The St. Vrain Valley School District's approach to artificial intelligence

The second in a three-part series on artificial intelligence (AI) and local school systems.

Recently, the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) at the University of Colorado referenced a March 5, 2024, policy brief titled "Time for a Pause: Without Effective Public Oversight, AI in Schools Will Do More Harm than Good."

The policy brief states that as existing school-focused platforms and applications are updated to include artificial intelligence (AI), the immediate danger facing educators is not a future apocalypse. Instead, the threat is that AI models and applications will become enmeshed in school processes and procedures, which could allow corporations to increasingly control the structure and content of public education, reinforce surveillance practices, and amplify existing biases and inequalities.

When asked for her opinion on the policy statement, Michelle Bourgeois, chief technology officer for St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD), remarked, "We go slow to go big."

For the past 12 years, Bourgeois has served SVVSD in many capacities, including her current role as chief technology officer. She has 30 years of experience in education and has led professional development for school districts across the country on technology, leadership, and learning.

Bourgeois said, "We wanted to be thoughtful about how we implemented technology in the district, so we formed a committee called the Instructional Technology Advisory Committee (ITAC) to discuss our vision." This group of school administrators, department leaders, teacher leaders, and parents in the St. Vrain Valley School District advised the technology department on technology access and implementation.

One of ITAC's visions led to the launch of the one-to-one iPad initiative in 2012, providing iPads to all students in grades 7–12 and staff. Additionally, ITAC recommended equipping K–5 classrooms with ten iPads each. However, they transitioned to a one-to-one iPad ratio for these grades during the pandemic to ensure that all students stayed connected. After in-person learning resumed, ITAC maintained the one-to-one ratio for K–5 students.

In the fall of 2023, SVVSD launched Exploration AI, "a year-long professional development program to prepare educators with the knowledge and tools to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their teaching practices and curricula."

Teachers learned to use AI tools for formative assessments, special education, and other innovative classroom applications. The program also includes monthly EdCamp pop-up sessions and the Professional Learning Network (PLN), encouraging teachers to collaborate, discuss, and share resources and strategies. SVVSD strives to empower educators by using Exploration AI and also helps teachers use AI effectively.I

Two years ago, as AI progressed, Bourgeois's team, which included Jason Kelsall, learning systems strategist for SVVSD, created an action team and asked the team to explore new ideas regarding available tools they should be reviewing. The team built a road map with tools like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.

They also looked at AI tools built for education, such as AI-generated lesson plans. These plans included activities, resources, and assessments based on a topic or goal, which helped the teachers create unique and engaging lessons quickly. In addition, AI-driven rubric generation created detailed scoring guides to ensure clear expectations with teachers inputting assessment details.

Bourgeois said, "AI is so powerful that it can tap into students and align quickly with what they are studying and what interests them. For example, you have an Algebra 1 class, and half of the kids like football, so AI can design linear and quadratic equations around football. A quick turnaround on aligned lesson plans allows the teachers more time with the students, enabling them to use AI as a thought partner who helps with lesson planning and new ideas."

Bourgeois stated that her team encourages teachers to use Google Gemini because it is part of their Google privacy agreement and operation license. They use a workspace that utilizes Google email, Google Docs, and shared resources. The agreement states that Google will not use student data for advertising and cannot use student data to train its models. They do not have an agreement with OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, as OpenAI does not have an education arm.

The current AI status in SVVSD has elementary school students learning literacy and increasing their computational thinking skills, which are more focused on how computers work and how data is used. In middle school, a group is working on an emerging technology course focused on AI cybersecurity, digital design, and digital creation.

The high schools are led internally and are trying to determine how the educators will embrace AI, and what considerations students and staff need to move forward. High schools are developing AI courses that students can take, which will soon be available. Students on the Artificial Intelligence Project Team at The Innovation Center have hosted workshops at the Longmont Senior Center. The AI workshop was one of a series that is part of the Innovation Center's ongoing community outreach initiative.

According to Bourgeois, SVVSD consolidates information and opinions from diverse research and experts by recognizing that things change daily. She said that her group mitigates risk by maintaining a healthy skepticism about the tool before adopting it.

Bourgeois said, "Show us the difference so that SVVSD and the District Technology Services (DTS) team can approach it from both sides. Never assume that the answer we have today is definitive or correct. This is our framework: Is it safe, secure, supportable, sustainable, scalable, and suitable for learning? We feel lucky to have a superintendent, Dr. Haddad, who gives us the freedom and encouragement to push ourselves for the betterment of the district's students."