Beverly Hills High School freshmen are receiving artificial intelligence instruction within their English classes this fall.
Dr. Dustin Seemann, the district's assistant superintendent of education services, announced the new AI course at the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education's Oct. 13 meeting, according to Beverly Highlights, the student newspaper. The course will teach freshmen how to use AI tools and address questions students have about the technology.
Seemann also announced that a new competitive robotics team is launching at the district's elementary schools. Older students are being asked to mentor younger ones.
The two moves mark the latest steps in a broader BHUSD push to weave AI education into its curriculum at every grade level.
A July policy set the stage
The board unanimously approved Board Policy 6163.47 in July, governing technology use, digital learning and AI education across the district. Under that policy, third- through fifth-graders participate in a Technology and Innovation Program covering coding, robotics, digital citizenship and basic AI concepts, Patch reported. Middle schoolers receive annual instruction in AI literacy, digital ethics and cybersecurity.
At the high school level, the policy calls for technology to support advanced academics and college readiness while maintaining emphasis on writing, critical thinking and original student work. The district is also developing AI literacy and prompt-engineering coursework that could eventually become part of graduation requirements, Superintendent Alex Cherniss said, according to Patch.
The policy prohibits teachers from using AI to grade student work.
AI Task Force already at work
The district launched a districtwide Artificial Intelligence Task Force in October to shape how AI is taught and used in schools, the Beverly Press reported. The group includes students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members. Board members Amanda Stern and Russell Stuart were appointed as liaisons.
The task force is guiding AI curriculum development at the secondary level, covering AI literacy, ethical use, effective prompting and evaluation of AI-generated information, according to the Beverly Press. No source explicitly connects the task force's work to the freshman English course announced Oct. 13.
The district has also piloted AI-supported math tutoring at Beverly Vista Middle School and brought in former BHUSD student Nick Melamed, who holds a master's degree in computer science from UC Berkeley, to lead teacher professional development on emerging AI tools.
Robotics roots run deep
The new elementary teams extend a program with a track record at the high school level. Beverly Hills High's MorTorq Robotics Team placed second at the FIRST Robotics California District Aerospace Valley Event in Lancaster earlier this year. It was the team's first finals appearance in 16 years, the Beverly Hills Courier reported on X in April.
The district has not specified which elementary schools will field teams or what competition league they will enter.
