We’ve all heard about it – it’s no secret! AI is everywhere! While my husband jumped on the AI bandwagon ASAP I took my time before I gave AI a shot. However, once I did, I realized all that it could really do! As a middle school special education teacher, I’m always looking for tools that can help me save time and improve the support I provide to my students. AI has become a game-changer in education, especially in special education, where individualized attention and adaptive tools are essential. Here’s how I use AI to make daily tasks more efficient, support students more effectively, and make my work as a teacher more manageable.
1. Using AI to Rewrite Difficult Texts
One of the biggest challenges in special education is making complex content accessible for students with diverse learning needs. AI tools can simplify text to different reading levels, allowing us to break down difficult material so that all students can engage with it.
For example, if I have a science article that’s above my students’ reading level, I use AI tools to generate a version of the text that’s easier to understand. By adjusting the vocabulary, sentence structure, and overall complexity, I can create a version that suits their needs without losing the essential information. This allows me to provide differentiated reading materials that align with our curriculum, making lessons more inclusive and accessible.
One free website that I really like for this purpose is Diffit, which has a ton of options! It can make the text larger or shorter. You can have it rewrite a text at a specific grade level. Diffit will also give you comprehension questions and transform your passage into a wide range of accessible activities that focus on main idea, summarizing, plot, etc. Definitely check it out!
2. Drafting IEP Goals with AI
If I am feeling stuck or uninspired when working on an IEP goal, I turn to ChatGPT! AI can be a helpful tool for drafting IEP goals, especially when you need to create clear, measurable, and achievable objectives. While AI doesn’t replace our professional expertise, it can offer suggestions or templates that give us a starting point for crafting individualized goals. When working with AI for this purpose, I am careful to leave out student names or any kind of personal information, but I may type in, “You are a special education teacher working with students with reading disabilities. Write a list of 5 possible IEP goals for reading comprehension based on the following data”, and then I list student scores. I always ask for more than what I need, so I can pick what I like and ignore the rest! If anything, it can give me ideas or a starting point, and then I take it from there!
3. Generating Passages and Questions for IEP Progress Monitoring
Monitoring progress is a critical part of supporting students on IEPs. AI can generate reading passages, math problems, or comprehension questions at various difficulty levels, which helps me track how students are progressing on their goals. This is especially useful when I need frequent data points to ensure students are meeting their objectives.
For example, if I have a student with a goal to improve reading fluency, I can use AI to generate short passages and related questions that are at their independent or instructional level. These can be used in regular assessments, allowing me to gather consistent data without spending excessive time preparing new materials each week. This keeps students engaged with fresh content and makes it easier to document progress over time.
Final Thoughts: AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement
AI is an incredible resource that can help special education teachers save time and create accessible materials. However, it’s important to remember that AI should be used as a tool to support our expertise—not as a replacement for the professional judgment and personal connection we bring to our work. By using AI thoughtfully, we can focus more of our time and energy on what matters most: building strong relationships with our students and helping them reach their fullest potential.
