March 2026
On March 18, AERA and The 74 partnered to host a free public webinar on artificial intelligence (AI) in student assessment. The event featured leading experts in AI in education and drew 1,700 attendees from more than 72 countries, including researchers, graduate students, federal and state agency officials, Hill staff, school and school district leaders, and journalists. The webinar is part of AERA’s renewed effort to deepen public engagement and spark conversations on key education issues.
AERA Executive Director Tabbye Chavous and The 74 Editor-in-Chief Nicole Ridgway opened the webinar, highlighting AI’s swift impact on education and the important questions it raises. The session included a lively panel discussion and a robust audience Q&A.
Chavous noted, “Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping many aspects of education, including how educators assess student learning and progress. At the same time, the pace of technological change raises important questions about how, when, and why these tools should be used.”
Ridgway added, “Some big questions remain, including how we might harness this technology in a way that allows educators to effectively assess what students know and what they need help with. And what guardrails are needed to ensure students’ privacy and safety.”
The panel featured Victor Lee (Stanford University), Danielle McNamara (Arizona State University), and Diego Zapata-Rivera (ETS), all leading scholars in AI and education. The discussion was moderated by veteran education journalist Greg Toppo of The 74.
Panelists emphasized the importance of building AI literacy among educators and students. “We must help our stakeholders, our students, our instructors, our faculty, to develop a baseline literacy on how AI works and what’s out there,” said McNamara. “It is our responsibility to set up situations, webinars, and workshops, so that people can gain practice and exposure so they can be confident when they use these tools.”
Speaking on the limitations of AI, Zapata-Rivera emphasized the value of existing knowledge. “People may not know what the AI is providing, is it based on the research available, is it for educational purposes, or not?” he said. “We have resources for teachers and students to interact with these tools, what to look for, what to ask, how to use it.”
Lee stressed that AI tools in education must be grounded in rigorous research. “The question is not what is AI going to do for assessment, but what can we do with the help of AI that still supports the goals of assessment?” he said. He also cautioned against attributing human qualities to AI: “When you learn more about AI, you understand what it can and can’t do. We need to be mindful of this when we think about who is making the call in assessment.”
Panelists discussed practical applications. McNamara noted, “I really can’t ask AI for something unless I already know the answer. I’ve already got a shape for what I want, and AI helps to get me there faster and see things in different ways. That’s one thing we can work toward for our students, helping them also see things from different perspectives.”
On the issue of scoring, Zapata-Rivera emphasized, “It is important to continue with the principles of good assessment and making sure that we have reliable scores based on the purpose of the assessment. We usually compare the scores that are generated by AI with scores generated by humans.”
Toppo closed by asking what in AI in assessment might change over the next year, as well as how and why. Lee replied, “We’ll see pivots that reflect this high-tech world and new possibilities for assessment. The ‘why’ of assessment will remain a continual conversation.” Panelists expressed enthusiasm for reconvening in a year to reassess developments certain to unfold.
A recording of the webinar is now available.