Enrollment opens March 6. We kick off March 30.

Engage in four sideby sessions. All for free.

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This learning journey explores how AI can serve as an onramp—not an off-ramp—to grade-level rigor, complex thinking, and deeper learning. Educators will learn to scaffold complex tasks rather than simplify them, to critically assess AI scaffolds to ensure they maintain rigor and complexity, to strategically use AI tools in designing inclusive learning experiences.

Participants will explore how AI can support meaningful differentiation—providing access, structure, and entry points without lowering expectations. The goal is to empower all learners to engage in challenging, grade-level work with the right supports in place, whether you’re the teacher or supporting teachers to do so.

🧠 Between March 30 and May 8, 2026 learners will:

  • Colorful compass rose logo with four main points, featuring pink, green, white, and blue colors on a black background.

    Build Background About Scaffolding + Set Your Learning Goal

    Strengthen your understanding of what true scaffolding is—and what it isn’t.


    Explore how scaffolds can preserve grade-level rigor rather than simplify tasks. Set a focused learning goal for how you will use AI to expand access to complex, meaningful learning in your classroom or across your team.

  • A compass emblem featuring a four-pointed compass star surrounded by a circle with colored segments in green, red, blue, and black, on a black background.

    Analyze AI-Based Scaffolds for Rigor vs Remediation

    Distinguish between supports that elevate thinking and those that lower expectations.


    Examine AI-generated scaffolds and determine whether they maintain cognitive demand or unintentionally reduce complexity. Learn to revise AI outputs so they expand access to grade-level work without replacing it with something easier.

  • A colorful, stylized compass rose with four main directions, featuring segments in green, purple, red, and orange, outlined in blue.

    Strategically Use AI Tools for Inclusive Deeper Learning

    Design AI-supported learning experiences that preserve rigor.


    Apply AI to create entry points, structured supports, and opportunities for productive struggle that empower all learners to engage in challenging, grade-level tasks.

  • A colorful compass rose with four main points, each in red, green, yellow, and orange, and a four-point star in pastel pink and white in the center, outlined in blue.

    Share Your Learning About the Impacts of AI Supports

    Reflect on how AI-enabled scaffolds influenced student thinking and engagement.


    Share evidence, insights, and refinements from your practice, highlighting how AI supported access to complex learning while maintaining high expectations.

Sign up. Opt in.

Earn recognition for building real AI capacity (and not just attending another webinar on mute). Reserve your spot and start your journey toward earning the AI-Powered Differentiation Badge.

Enroll on sideby

Badge Guiding Question:

How might we use AI as an onramp to rigorous, grade-level expectations—so every student has equitable access to deeper learning?

Badge Learning Targets:

  1. I can distinguish between AI-based scaffolds that simplify tasks versus support complex thinking & work.

  2. I can strategically use AI tools to increase student access to complex tasks and deeper learning experiences. 

  3. I can reflect on and iteratively improve my use of AI to increase equitable access to deeper learning.

This Badge Signals That Learners:

  • Fully participated in 4 sideby sessions (2 peer sideby sessions, 2 solo reflection sessions)

  • Explored how to assess AI-based scaffolds, to ensure rigor and complexity of tasks

  • Used AI tools to create task scaffolds and/or inclusive learning experiences

  • Shared their reflections on the observed effects of their AI-enabled scaffolding strategies 

  • (Optionally) Posted related Small Win stories about their practice to the sideby community Small Wins exchange

Office Hours & Curated Resources:

  • Participants will be invited to optional Office Hours with experts from the sideby team

  • Curated resources related to this badge topic are shared weekly with participants

Limited Enrollment

Limited Enrollment

✺ Frequently Asked Questions ✺

  • The AI-Powered Differentation Badge is a free recognition for educators who complete a 4-step learning experience inside the sideby app. It shows you’ve built real AI fluency to support diverse learners — not just attended a training.

  • Yes. In many states and professional contexts, structured participation in sideby — including earning the AI-Powered Differentiation Badge — may be eligible for continuing education credits. Our badge pathways are designed with clear learning objectives, standards-aligned prompts, and documented engagement, making them strong candidates for PD credit.

    Policies vary by state and accrediting body, so we recommend checking with your district, state professional learning office, or continuing education authority to confirm eligibility and documentation needs. See the example certificate above. We can also provide further learning and curriculum details if that is required by your district or organization.

    In the state of Washington, only our paid badges are directly related to the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP), who is an official clock hours provider. Those badges definitely can earn WA state clock hours.

  • For this badge, you’ll complete four sideby sessions. At least two will be peer-to-peer.

    Engage and complete these between March 30th and May 8th — and the badge is yours.

  • Yes. This badge is 100% free for educators (to engage AND get the badge at the end). No credit card. No upsell.

  • Nope. Whether you’re curious or confident, the experience meets you where you are. You’ll build your badge through thoughtful prompts, not technical skills.

  • Roughly 5 hours total, spread across 8 weeks. The pace is flexible — and you’ll have optional office hours for extra support.

    You’ll set goals, practice application, engage in solo reflection, but the main synchronous time is spent in peer-to-peer sideby sessions that last about 18-25 minutes each.

  • We focus on how AI may enable Deeper Learning. We approach AI with a critical eye, and we are focused on how educators may be empowered by strategically using AI to do their very difficult and important work.

    This badge is an online, personalized, transformational learning experience designed to build educators’ AI competency and fortify their professional learning & innovation mindset.