Building Consistency in AI Usage Expectations with the Stoplight Framework

Overview

AI has the potential to transform teaching and learning, enhancing creativity, supporting skill development, and expanding access to knowledge. However, to fully harness this potential, students must learn to use AI tools powerfully and responsibly, building and applying their judgment around when it is and is not effective to use them. This process begins by providing students with structured, transparent guidelines for AI use in the context of their coursework — whether on assignments, during class activities, or for independent learning. Clear expectations help students confidently and purposefully engage with AI while developing fluency in its appropriate application.

The AI Stoplight Framework offers a simple, effective way for individual teachers and broader school communities to clearly and consistently communicate AI expectations, by categorizing assignments into three levels of AI usage:

• Red Light: AI is not allowed. Students complete work independently to build essential skills.

• Yellow Light: AI is allowed for specific teacher-defined purposes, such as brainstorming or refining ideas, but students must produce their final work independently.

• Green Light: AI is encouraged as a learning tool, provided students follow ethical guidelines and demonstrate understanding.

Example From the School Teams AI Collaborative

Selena Padilla — Desert Edge High School’s English Department Chair, AI Ambassador for the Agua Fria Union High School District (AUFHSD), and member of the School Teams AI Collaborative — designed and led professional development to equip district teachers with the tools and confidence to apply the framework effectively. Her training focused on three key areas:

• Aligning AI Usage with Learning Goals: Teachers determined how AI could support and extend student thinking based on Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels. Assignments that require recall and basic skills (DOK Levels 1 and 2) were typically completed independently by students, while tasks that require strategic and extended thinking (DOK Levels 3 and 4) allowed for structured AI use. For example, students at higher DOK levels could use AI to identify case studies, summarize research articles, or develop arguments and counterarguments, ensuring AI served as a resource for critical thinking rather than a shortcut.

• Communicating Expectations Clearly: Educators developed a common language for explaining AI use expectations aligned with the district’s AI Stoplight Framework. For example, using the phrase “This is a red light assignment” across classrooms signaled to students that AI use was not permitted. This consistent messaging helped reduce uncertainty and reinforce responsible AI use.

• Monitoring and Adapting: Teachers explored how to assess the framework’s impact on student engagement and learning. They also considered how student feedback could inform future adjustments, ensuring the framework remained effective and responsive to both student needs and evolving AI capabilities.

For more information on the AI Stoplight Framework — including its purpose, implementation strategies, and classroom examples — explore the slide deck from Selena’s professional development session.

Apply This Strategy in Your Context

The AI Stoplight Framework can be applied at the classroom, school, or system level to ensure consistent, purposeful AI integration that aligns with instructional goals. Schools and systems implementing this approach should consider collaborating with educators and other stakeholders to develop shared definitions and expectations for AI use. Educators looking to implement this strategy can take the following steps:

1. Determine When AI Can Support — Not Replace — Student Thinking: Before implementing AI guidelines, reflect on how AI can enhance learning while ensuring students remain actively engaged in critical thinking. Consider when AI might serve as a scaffold for brainstorming, skill-building, or organization versus when it could diminish deep learning by providing answers too readily. Establish a guiding principle that AI should augment student thinking, not replace it.

2. Explicitly Teach AI Expectations and Decision-Making: Model how to apply the AI Stoplight framework through guided practice. Use real-world examples to help students understand when AI is a valuable tool for learning and when it might interfere with building critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

3. Align AI Guidelines Across Classrooms: Collaborate with colleagues to standardize the AI Stoplight framework (or a similar system) across grade levels or subject areas. Establishing consistent expectations ensures students receive clear, reinforced guidance on responsible AI use.

4. Monitor Student Engagement and Adjust as Needed: Observe how students interact with AI tools over time and gather feedback on whether the framework supports intentional and appropriate AI use. Adjust guidelines or provide additional scaffolding if students need more support in making effective decisions about AI engagement.

By implementing the AI Stoplight Framework, educators, school leaders, and system administrators can create a structured yet flexible system that helps students build responsible AI habits, engage critically with technology, and develop AI and digital literacy skills that will serve them in both academic and real-world contexts. This framework empowers students to make informed decisions about AI use, fostering judgment, responsibility, and a deeper understanding of when and how AI can support their learning.

This AI-enabled strategy was developed by a member of the School Teams AI Collaborative — a partnership between Leading Educators and The Learning Accelerator (TLA). The Collaborative was developed to bring together innovative educators from schools across the country to share ideas and discover effective ways to use AI in the classroom.