Education Week

Since rolling out an artificial intelligence tool last school year, one Texas school district has cut the time it takes to craft a special education student’s individualized education program (IEP) from hours to an average of just 45 minutes. Mesquite independent school district, in a suburb just east of Dallas with about 38,000 students, developed an AI tool that consolidates data from across district platforms and helps special educators draft more nuanced, personalized IEPs. AI has the potential to save special educators a tremendous amount of time on paperwork that siphons time away from classroom instruction, experts say. But without proper guardrails and training, districts risk running afoul of federal student privacy laws or removing the critical human element from IEP development.

Nationally, a growing number of special education teachers say they use AI platforms to draft all or part of students’ IEPs. Fifty-seven percent of special education teachers who responded to a 2025 survey by the Center for Democracy and Technology said they used AI to help with IEPs or 504 plans during the 2024-25 school year, up from 39% in 2023-24. Additionally, 31% use AI to identify trends in student progress for goal setting, 30% summarize IEPs and 504 plans, and 28% help choose accommodations.