The Task Exposure Indexv2026.Q3
Occupation · SOC 25-2022.00 · Job Zone 4

AI exposure: Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

Teach one or more subjects to students at the middle, intermediate, or junior high school level.

Reading this score

computed

34.9% of this occupation's weighted task load is exposed, which puts Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education at the 60th percentile of 923 occupations. The capability is largely there. Its average task scores 2.2 out of 4 on what a current system can produce, and the frictions that hold other jobs in place are comparatively weak here.

What holds the line here is context. Across this occupation's 35 tasks it averages 1.94 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work depends on knowledge the model cannot hold. Much of this job runs on things that were never written down: what this particular organisation does, what happened last week, what the person across the table actually meant. That context is the barrier, and it erodes as systems are given more access.

The most exposed thing this job does is Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate these..., at 86.7%. The least is Organize and label materials and display students' work, at 0.0%. A gap of 86.7% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.

Within educational instruction and library occupations, this one is less exposed than the median of 42.4% across the group's 62 roles, with 46 scoring higher. Being in an exposed family does not make a particular job exposed, and the reverse holds too.

What would move this score. Of 35 tasks, 18 are currently banded exposed, 4 assisted and 13 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take systems being given deeper access to the organisation's own records and history, which is already happening. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.

Task by task

35 tasks, O*NET 31.0
TaskExposedAssistedUntouchedImportanceBand
Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate these objectives to students.86.7%13.3%0.0%4.30exposed
Prepare objectives and outlines for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements of states and schools.86.7%13.3%0.0%3.58exposed
Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.80.0%20.0%0.0%4.12exposed
Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.80.0%20.0%0.0%3.96exposed
Organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development.80.0%20.0%0.0%3.24exposed
Prepare for assigned classes and show written evidence of preparation upon request of immediate supervisors.76.7%23.3%0.0%3.62exposed
Maintain accurate, complete, and correct student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.66.7%33.3%0.0%4.12exposed
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.50.0%25.0%25.0%4.32exposed
Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.50.0%25.0%25.0%3.62exposed
Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guest speakers, or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from such activities.50.0%25.0%25.0%3.40exposed
Assign lessons and correct homework.45.0%30.0%25.0%4.21exposed
Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of middle school programs.45.0%30.0%25.0%3.94exposed
Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.45.0%30.0%25.0%3.39exposed
Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems, or special academic interests.40.0%35.0%25.0%3.80exposed
Prepare, administer, and grade tests and assignments to evaluate students' progress.38.5%28.1%33.3%4.40exposed
Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.30.0%20.0%50.0%3.68exposed
Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.28.7%13.0%58.3%3.15untouched
Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injury and damage.28.3%21.7%50.0%3.74exposed
Assist students who need extra help, such as by tutoring and preparing and implementing remedial programs.26.7%23.3%50.0%4.13exposed
Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.25.0%50.0%25.0%4.11assisted
Coordinate and supervise extracurricular activities, such as clubs, student organizations, and academic contests.23.3%26.7%50.0%3.22assisted
Administer standardized ability and achievement tests, and interpret results to determine student strengths and needs.23.3%26.7%50.0%3.11assisted
Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.22.2%27.8%50.0%4.55assisted
Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.18.8%18.8%62.5%4.13untouched
Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.13.8%23.8%62.5%3.07untouched
Instruct through lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in one or more subjects, such as English, mathematics, or social studies.11.7%13.3%75.0%4.53untouched
Prepare students for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.11.7%13.3%75.0%4.02untouched
Meet or correspond with parents or guardians to discuss children's progress and to determine priorities and resource needs.10.0%15.0%75.0%3.76untouched
Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.5.0%20.0%75.0%3.86untouched
Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.0.0%0.0%100.0%4.62untouched
Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.0.0%0.0%100.0%4.11untouched
Attend staff meetings and serve on staff committees, as required.0.0%0.0%100.0%3.49untouched
Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.0.0%0.0%100.0%3.34untouched
Perform administrative duties, such as school library assistance, hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading.0.0%0.0%100.0%3.23untouched
Organize and label materials and display students' work.0.0%0.0%100.0%3.19untouched

Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.

Where the score comes from

judged

Every task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.

DimensionMeanScale
Capability2.150-4
Embodiment0.920-3
Presence1.600-3
Accountability0.870-3
Context1.940-3
Verification cost1.100-3

What this means in practice

Where most of a role's weighted task load is exposed, the work that survives is usually the part of the job nobody wrote into the job description: deciding what should be produced rather than producing it, and being answerable for the result. The tasks lowest on this page are a better guide to where to spend your time than any general advice about the future of work.

Occupations either side of this one

The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.

Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.