FACET: Multi-Agent AI Supporting Teachers in Scaling Differentiated Learning for Diverse Students

TL;DR

FACET is a multi-agent AI framework supporting teachers in providing differentiated instruction tailored to diverse student needs, addressing workload challenges and promoting inclusive learning environments.

Contribution

This paper introduces FACET, a novel multi-agent system designed with stakeholder input to assist teachers in differentiating instruction for diverse learners.

Findings

Teachers perceive high value in FACET for inclusive differentiation.

Stakeholder involvement shaped system requirements effectively.

Mixed-methods evaluation shows positive reception and perceived usefulness.

Abstract

Classrooms are becoming increasingly heterogeneous, comprising learners with diverse performance and motivation levels, language proficiencies, and learning differences such as dyslexia and ADHD. While teachers recognize the need for differentiated instruction, growing workloads create substantial barriers, making differentiated instruction an ideal that is often unrealized in practice. Current AI educational tools, which promise differentiated materials, are predominantly student-facing and performance-centric, ignoring other aspects that shape learning outcomes. We introduce FACET, a teacher-facing multi-agent framework designed to address these gaps by supporting differentiation that accounts for motivation, performance, and learning differences. Developed with educational stakeholders from the outset, the framework coordinates four specialized agents, including learner simulation, diagnostic assessment, material generation, and evaluation within a teacher-in-the-loop design. School principals (N = 30) shaped system requirements through participatory workshops, while in-service K-12 teachers (N = 70) evaluated material quality. Mixed-methods evaluation demonstrates strong perceived value for inclusive differentiation. Practitioners emphasized both the urgent need arising from classroom heterogeneity and the importance of maintaining pedagogical autonomy as a prerequisite for adoption. We discuss implications for future school deployment and outline partnerships for longitudinal classroom implementation.