AI reshapes writing instruction as take-home assignments become obsolete

Published January 29, 2026

BY JADE GRANBERY

As more students turn to generative artificial intelligence for help with–or as a replacement for–their own schoolwork, educators are being forced to rethink how writing, among other subjects, is taught and assessed, despite the significant drawbacks that come with these changes.

Since the release of Chat GPT by OpenAI in late 2022, teachers have worried about how easily students can generate homework answers. While artificial intelligence can provide a quick response for a basic answer question in subjects like science and math, similar to the functions of a Google search, the real effect of generative AI is seen in written work.

“The student who struggles to put sentences together is suddenly producing eloquent prose in a style that is very much not their own,” says Mike Palshaw, a CHS English teacher. 

This semester, Palshaw plans to require most essays and other written assignments to be completed either by hand or on a locked browser to prohibit AI use.

According to a College Board survey conducted in May 2025, 69% of high school students admitted to using ChatGPT to help on school assignments. As this has become more common, teachers say the challenge is not just stopping the cheating, but proving when it does occur.

“It adds this burden on the teachers to try to search out the use of AI,” says Barbara McBride, a longtime CHS English teacher. “Traditional plagiarism is much easier to prove…while AI plagiarism relies on detection software that isn’t always reliable.”

Unlike conventional plagiarism, AI-generated writing leaves no clear trail. Detection software often flags authentic student writing, while failing to catch actual misuse. As a result, teachers frequently mix intuition with AI checkers to pinpoint cheating, a time-consuming process that can be difficult to defend to parents and students.

“For most English teachers, the second we read something, we know whether the student wrote it or not,” says CHS English chair Shelley Grahl. “However, it’s hard to prove that definitively to parents.”

Without concrete evidence, students often deny accusations, making consequences difficult to enforce. This lack of certainty strains student-teacher trust and adds extra time to educators’ workload as they are forced to review and scan assignments for traces of AI.

In response, many teachers with class content aimed at writing and critical thinking skills are now switching–or considering switching–to assignments and assessments completed entirely in the classroom, either handwritten or in a locked-down browser. 

“The only solution I could come up with was no more writing outside of class,” says Palshaw.

Essays, free-response questions and any other assignments involving writing and critical thinking are beginning to disappear from homework to-do lists as teachers attempt to prevent the use of artificial intelligence. 

While in-class writing reduces opportunity for AI usage, it also limits the development of other important skills. Teachers acknowledge that at-home writing time–time to develop ideas and revise on one’s own time outside of school–has been an important step to crafting refined pieces of writing.

“There’s a lot of value in writing something over time,” counters McBride. “Reflecting, revising, tinkering with one’s writing is crucial, and we may be losing that by eliminating out of class writing time.”

When considering the impact of AI, the effects go far beyond solely the English Department. Social studies teachers have been forced to make similar choices.

“Pretty much all assignments take place in class,” says CHS history teacher Joseph McCarty. “At-home assignments are kind of useless now because they’re almost guaranteed to be AI-generated.”

Some students have expressed additional frustration with the shift, particularly those who have spent years developing writing routines or processes that rely on drafting and revising at home.

“I enjoy the extra time to work on my assignments at home,” says freshman Maddie Whitford. “It’s a better environment for focus and allows me to catch up.”

For those who have not used AI as a writing companion, the move to exclusive in-class writing can feel limiting and undeserved, even while teachers emphasize its necessity. 

“AI takes away from genuine human creativity, and I don’t think it belongs in writing or art,” says junior Radler Pinkerton. “Still, I definitely prefer writing essays at home because I can focus better in a quiet space and not have the time constraint of a class period.”

Though many students share these concerns, believing they need the at home time to create high-scoring essays, some teachers claim that the focus of their content is not on producing perfection. Rather than a flawless final draft, something AI is used to feign expertise at, several emphasize that the purpose of English instruction is skill-building, not the final product.

“The goal isn’t polished writing,” says Grahl. “It’s students learning how to think for themselves.”

Because of this, it shouldn’t matter whether a student has endless hours to revise at home, but rather that they are using their class time wisely and are still able to envision the same high-level ideas on their own.

For now, many teachers are left to navigate the impact of artificial intelligence on their own. Without clear direction from the California Department of Education, educators are experimenting with new approaches while reconsidering what reading and writing instruction will look like moving forward.

“I wouldn’t say the profession is in crisis,” reflects Grahl. “But it’s definitely in a state of change, and we need to rethink what it means to teach in today’s world.”