A bill sponsored by State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky (R-Long Neck, Oak Orchard) to study new technologies to improve academic performance was released by the House Education Committee late Wednesday.
House Substitute 1 for House Bill 404 seeks to create a pilot program in 12 public schools to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) technologies can be used to effectively teach children and train employees. The legislation requires that the participating schools be evenly distributed among all three counties and the City of Wilmington.
Rep. Hilovsky maintains these new technologies hold the promise of providing immersive, personalized learning experiences that could enhance student engagement, proficiency, and mastery in core subjects.
While these technologies are not without their pitfalls, the bill’s supporters say the pilot program is intended to establish and test protocols to obtain the benefits while avoiding the drawbacks. They also note these technologies are not replacements for teachers or human interaction. In fact, one of the goals of this effort will be to increase teacher efficiency so educators can spend more time giving students the personal attention often needed to help them reach their full potential.
The proposed pilot program would run for three years and be administered by the Delaware Department of Education (DOE). The agency would be charged with compiling a final report analyzing the program’s effectiveness and determining whether the effort should be maintained, expanded, or adjusted.
The initiative would cost approximately $1 million annually over its three-year lifespan.
Due to the expense, the bill has been assigned to the House Appropriations Committee for further review.
