Latest news with #YasmeenIsmail
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
No more typing: Why this elite US school is making students handwrite essays to fight ChatGPT cheating
Why Townsend Harris High School requires handwritten essays to stop AI misuse. (AI Image) An elite high school in Queens, New York, has introduced a new policy requiring students to handwrite their summer reading essays in class, aiming to reduce the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT for cheating. Townsend Harris High School will no longer allow students to complete this traditional assignment at home using computers, instead mandating that essays be written by hand during the first weeks of September. The change affects the longstanding practice where students typed and submitted their summer reading essays remotely. School officials believe the new approach will better capture genuine student work and discourage shortcuts provided by AI. Policy shift aims to ensure authentic student work English teacher Brian Sweeney told The Classic , the student-run newspaper, that the school noticed excessive AI use in past assignments and decided in-class handwriting would provide a 'more authentic representation of student thinking,' as reported by the New York Post . The summer reading essay requires students to read an assigned book over the break and then analyse it in writing. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Do you have a mouse? Play this for 1 minute and see why everyone is crazy about it. Play Game Undo Critics of the policy argue it unfairly penalises all students due to the misuse of AI by some, and could disadvantage those who write more slowly. One student told The Classic that being 'held accountable for other students' misusing AI' felt unfair, while another incoming pupil said the new rule 'brings a problem to people who struggle with writing at a faster pace,' as quoted by the New York Post. Junior Yasmeen Ismail, co-editor-in-chief of The Classic, described the policy change as a 'reasonable first step' but stressed that schools need longer-term strategies to manage AI effectively. Rising senior Ryan Chen, also co-editor-in-chief, defended the move, stating it 'heavily encourages students to physically read the book cover-to-cover instead of using AI to give them a summary and an analysis in minutes,' as reported by the New York Post. AI use and enforcement challenges in schools The policy comes amid growing tensions nationwide around AI-driven schoolwork. A recent survey found 97% of 2,000 high school and college students in the US have used AI tools like ChatGPT. However, rules on AI use vary widely between schools and even between teachers, causing confusion and pressure among students. At Hunter College High School in New York, for example, some teachers permit AI use while others consider it cheating. Rising junior Scheherazade Schonfeld told the New York Post that the inconsistent enforcement makes it 'really hard to be a student who's trying to follow the rules right now.' Kim Hong, a junior at Holmdel High School in New Jersey, reported that students have been flagged for AI suspicion over minor word choices, which has increased anxiety about where schools draw the line. Broader education policies and teacher training on AI The New York City Department of Education (DOE) lifted a ban on ChatGPT just months after announcing it, but has yet to issue clear rules on student AI use. The DOE is developing an AI framework and has launched an AI Policy Lab to help schools navigate ethical implementation. The United Federation of Teachers recently partnered with organisations including OpenAI and Microsoft to provide $23 million in training for educators on classroom AI use, and will open a National Center for AI in Lower Manhattan. Teaching students how to use AI responsibly Experts suggest that while handwriting essays can deter misuse, blanket bans limit educators' ability to teach critical and wise AI use. Punya Mishra of Arizona State University told the New York Post that schools should focus on integrating AI instruction rather than excluding it. Frances Kweller of Kweller Prep noted that preparing students to be independent thinkers in an AI-driven world is crucial. The policy at Townsend Harris highlights the need for education systems to adapt and equip students with skills to use AI responsibly, ensuring academic integrity while embracing new technologies. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
NDTV
4 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
New York School Targets AI Cheating With In-Class Handwritten Essays
A prestigious high school in Queens, New York, is cracking down on artificial intelligence use in assignments - by banning typed summer essays. Townsend Harris High School will now require students to write their summer reading essays by hand in class during the first weeks of September, instead of typing them at home, according to a report in New York Post. The move is designed to stop students from using AI tools like ChatGPT, which the school says can be used to cheat. 'We've noticed too much use of artificial intelligence in the past and think in-class will allow for a more authentic representation of student thinking,' English teacher Brian Sweeney told The Classic, the school's student newspaper. The change has sparked debate on campus. Some students say it is unfair to penalise everyone for the misuse by a few. 'I think it's unfair that we are being held accountable for other students misusing AI,' one student told The Classic, while others worry it will disadvantage those who struggle to write quickly. But the policy also has supporters. Yasmeen Ismail, a junior and co-editor of The Classic, called it 'a reasonable first step.' Ryan Chen, a senior and fellow co-editor, said it 'heavily encourages students to physically read the book cover-to-cover instead of using AI to give them a summary and an analysis in minutes.' The school's move reflects a growing push in education to preserve original student work in an era of increasingly accessible AI tools. However, many students feel unsure about the rules, which differ by school or even by teacher. Scheherazade Schonfeld, a student at Hunter College High School in NYC, said, "It feels almost competitive, like not using AI puts you at a disadvantage." New York City's Department of Education has lifted its ban on ChatGPT but is still creating clear policies. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to train teachers on how to use AI responsibly in classrooms. Experts have mixed views. Punya Mishra from Arizona State University thinks schools should teach students how to use AI wisely rather than ban it. But tutoring expert Frances Kweller says Townsend's move is an essential step.
New York Post
09-08-2025
- Science
- New York Post
Top Queens high school bans summer do-at-home essays to curb ChatGPT cheating
An elite Queens high school is forcing students to ditch keyboards for pens as way to stop them from using ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools to cheat, The Post has learned. In a move that has some students fuming, Townsend Harris HS is ending its long-standing policy of letting kids type summer reading essays at home, and instead making them complete the graded assignment by hand during the first weeks of September. The assignment, a back-to-school rite of passage, typically requires students to read a book over the summer for their English class and turn in a written essay when they return to class. Advertisement 5 Townsend Harris High School students will now write their summer reading essays entirely by hand in early September, marking the end of the traditional take-home assignment. Helayne Seidman 'We've noticed too much use of artificial intelligence in the past and think in-class will allow for a more authentic representation of student thinking,' English teacher Brian Sweeney told The Classic, the student-run newspaper. Critics argue the policy unfairly lumps all students together and could make the assignment more about speed than actual comprehension. Advertisement 'I think it's unfair that we are being held accountable for other students' misusing AI,' one student told The Classic. Another incoming student griped that she prefers at-home assignments for time management and that the new rule 'brings a problem to people who struggle with writing at a faster pace.' Yasmeen Ismail, a junior and co-editor-in-chief of The Classic, called the change a reasonable first step. 5 Junior Yasmeen Ismail, co-editor-in-chief of The Classic, called the rule change a reasonable step but argued schools also need long-term strategies for managing AI. Obtained by the New York Post Advertisement 'Long term, we need policies that go beyond just restricting improper use,' she told The Post. Defending the move, rising senior and fellow co-editor-in-chief Ryan Chen said it will help keep the assignment fair. 'This heavily encourages students to physically read the book cover-to-cover instead of using AI to give them a summary and an analysis in minutes,' he said. The policy comes amid mounting tension in classrooms nationwide with AI driving a wave of copy-and-paste schoolwork. Inconsistent rules are leaving kids confused — and pressured to cheat just to keep up, they say. Advertisement Many Gen Z students now rely on AI to get through school, with 97% of 2,000 high school and college kids in a May survey saying they've used tools like ChatGPT. 5 English teacher Brian Sweeney told The Classic the policy aims to provide a more 'authentic' snapshot of student writing skills by removing AI from the equation. Brian Sweeney/ Linkedin 'It's really hard to be a student who's trying to follow the rules right now,' Scheherazade Schonfeld, a rising junior at Hunter College HS, a top-performing public school run by CUNY, told The Post. 'It feels almost competitive, like not using [AI] puts you at a disadvantage.' Her school doesn't have a blanket ban on AI, and ChatGPT is routinely used by many classmates, she said. Some teachers openly allow it, while others consider it cheating. The rules vary from class to class, and enforcement is inconsistent, Schonfeld said. Schonfeld estimated that Hunter College HS is 'only catching 10% of the [AI use] cases, probably less,' though the lack of formal rules means teachers aren't always watching for it. Kim Hong, a junior at a Holmdel High School in New Jersey, said she's seen students in her school get flagged over AI suspicion for something as minor as using the word 'underscore' in an essay. 5 Ryan Chen, junior co-editor-in-chief of The Classic, says the in-class essays will push students to fully read the assigned books rather than rely on AI summaries and quick online analyses. Obtained by the New York Post The lack of clarity has left both students and teachers scrambling. Advertisement 'High school should be where you learn how to write and how to think,' Schonfeld told The Post. 'ChatGPT hasn't eliminated the need for that, but teachers also need to show us how to use it the smart way. That's hard, because they're learning right alongside us.' Townsend HS' crackdown comes at odds with a broader shift in education policy. NYC's Department of Education lifted a 2023 ban on ChatGPT just months after announcing it but still hasn't issued clear rules on student usage. The DOE says it's developing an AI framework and recently launched an AI Policy Lab to help schools navigate ethical implementation. And last month, the United Federation of Teachers joined it's parent, the American Federation of Teachers, in a $23 million partnership with OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic to train educators on how to use AI in the classroom. A new 'National Center for AI' will open inside the UFT's Lower Manhattan headquarters. Advertisement 5 New Jersey junior Kim Hong says she's seen classmates accused of AI cheating over small word choices, fueling anxiety about where schools draw the line. Obtained by the New York Post Punya Mishra, director of the Learning Futures Institute at Arizona State University, said Townsend should be focusing on bringing AI into the classroom, rather than locking it out. 'Handwriting essays in class can make sense in certain cases,' Mishra said. 'But blanket policies like this take away educators' ability to teach students how to work with AI critically and wisely.' Frances Kweller, director of the Manhattan- and Queens-based tutoring company Kweller Prep, celebrated Townsend's approach as a necessary step. Advertisement 'This is reality. AI is the future,' she said. 'You need to make sure students know how to be independent thinkers.'
