North Penn leaders demo Snorkel and Quizzes AI, outline phased rollout and training

District technology staff told the committee they are piloting and expanding artificial‑intelligence tools intended to give students immediate feedback, free teacher time for instruction and help multilingual learners access instruction in their native languages.

"We're calling this segment 'igniting student voice with artificial intelligence,'" said Mike Vadai, coordinator of educational technology, describing the district's goal of moving teachers from basic substitution uses of AI up to modification and transformational integration in instruction. Vadai said district teacher survey data showed that after one year of work about "37% of our teachers are using [AI] at a substitution level." He said the district aims to embed AI intentionally in curriculum and to pilot tools with teacher coaches and administrators.

Technology staff demonstrated two tools the district has adopted: Quizzes AI (a formative‑assessment platform with AI‑generated quizzes, translations and adaptive difficulty) and Snorkel, an AI‑powered classroom platform that gives students instant feedback on written, drawn or spoken responses. Wendy Stover, a technology coach, said Snorkel returns feedback within roughly 12–15 seconds and supports more than 50 languages. Snorkel's "Coach" feature provides in‑work guidance that Stover described as a "thought partner," not an answer generator.

Student representative Haley said she has used Snorkel in Spanish and government classes and described it as a helpful practice and feedback tool, while warning it is not always aligned to a teacher's rubric. "It's great to use for assignments or to practice, but maybe not to assess students as a cumulative grade without a teacher double‑checking everything," Haley said.

Board members asked about safeguards and instruction on ethical AI use. Committee member Mike McBain asked whether the district pairs classroom AI with lessons about ethical use, plagiarism and proper attribution. Mike Vadai and Dr. Landis, the district's director of technology, said the district has begun preliminary parameters and that work to build curriculum‑level guidance is underway; they said some library and curriculum teams have begun discussion and that more robust summer curriculum work is planned.

Staff also discussed potential benefits for English language development. Stover said Snorkel's multilingual feedback could help newcomers record responses and get supportive feedback in their native language, but that the district is exercising a phased rollout and is "protective" that teachers remain in control. Vadai said roughly a third of staff have access and that the district has presented Snorkel in six of thirteen elementary schools so far; wider adoption will be scaled intentionally to align with district goals.

A public commenter, Jason Lanier of Lansdale, urged caution, praising the district's thoughtful steps but warning about broader societal risks. "AI is a great tool... but it concerns me when it comes to English language or history..." Lanier said, and added a longer caution about the potential development of general or superintelligence.

Technology staff left the committee with a plan to continue piloting tools, expand professional development and coordinate summer curriculum work (particularly with English and humanities) on how to teach responsible student use of AI tools.