As school systems and states review the outcomes of their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund spending, successful educational leaders are already examining how they’ll improve student learning going forward. Many of those leaders will turn to a tool that wasn’t as widely available during ESSER: AI.
Before looking to what’s next, let’s first examine where we are.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated many existing challenges in education, particularly in the alignment of curriculum and assessments to state and national standards. Even before the pandemic, school districts were spending millions of dollars on curriculum materials and assessments that were not fully aligned with academic standards.
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This misalignment often forced districts to invest even more resources in professional development and support for teachers to address the gaps in instruction.
For decades, publishing companies have sold curriculum materials that do not adequately align with state or national standards, leaving educators with the ongoing task of adapting resources to meet the needs of their students. According to a report from the Center for American Progress, nearly 80% of teachers in the U.S. say that the materials they are given do not fully align with state standards, leading to inefficiencies in teaching and learning.
Meanwhile, students continue to face challenges in fundamental skills such as reading, as revealed in the 2025 National Assessment of Educational Progress scores.
Reading scores for both 4th and 8th graders dropped by two points compared to 2022, extending a decline that began before the pandemic. These trends highlight persistent challenges in recovering from pandemic-related learning disruptions and reinforce the need for targeted interventions to support student progress—yet many teachers and administrators are frustrated by the mismatch between available resources and the needs of their students.
As we stand at this pivotal moment in education, we have an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate student achievement and correct the misalignments that have long hindered progress. Although there have been some gains in urban schools in recent years, the pace of improvement remains too slow, and the gaps in achievement—particularly for historically marginalized groups—are still substantial.
On average, students across the country lost up to nine months of learning due to the pandemic, with students from lower-income communities and communities of color disproportionately affected, according to a McKinsey & Company 2020-2021 study. This underscores the urgent need for recovery efforts that not only address gaps in learning but also accelerate the process of closing those gaps.
AI enhances learning environments
New tools in the marketplace are emerging that can support this acceleration. For example, AI-driven assessment tools have the potential to help school districts identify gaps in curriculum alignment with state standards. These technologies allow district leaders to pinpoint the gaps in their curriculum and assessment materials.
This is a critical advancement, as aligning curriculum with state standards and student needs is often a complex and resource-intensive process. By taking a data-informed approach to curriculum improvement, districts can find solutions to integrate with existing instructional frameworks.
In addition to identifying gaps, new advancements in AI can provide school districts and states with powerful tools to not only align curriculum but also generate assessments and item banks that are fully aligned to state standards and specific curriculum requirements.
Some platforms also provide visualization tools that allow decision-makers to analyze student performance data in real-time, making it easier to adjust instruction and target interventions where they are needed most. The ability to see and act on data quickly is a game-changer for schools, as it allows for timelier, data-informed decision-making at all levels of instruction.
The use of AI in education has grown significantly and shows no signs of slowing down. With applications ranging from curriculum alignment to personalized assessments, AI-driven solutions now let educators develop more accurate, standards-aligned assessments while streamlining data analysis to inform instructional decisions.
As districts evaluate their post-pandemic recovery strategies, it is crucial to prioritize technology-driven solutions that help educators bridge learning gaps efficiently. We are at a crossroads where the future of education depends on our ability to innovate and adopt technologies that provide the real-time support educators need to help students succeed.
By integrating AI-driven assessment tools into instructional planning, K-12 schools can create more equitable and effective learning environments for all students.
