Checklist · All schools
AI Tool Evaluation for Schools
Rate any AI tool against 43 criteria for safety, privacy, access, oversight, learning, accessibility, and vendor practices. Get a verdict and print a report for your approval committee.
Updated · Natalie Gibson
Rate the tool against required student-safety and privacy items first. One Doesn't meet on a required item means it is not ready for students. Then score the remaining criteria on privacy, access, oversight, learning, accessibility, and vendor practices.
Review any AI tool before students or staff use it. Rate 43 criteria across safety, privacy, access, oversight, learning, accessibility, and vendor practices, get a clear verdict, and print a report for your approval committee.
Not sure your school is ready to evaluate tools? Start with the School AI Readiness Checklist and our guide to writing a school AI policy. Want to see a school AI tool scored against these criteria? See what HeyOtto for Schools includes.
Before you start
- Gather the vendor's privacy policy, terms, data agreement, and accessibility report.
- Test the tool yourself with the kinds of requests students would make.
- Ask the vendor anything you can't confirm. The page writes the questions for you. Evaluating HeyOtto for Schools? Contact us and we'll help you find what you need.
How to rate
Meets 2 points · Partly 1 · Doesn't meet 0 · Unknown 0 and added to your vendor questions · N/A left out of the score.
Rate based on evidence you've seen, not the vendor's marketing.
Required items
Items marked Required must be met for student use. One "Doesn't meet" means the tool isn't ready for students, whatever its score. These match Appendix A of our Model AI Policy.
Your evaluations are saved only in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent to HeyOtto.
Tool being evaluated
1
Student Safety
How the tool behaves with students, especially chatbots. Test these yourself during a pilot.
0%
- 1.
Tells students clearly and repeatedly that it's an AI, not a person.Required
- 2.
Doesn't act as a friend, companion, or romantic partner, or encourage secrecy from adults.Required
- 3.
Responds safely to self-harm, abuse, and other crisis topics, and points students to trusted adults and the 988 Lifeline.Required
- 4.
Filters sexual, violent, and other inappropriate content for the intended grades, and we've tested it ourselves.Required
- 5.
Can alert designated school staff to serious safety concerns.
- 6.
Avoids streaks, reward loops, endless feeds, and other designs that maximize time on the tool.
- 7.
Lets students and staff easily report harmful or wrong output.
- 8.
Has independent, third-party safety testing results we can review.
2
Privacy and Data
What happens to student and staff information. Check the data agreement, not just the privacy policy.
0%
- 1.
Will sign a data privacy agreement that meets our district's requirements.Required
- 2.
Shows no advertising to students and never sells student data.Required
- 3.
Doesn't use student data to train AI models without our written permission.
- 4.
Has a clear COPPA approach for students under 13 and supports our FERPA obligations.
- 5.
Collects only the data needed for the tool's educational purpose.
- 6.
Deletes or returns student data on request and when the contract ends, on a stated timeline.
- 7.
Lists where data is stored and every subprocessor, including any AI model providers.
- 8.
Commits to notifying us of a breach within a stated timeframe.
- 9.
Meets our state's student privacy law requirements.
3
Age and Account Access
Whether the tool fits your students' ages and your systems for managing accounts.
0%
- 1.
The provider's minimum age and consent terms fit the grades we'd use it with.Required
- 2.
Works with our sign-in and rostering systems, such as Google, Microsoft, Clever, or ClassLink.
- 3.
Lets us add and remove student and staff accounts centrally.
- 4.
Gives different permissions to students, teachers, and administrators.
4
Oversight and Controls
What your school can see and control once the tool is in use.
0%
- 1.
Administrators can review how students use the tool, including conversations where appropriate.
- 2.
Teachers can turn features on or off for their classes.
- 3.
We can restrict higher-risk features, such as image generation or web browsing, by grade.
- 4.
Keeps activity logs for a period that fits our records and investigation needs.
- 5.
Shows which AI models and third-party integrations the tool connects to.
5
Teaching and Learning
Whether the tool actually supports the learning you want, rather than shortcutting it.
0%
- 1.
Has a clear educational purpose that matches what we want to use it for.
- 2.
Supports our state academic standards.
- 3.
Encourages students to think and learn rather than just handing over answers, for example through guided or tutoring modes.
- 4.
Shows sources or explains reasoning so students can check accuracy.
- 5.
Gives teachers useful tools for planning, differentiation, or feedback.
- 6.
Has evidence, such as studies or pilot results, that it improves learning.
6
Accessibility and Equity
Whether every student can use the tool meaningfully.
0%
- 1.
Provides a current accessibility conformance report (VPAT) showing WCAG 2.1 AA support.
- 2.
Works with screen readers and other assistive technology our students use.
- 3.
Supports the languages our students and families use.
- 4.
Runs on our school devices and works on slower connections.
- 5.
The vendor tests for bias and can explain how.
7
Vendor and Security
Whether the company can be trusted to run the tool well over time.
0%
- 1.
Has independent security certification or audits, such as SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001.
- 2.
Encrypts data in transit and at rest.
- 3.
Provides training and onboarding for staff.
- 4.
Has clear pricing, with no extra cost for core safety or privacy features.
- 5.
Gives advance notice of major product changes, including new AI features.
- 6.
Offers responsive support with a named contact for the district.
Evaluation results
Tool 1
0%
Not started
Rate the criteria below to see a verdict.
Required items
0 of 7 required items met — at least one still needs evidence.
Score by section
Each block is one section, filled to its score. A red outline means a required item in that section doesn't meet the standard.
- Student Safety0%
- Privacy and Data0%
- Age and Account Access0%
- Oversight and Controls0%
- Teaching and Learning0%
- Accessibility and Equity0%
- Vendor and Security0%
Questions for the vendor
Rate any item Unknown to add a question you can send the vendor.
Committee decision
AI Tool Evaluation for Schools · HeyOtto for Schools · Last updated October 2026. Your evaluations are saved only in this browser on this device.
FAQs
- What makes a required item different from the rest?
- Required items match Appendix A of the Model AI Policy. If any required item is rated Doesn't meet, the tool is not ready for student use, regardless of its overall score.
- How is the score calculated?
- Meets is 2 points, Partly is 1, Doesn't meet and Unknown are 0. N/A items are left out. Unrated items count as 0. Score is points earned divided by maximum applicable points.
- Does using this evaluation require HeyOtto?
- No. The evaluation is vendor-neutral and can be used for any tool. It does not require any HeyOtto for Schools product, and a strong score is not an endorsement from HeyOtto.
- Where is my evaluation data stored?
- Only in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent to HeyOtto.
Sources
A planning tool for school and district teams, not a certification or legal review. Your district's own procedures and counsel make the final call.