Generative AI app to be introduced in CVUSD
A recent proposal has been made by the Conejo Valley Unified School District [CVUSD] to pilot student access and full teacher access to Magic School, an artificial intelligence [AI] application that provides administrative assistance for teachers and students. If passed, Walnut Elementary, Sycamore Canyon School and Thousand Oaks High School would gain app access. The program gives teachers access to AI-created lesson plans, assessments and other tools made to save time within the classroom. Students have access to programs such as language tutors and quizzes created for certain topics. Newbury Park High School English teachers have recently been given Magic School accounts, and have been asked to use the app for grading.
At the CVUSD School Board Meeting on Oct. 8, Jordan Lott, parent of three elementary school students in CVUSD, gave a public comment about his support for Magic School to aid teachers’ workload, but voiced his concerns about introducing the student-facing parts of the program. “Introducing generative AI tools to young students prematurely can undermine the very foundation of their educational process. That development of critical thinking, analytical reasoning and authentic writing skills,” Lott said.
A second public comment was taken at the Board Meeting from Jayna Suter, CVUSD Assistant Director of Educational Technology and Student Performance. Suter explained what teacher training for Magic School entails and the specific reasons that teachers are interested in Magic School as opposed to other AI education programs. “They like that there’s a wide variety of tools [and] teachers can determine which tools students have access to and when, they find [that] to be very comforting,” Suter said.
Trustees Finn Kerns and Lauren Gill both expressed their desire to table the Magic School discussion until the school board creates and solidifies its AI policy. Trustee Bill Gorback stated that tabling the discussion of implementing the program until later in the year would inhibit teachers’ ability to use Magic School in the current school year, along with postponing or shortening the training they could receive to use the program next school year.
Kerns and Gill’s desire to push the piloting of Magic School due to disagreements on an AI policy within the district coincided with Lott’s views as well. “It’s that critical time in their experience in K-8 grade that I’m hopeful will be focused on that student-to-teacher interaction,” Lott said.
