Maryland SB 704: State Department of Education and Department of Information Technology - Evaluation on Artificial Intelligence in Public Schools

Bill Text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0704*

SENATE BILL 704
F1, S1 5lr2880
CF HB 981
By: Senator Hester
Introduced and read first time: January 27, 2025
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

State Department of Education and Department of Information Technology – 2
Evaluation on Artificial Intelligence in Public Schools 3

FOR the purpose of requiring the State Department of Education to conduct an evaluation 4
on the use and potential use of artificial intelligence in public schools; requiring that 5
the evaluation consist of a survey of local school systems and a review of available 6
systems that use artificial intelligence to assist with student learning; requiring the 7
Department of Information Technology to assist the State Department of Education 8
in performing its review; and generally relating to an evaluation of artificial 9
intelligence in public schools. 10

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That: 12

(a) In this section, “artificial intelligence” means a machine–based system that: 13

(1) can, for a given set of human–defined objectives, make predictions, 14
recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environments; 15

(2) uses machine and human–based inputs to perceive real and virtual 16
environments and abstracts those perceptions into models through analysis in an 17
automated manner; and 18

(3) uses model inference to formulate options for information or action. 19

(b) The State Department of Education shall conduct an evaluation of the use and 20
potential use of artificial intelligence in public schools. 21

(c) (1) In conducting its evaluation, the State Department of Education shall 22
create a survey for local school systems that assesses: 23

2 SENATE BILL 704

(i) whether the local school system has a policy for the use of 1
artificial intelligence by students, and if so, how the policy differs by student age, disability 2
status, and English language learning status; 3

(ii) whether the local school system has a policy for the use of 4
artificial intelligence as part of curricula, teaching materials, or lessons; 5

(iii) whether the local school system or any school within the school 6
system currently uses a system that makes use of artificial intelligence to assist with 7
student learning and, if so, which system is used and whether the system has been effective; 8

(iv) whether the local school system is adequately prepared for the 9
use of artificial intelligence, including whether the school system currently has in place: 10

1. sufficient technological infrastructure; 11

2. staff capacity to implement artificial intelligence systems 12
to assist with student learning; and 13

3. plans to address specific student needs using artificial 14
intelligence; 15

(v) the local school system’s identification and assessment of the 16
most commonly used artificial intelligence systems in education; and 17

(vi) how the State Department of Education could best assist the 18
local school system in its use of artificial intelligence to meet staff and student needs. 19

(2) On or before August 1, 2025, the State Department of Education shall 20
distribute the survey required under this subsection to each county board of education, 21
including Baltimore City. 22

(3) On or before October 1, 2025, each county board of education, including 23
Baltimore City, shall return a completed survey to the State Department of Education. 24

(d) (1) In addition to the survey required under subsection (c) of this section, 25
the State Department of Education’s evaluation shall include a review of available systems 26
that use artificial intelligence to: 27

(i) assist with student learning; 28

(ii) aid in the creation of curricula, lesson plans, and teaching 29
material; 30

(iii) help with the evaluation of student work; and 31

SENATE BILL 704 3

(iv) support administrators and educators in the administration of 1
schools. 2

(2) In completing its review of available artificial intelligence systems, the 3
State Department of Education shall analyze the pedagogical value of available artificial 4
intelligence systems and administrative aspects with which the artificial intelligence 5
systems are able to assist. 6

(3) (i) The Department of Information Technology shall assist the State 7
Department of Education in completing the review of artificial intelligence systems 8
required by this subsection. 9

(ii) The Department of Information Technology shall assist with the 10
review of artificial intelligence systems by evaluating the relative costs and benefits of: 11

1. the available artificial intelligence systems identified by 12
local school systems under subsection (c) of this section; 13

2. any additional available artificial intelligence systems 14
that meet the objectives listed under paragraph (1) of this subsecti