teacher permits, following those guidelines even when no one is watching.

I document every tool used: which AI tool, what prompts I entered, and how I used or modified the output.

I can explain, defend, and expand on everything in my submitted work, AI-assisted or not.

Effective Prompting Strategies

Share your learning goal, not just the task: "Help me understand (topic) so I can explain…." Not "Do this for me."

Add constraints: "Go slowly. Ask for my thinking first, then check my understanding."

Check your reasoning: "Here's my answer. What's accurate? What's missing? What misconceptions do I have?"

Examples

Asking for help, not answers. For example, "I understand ____ is _____. But, I'm stuck on why ____ is ____. Engage me in a discussion to help me understand."

"I've uploaded my solutions and showed my work for problems 1-3 on linear equations. Can you check my work and if there are errors, give me feedback on where I am making errors."

Ineffective

Passive & Superficial

“I used AI to do all, or portions, of my work…and I didn't actually learn much.”

What Ineffective Use Looks Like

Typing or pasting assigned practice questions directly into AI.(passive compliance)

Submitting work with vocabulary or concepts you can't explain.(lacks explainability)

Not being sure if a specific use of AI is appropriate, and not clarifying with my teacher.(lacks transparency)

Warning Signs in Your Own Work

You can't explain an answer, term, or concept in your work.

Your final product is more accurate or complex than your actual understanding of the topic.

The assignment is done, but you know you didn't really learn much.

Examples

Prompting: "Summarize this article into a paragraph," then reading the output rather than the original text.

Prompting: "Complete this practice task for me" rather than "Help me understand...."

Not tracking AI tools and prompts used, or not fact-checking AI-generated content.

Inappropriate

Dishonest or Harmful

“This violates the assignment guidelines, undermines academic integrity, or is unsafe.”

What Inappropriate Use Looks Like

Using AI on any assignment without following the Level of Use provided by your teacher.

Submitting AI-generated work as your own, in violation of assignment guidelines or integrity expectations.

Uploading anyone's personal information, name, or image to AI without permission.

Why It's Harmful

Bypassing productive struggle with AI leads to worse performance when the tool isn't available.

Dishonestly earned grades misrepresent your skills and set you up for future struggles.

Misuse of AI can have real-world consequences for your and others' well-being.

Examples

Using AI on a test, quiz, or assignment designated as independent work.

Submitting AI-generated work as your own original, independent work.

Generating content that jeopardizes another's safety, privacy, or reputation.

Questions to Ask Before Submitting

Did I follow the AI use level my teacher assigned? Can I explain every part of this work? Have I documented every tool and resource I used? Did I actually learn what I was supposed to learn?

Effective, Ineffective & Inappropriate Student Use — © Tony Frontier, PhD & the AI Center for Effective Teaching & Learning, 2026.

Questions about how to establish guidance like this in your school or district? Contact tony@firsteducation-us.net

Four Levels of AI Use for Students

No AI · AI for Feedback · AI Co-Created · AI Driven

Student’s independent thinkingAI supported

Preparing to do the workDoing the workChecking the workFinal revisions/critique/justification

Level 1No AI

No AI Involvement

“I did this independently from start to finish.”

What this looks like

All work, including planning, drafting, solving, and editing, is completed by you. No AI tools are used at any stage.

Examples

Solving a math problem set with written explanations.

Pre-writing, outlining, and drafting a personal narrative.

Data collection, analysis, and written synthesis for a science lab.

Level 2AI for Feedback

AI as Reviewer

“I did this, then used AI to get feedback, then I refined it based on the feedback and explained what changes I made and why.”

What this looks like

You complete all initial work, then use AI to review, suggest edits, or check correctness. You summarize changes and explain new understanding.

Examples

Checking math solutions with AI; revising with "I used to think, now I know."

Using AI to review tone, grammar, and sentence structure in your essay.

Level 3AI Co-Created

AI as Collaborator

“I used AI as a collaborator on the process and initial product, then I refined it and explained what changes I made to the final product and why.”

What this looks like

AI helps generate ideas, suggest structure, or complete a portion of the task. You make decisions about how to complete the task. Report all prompts used, and explain your collaborative process.

Examples

Free-writing first, then prompting AI to organize ideas into a 5-paragraph outline.

Organizing data yourself, then asking AI to create a labeled table for a lab report.

Level 4AI Driven

AI as Generator Then, Student Critique or Analysis

“I prompted AI to do this, then I analyzed or critiqued the output.”

What this looks like

AI completes or generates substantial portions. You evaluate, critique, justify, and verify accuracy. Always follow up with a No AI task (fact-check, critique).

Examples

Generating a synthetic podcast on two short stories read for class, then critiquing for factual errors or analyzing for accuracy.

Prompting AI to generate logo concepts, then selecting the best design by critiquing against design criteria and justifying one's selection.

Student Reflection Questions to Demonstrate Integrity at Every Level of Use

What was the process you used to complete this work?

What resources or tools did you use and how have you documented them?

What is the meaning of / can you expand on what you mean by ______ in your work?

Integrity: Showing Evidence of Transparency & Explainability

Your teacher will always ask you questions about how you completed your work and what you learned. Be ready to explain your process and your thinking in your own words.

Examples of Transparency Stems

“I report every tool, source, and resource I used.”

Level 1 — No AI — And All Other Levels

“I did this independently from start to finish.”

The process I used to complete this work was…

Resources or sources I used were…

A question I had while doing this was…

Level 2 — AI for Feedback

“I did this, then used AI to get feedback, then I refined it.”

I finished my work first, then I asked AI to…

AI suggested ___, and I decided to [keep/change] it because…

The prompt I used was ___, and AI responded by…

Level 3 — AI Co-Created

“I used AI as a collaborator on the process and product.”

I started by ___, then I asked AI to help me…

AI suggested ___, but I decided ___ because…

My contribution was ___. AI's contribution was ___.

Level 4 — AI Driven

“I prompted AI to do this, then I analyzed or critiqued the output.”

I asked AI to ___. What it produced was…

I checked the AI output and found that ___ was accurate, but ___ was not.

AI's response was missing ___, so I added…

Examples of Explainability Questions

“I can explain, expand on, and defend my work.”

1What is the "big idea" from this assignment? In three or four sentences, summarize your understanding of what you learned or what understandings were affirmed.

2What is an important word or idea from your work? Define it and explain what it means in your work.

3What is the most important idea in your work? State it in one sentence and explain why it matters.

4What would change if one key detail were different? Identify that detail and explain the impact.

5Can you give a new example that supports your idea, one not in your work? Explain why your example fits.

6What was the hardest part to understand? Describe how you worked through it or share a question you still have.

7If your answer is wrong, where might the mistake be? Point to a specific part and explain your thinking.

8How would you explain the main idea to a younger student? Write 2 or 3 sentences in simple language.

Remember

Follow your teacher's guidelines for Level of AI use so you are building real understanding, not just completing a task.

You are always responsible for being able to explain how you did your work and what it means.

Student Levels of Use & Commitments to Integrity, Transparency & Explainability — © Tony Frontier, PhD & the AI Center for Effective Teaching & Learning, 2026.

Questions about how to establish guidance like this in your school or district? Contact tony@firsteducation-us.net

Elements of an Effective Prompt

State your goal, context, a role for AI & clear boundaries

State Your Goal

Be clear about what you are trying to learn, not just what you want produced.

Provide Context

Share relevant background: the assignment, what you already know, and where you're stuck.

Assign a Role to AI

Tell AI how to engage: as a coach, a quiz maker, a discussion partner, or a feedback provider.

Set Clear Boundaries

Use phrases like "Don't give me the answer," "Go slowly," or "Check my understanding first."

Learning GoalContextRole for AIBoundaries

Matching Activity

"I am learning statistics vocabulary for my 8th-grade unit on statistics. Can you help me create a matching activity to practice pairing definitions with their terms? I pasted the terms and definitions below."

Mnemonics or Song

"I am learning to memorize the names of the 12 cranial nerves. Help me write a mnemonic for the 12 cranial nerves. It should be in 12 short rhyming lines, no chorus."

Nonfiction Text

"I am learning to identify an author's main point and supporting evidence. I uploaded an article that I've read and taken some notes on (see attached). Ask me about the author's main point and evidence, then coach me to write the summary myself one step at a time — don't just give me the answer."

Process Explanation

"I am an 8th-grade student learning to explain the steps of how a bill becomes a law in the United States. Ask me to explain the process. After I've written my understanding, go through it one step at a time and help me revise one part at a time if I've made mistakes — don't just give me the answer."

Compare & Contrast

"I am a 10th-grade student learning to compare the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Ask me 4 questions comparing them, then review my answers and help me revise if I miss anything important. Go one step at a time and don't just give me the answer."

Idea Brainstorming

"I need to choose a topic for a paper. I've attached the assignment. Ask me one question at a time to help me generate, and then narrow, my choices for a topic that is manageable and of interest to me."

Perspective-Taking

"I am learning to analyze a historical event from multiple perspectives for my 10th-grade history course. Help me analyze the Boston Tea Party from the British and Colonial viewpoints. Ask guiding questions one at a time and I will answer them — don't just give me the answer."

Socratic Seminar

"I am learning to discuss and defend ideas about the ethics of civil disobedience. I'm preparing for a Socratic Seminar on 'Letter from Birmingham Jail.' Can you engage me in a back-and-forth discussion about the logic and ethics of civil disobedience? Go slowly and check my understanding before moving on — don't just give me the answer."

Critical Thinking

"I am learning to analyze how different governments balance individual rights and power. Can you create four questions that help me analyze how the five different types of governments I've pasted below balance rights and power? After I've answered, give me feedback, then engage me in a discussion about important similarities and differences. Go one step at a time — don't just give me the answer."

Textual Analysis

"I am learning to identify and analyze the main idea, author's purpose, and supporting evidence in an argument for my 11th-grade Rhetoric course. Ask me questions about the document I uploaded to help me identify the main idea, the author's purpose, and supporting evidence. Go one step at a time and don't just give me the answer."

Concept Check

"I am learning to understand the difference between the constant and the slope of an equation for my 8th-grade Algebra class. I don't understand the difference between the constant and the slope of an equation. Give me some real-world examples and let's discuss each one step by step. Go slowly and check my understanding before moving on."

Slow Down

"I am learning how the concepts of 'systems & system models' and 'cause and effect' can be used to explain the phases of the visible moon. I still don't understand how the phases work and I have a unit test coming up for my 9th-grade Earth & Space Science course. Go slowly. Explain one step at a time and check my understanding before continuing."

Feedback

"I am learning to identify strengths and areas for improvement in my work. I've completed my assigned task. Use the rubric attached to provide specific feedback about areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Go one step at a time and don't just give me the answer."

Intentional AI Prompting Guide: Examples for Students — © Tony Frontier, PhD & the AI Center for Effective Teaching & Learning, 2026.

Questions about how to establish guidance like this in your school or district? Contact tony@firsteducation-us.net