OPINION: Scientist Recommends Four-Part AI Judgment Test for Westwood Schools

The following opinion article represents the views and opinions of the author, and not necessarily those of Westwood Minute.

By Gleb Tsipursky, PhD

Massachusetts is spending this fall talking about artificial intelligence at statewide scale. Boston AI Week opened September 16 with events across the Commonwealth, and the larger question for communities like Westwood is how to turn that enthusiasm into better learning rather than faster shortcuts.

Westwood already has useful local experience to draw on. Xaverian Brothers High School science teacher and AI coordinator Catherine Sciortino was recognized this summer for work helping educators adapt through research, coaching, and hands-on experimentation. And Westwood Minute previously reported that Massachusetts education officials planned to embed AI into curriculum frameworks and educator preparation during the 2026-27 school year. (Editor's note: As of September 20, 2026, DESE now characterizes the 2026-2027 step of its AI Roadmap as "Policy Considerations.")

That makes this a good moment to focus on judgment, not tool use.

For important assignments, schools should consider a four-part AI judgment test. First, ask students to do a comparable task without AI so teachers can see baseline understanding. Second, let them use AI and explain what improved. Third, require independent verification of the most consequential factual claims. Fourth, give students a plausible AI error and ask them to find and correct it.

This approach would make AI literacy observable. A student who can produce a polished answer with a chatbot has shown very little by itself. A student who can compare that answer with independent evidence, identify where it fails, and explain when human judgment should override it has demonstrated a skill that will matter well beyond school.

Westwood does not need to choose between embracing AI and protecting learning. It needs assignments that make good judgment visible.

Thanks to Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, a behavioral scientist, CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts, and author of The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work: From Resistance to Results (Georgetown University Press, 2026), for contributing this article to Westwood Minute.

Westwood Minute takes no position on the opinion articles that it publishes, but seeks accurate and thoughtful commentary on topics that matter to our community, from a variety of differing viewpoints. Feel free to reply with your reaction below, or submit another perspective to WestwoodInAMinute@gmail.com.