FARMINGTON – On Tuesday’s RSU 9 board of directors meeting Kevin Bremner, director of technology, presented some changes that will be taking place in the district surrounding the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Bremner started by saying that an AI committee had been formed consisting of volunteer staff and administration members. The committee was initially put together to investigate generative AI and its impacts in RSU 9 schools but the mission has evolved into methods of education of and incorporation of responsible AI practices in the classroom.
“It needs to enhance the educational experience,” said Bremner. “It needs to enhance what teachers do, what students are learning. It can’t be a replacement for any school services. […] Generative AI is supposed to just enhance what we’re already doing and not be that replacement.”
He informed the board that after multiple workshops on generative AI, hosted by national education organizations, the committee has been putting together a set of guidelines for the usage of generative AI in schools for grades 6-12. The guidelines have key components that already exist within the district’s code of conduct including plagiarism and cheating.
The guidelines are currently in the draft stage, but will soon be introduced to the district for teachers to enforce if they choose to allow the use of AI in their classroom. Bremner said that this choice would be optional and completely up to the teacher, but that next year the goal is for all teachers and students, grades 6-12, in the district to be trained in safe and responsible AI practices.
Bremner said that for grades 3-5, there may be lessons or guidelines introduced that are adapted from the higher levels, but that it is still being developed.
Superintendent Christian Elkington said that he does see these changes making their way into the district’s curricula eventually, if not soon. This would require teachers to prepare lessons on the appropriate use of generative AI for classroom purposes.
Bremner ensured that with the proper training and the use of specific, district-approved generative AI services, student privacy and safety would not be jeopardized. The platform Magicschool.ai has been purchased for staff use in the district and the goal is for students to gain use of it soon as well.
One section of the guidelines includes the expectation that students provide attributes for when they use AI in their work. Students may be required to attach a detailed form documenting where they used AI as well as a citation at the end of their work as well similar to any other source that they would cite. Students would also be taught about generative AI’s limitations, being encouraged to fact-check any information they receive or use through AI.
One board member applauded Bremner and the AI Committee for their work, saying that it is a real possibility that these students will need to know how to use AI responsibly as a skill for potential jobs in the future.
“For those of you involved in the corporate world; it’s expanding by lightspeed,” the board member said. “So we’ve adopted corporate policies that are: AI will not replace you, but you can be replaced by a professional who uses AI as a force multiplier. So developing on curricula that sets that as a standard for professional employment, even through the university, is going to be mandatory.”
In other news, Elkington acknowledged the retirement of Tracy Williams, Principal at W. G. Mallett School. Williams has been leading the school for two decades and was named the Maine Principal of the Year in 2015. Elkington said that Williams wanted to thank the staff for all that their time and commitment during and after school hours.
“We obviously all want to wish her much success in her official retirement,” said Elkington.
