Palmer Trinity School

These varied viewpoints underscore the ongoing dialogue surrounding AI's role in authentic student learning. At PTS, our priority remains nurturing fundamental skills and critical thinking while embracing beneficial innovations. We recognize the challenges educators face in this evolving landscape, and we are committed to navigating it proactively by returning to our guiding questions about the intention and purpose of instructional methods, whether they are more traditional or innovative. We believe that our deliberate and purposeful integration of AI is setting Palmer Trinity apart. Demonstrating this commitment, we dedicated a full day of professional development before the school year began to collaborate with experts from Global Online Academy (GOA). Starting on day one, this valuable session helped us gauge faculty readiness, explore AI tools, and address ethical considerations, including academic integrity. We have continued our commitment to ongoing professional development in this area by partnering with leading consultants, Purple Horizons. Additionally, we have adopted school-wide tools like Magic School, offering over 80 resources for both teachers and students. Consistent professional development on AI tools ensures our teachers are well-equipped to integrate these tools effectively. Furthermore, many faculty members are introducing students to a diverse range of AI tools to enhance their teaching that assist students in their preparation, review, and creative expression. Beyond tool implementation, we are actively addressing crucial questions of academic integrity, student safety, ethics, and responsible technology use. We have partnered with legal counsel and AI specialists to strengthen our policies and best practices in these vital areas. Presentations featuring leaders in the field have further informed our faculty, staff, students, and parents. We view the continued implementation of AI as a continuous process, necessitating long-term vision, dialogue, and purposeful implementation. We continue to share our progress and insights with all constituents. Significantly, our progress has been consistently recognized by our legal counsel and consultants as being ahead of all other schools they advise. We've built upon our foundation of the Honor Code and Statement of Commitment, including digital responsibility. These two foundational points in addition to well established policy provide the framework for the appropriate and ethical use of technology. MOV ING FORWA R D : We will continue to thoughtfully blend traditional and innovative teaching methods. Our approach will intentionally include both technology-enhanced activities as well as screen-free learning focused on essential skills like writing, comprehension, computation, and reasoning. We believe this balanced approach is invaluable. OUR ONGOING EFFOR T S W IL L INCL UDE : • Continuously expanding our committees dedicated to evaluating AI tools and their potential to enhance teaching and learning. • Developing and implementing AI Literacy curriculum at relevant grade levels and within appropriate subjects. • Maintaining partnerships with leading experts to guide our short-term and long-term AI integration strategies, always prioritizing our students' development as responsible global citizens and successful PTS graduates. We rely on our guiding questions: how do we balance methodology that values both the development of students' foundational skills and our proficiently in technology to enhance learning and engagement – this is the Palmer Trinity way. Our faculty believe this to be true. As one colleague shared after recent professional development in this area, "The only remaining obstacle is navigating the general challenges and rapid pace of this new technological horizon." Ultimately, our purposeful integration of AI is driven by a central question: How can we empower students to harness AI's potential to maximize their learning? Answering this question requires sustained long-term thinking, careful consideration, thoughtful reflection, and a clear, optimistic vision for the future of both student learning and our teaching practices. 31

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