Building trust in AI for IEPs: how Polaris puts educators and students first

Myth 1: All AI tools compromise student privacy

Many educators worry that using AI means sharing sensitive information with unsecure consumer platforms. The concern is valid, most AI tools often store or process PII in ways that do not meet education privacy requirements.

How Polaris challenges this myth:
Polaris uses a three-stage privacy protection process supported by Microsoft’s enterprise-grade security. Before any processing begins, our secure servers automatically identify and remove all personally identifiable information, including names, dates of birth, student numbers and addresses. Only de-identified content is transmitted to external AI services. After AI processing, PII is seamlessly restored so educators receive complete, contextualized information ready to use. 

For Everway, privacy isn’t just compliance. It’s protection of trust between teacher, student, and family. Unlike most AI platforms, Polaris is specifically designed for educational settings with built-in compliance with federal education privacy laws.

Myth 2: Teachers cannot use AI responsibly without strict oversight

There is a belief that teachers need heavy monitoring or rigid policies to use AI effectively. This misconception often stems from limited district guidance, not from a lack of professional judgment. Only two states have established requirements for AI policies in schools, and most teachers report receiving no training on AI risks such as inaccuracy or bias.

How Polaris challenges this myth:
Polaris is designed as a district-vetted, district-approved solution. When districts enter agreements with Everway, they conduct due diligence to ensure student information is safeguarded according to their specific policies and requirements. This district-level vetting provides the institutional oversight that individual teachers using consumer AI platforms lack.

Additionally, Polaris formats pre-drafted content, such as goals and objectives, based on previously submitted content for that district. Over time, the AI learns the district’s language and structure, adapting to its compliance and communication style automatically. Compliance is built in, without the need for admins to manage templates.

The result: districts maintain control, while educators gain the confidence to focus on individual students rather than system constraints.

Myth 3: AI introduces bias because large models are not trained on disability-inclusive data

Many educators raise a valid concern: if AI tools rely on generic text, how can they possibly reflect the lived experiences of students with disabilities? When that happens, the outputs can become biased or shallow.

How Polaris challenges this myth:
Polaris doesn't generate content from broad public datasets. Polaris generates goals, objectives, accommodations, and modifications based on actual student assessment data from Everway products, including district and state standards for compliance, not generic training data. The Everway AI recommendations are grounded in assessment and performance data specific to each student's demonstrated performance, strengths, and needs.

By anchoring outputs in authentic, student-specific performance rather than generalized training data, Polaris supports personalized and neuroinclusive planning. This helps educators design IEPs that reflect each learner’s individuality.

Myth 4: AI fabricates studies or misrepresents research

AI applications sometimes fabricate studies or misinterpret research findings. In IEP development, where accuracy drives both quality and credibility, this risk can cause understandable hesitation. This has led to the belief that all AI tools are unsafe or unreliable for educational decision-making.

How Polaris challenges this myth:
Polaris doesn't create content from research studies or make claims based on external literature. Instead, it creates SMART goals, trained on IEP best practices for your state and district, aligned to state standards, and based directly on documented student assessment results. Goals are tied to specific, measurable data points from assessments administered within the Everway ecosystem, providing clear documentation and accountability.

Every goal connects to something real: a data point, a performance trend, or a proven strategy. This helps educators see exactly where recommendations come from and how they support progress.

Myth 5: AI will only create generic, drop-down style goals that ignore individual student needs

Since many IEPs have historically relied on templated or drop-down goals, parents often ask if AI will reinforce the problem by producing generic, repetitive content. The fear is that AI will overlook meaningful, individualized objectives.

How Polaris challenges this myth:
Polaris was created to break that cycle entirely. Polaris replaces the traditional goal library with generative AI that creates personalized SMART goals based on each student's specific assessment results and in compliance with the district’s expected format. The system pulls in existing relevant information, student details, benchmark assessments, and rubric results from the previous year across Everway products, to generate strengths, needs, goals, and objectives tailored to the individual student.

As teachers gather more assessment data, Polaris learns and adapts, creating increasingly specific and meaningful recommendations. This data-driven approach ensures goals are genuinely individualized rather than selected from a generic menu.

Myth 6: AI turns IEP writing into autopilot and replaces teacher expertise

Some worry that AI will be used as autopilot to generate documents rather than as a collaborative writing partner, potentially disconnecting IEPs from students' individual needs.

How Polaris challenges this myth:
Polaris is designed as a collaborative partner, not a replacement. Teachers review and edit all AI-generated content, shaping the final version through their own understanding of the student. The system provides feedback options, allows customization of goals and keeps educators and service providers at the center of IEP development. 

Polaris also supports teachers who are newer to IEP writing by giving them clear, high-quality examples that reflect state and district expectations. With stronger models to learn from, inexperienced educators build confidence and skill while still applying their own professional judgment.

Teachers stay firmly in control, using AI to enhance their work rather than replace it. Polaris helps them spend less time formatting and more time focusing on what matters most: student growth.

Myth 7: AI is being rolled out too quickly for schools to keep up

The rapid growth of AI platforms can create pressure to adopt technology before policies or training are in place.

How Polaris challenges this myth:
Polaris supports thoughtful and measured implementation. Districts can introduce the tool through phased rollouts, allowing educators to transition at their own pace. A growing knowledge base offers accessible guidance, and professional learning sessions build confidence and capability.

This gradual approach gives districts time to establish policies and protocols, while educators gain familiarity with the technology in a supportive and structured environment.