As schools across the country debate whether artificial intelligence belongs in the classroom, much of the conversation has centered on chatbots that answer students’ questions, generate lesson plans and reshape how children learn. A Tampa education technology company is pursuing a different application, using AI to shorten the evaluations, planning and documentation required before students qualify for special education services.
Scholar, which develops software used to manage individualized education plans, or IEPs, is launching a telehealth psychology practice that pairs licensed psychologists with artificial intelligence to evaluate students before they enter special education. The software assists with scoring assessments and preparing draft reports and education plans, while licensed psychologists remain responsible for diagnoses and final recommendations.
The expansion reflects an evolution of Scholar’s business rather than simply the launch of another AI product. The company entered schools through classroom software that helps educators manage accommodations for students with disabilities, gifted learners and English language learners. As districts adopted the platform, Ed Buckley, founder and chief executive officer of Scholar, said educators repeatedly asked whether the company could help solve the bottleneck that occurs before students ever receive an IEP.
“What we kept hearing from parents and schools is, ‘That’s great. You manage them once they’re diagnosed and have a plan. But getting diagnosed and getting the plan written upstream, those are the real pain points,'” Buckley said.
Buckley described the expansion as moving from “the third step in a three-step process” to handling all three. Scholar’s classroom platform already serves about 22,000 students in Florida school districts. Under the new model, families can seek evaluations directly through the telehealth practice, and completed IEPs move into the same software schools already use to manage accommodations.
Buckley said the goal is to increase the number of evaluations psychologists can complete rather than replace them. Licensed clinicians would continue diagnosing students and approving education plans.
Read the latest Tampa business news and updates
“Our goal is to try to triple psychologist capacity,” Buckley said. “The goal is to reduce the cost at least 50% and take the whole process, which takes about 12 months now, and ideally make it less than a semester.”
He said families often wait nearly an entire school year before children receive evaluations and services. “You shouldn’t have to wait a whole school year just to get your kid diagnosed and have that plan go into action,” Buckley said.
The launch comes as Florida school districts increasingly test artificial intelligence in both classrooms and administrative offices. Buckley said Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties have adopted different approaches, often reflecting existing technology platforms as much as educational philosophy. Districts already committed to Microsoft, for example, frequently begin with the company’s built-in AI tools.
Buckley said the resistance often discussed in national headlines has not reflected what Scholar has encountered in schools.
“I think there’s been more headlines about it than actual pushback that we’ve seen,” Buckley said. “We’ve been thoughtful about bringing the stakeholders along for the ride.”
Buckley said special education has attracted far less attention from technology companies than classroom instruction, despite affecting millions of families and requiring extensive evaluation and documentation before students receive services.
“People think of AI and innovation,” Buckley said. “They don’t think of special education.”
Read More Tampa Bay Business News
Explore the latest Tampa Bay business news, real estate deals, development projects, executive moves and company updates shaping the region.