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Arizona Approves Unbound Academy's AI-Driven Online Charter School for Grades 4-8 with 2hr Learning Model

Dec 20, 2024, 07:00 PM

The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools has approved an application from Unbound Academy to establish an online charter school that will utilize artificial intelligence to deliver its academic curriculum. The school, set to open in 2025, will serve students from fourth through eighth grades and will employ a '2hr Learning' model, condensing academic instruction into a two-hour daily window. Unbound Academy, which also operates under the name Alpha Schools in Texas and Florida, claims that its AI-driven adaptive learning technology can enable students to learn twice as much compared to traditional schooling. The rest of the students' day will be dedicated to life-skills workshops focusing on areas such as financial literacy, public speaking, goal setting, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving. The AI system will personalize learning plans by analyzing students' responses, time spent on tasks, and emotional cues, adjusting content difficulty and presentation accordingly. Unbound Academy's approach includes the use of educational technology platforms like IXL and Khan Academy, with 'guides' rather than traditional teachers overseeing the students' progress and providing support.