Seminole schools outline elementary instructional priorities, roll out AI notebook and coaching supports

Seminole County Public Schools presented the district’s elementary instructional priorities and new supports to the school board on Oct. 7, outlining a mix of classroom coaching, benchmark‑aligned instruction, and an in‑house use of artificial‑intelligence tools for teacher planning.

Why it matters: The district said the direction aims to strengthen daily classroom practices across K‑5 and to make coaching and professional learning communities (PLCs) more consistent, with the goal of improving literacy and math outcomes.

District leaders described a new walkthrough tool and a set of role‑specific guidance documents for principals, coaches and teachers to use when preparing for and following up on PLCs. “Our school teams use this data collected to guide discussions within their PLCs while leveraging our content area frameworks to inform instructional planning,” said Mike Alba, director of teaching and learning.

Early literacy: The district reiterated support for the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) Foundations program for K‑2 instruction, which district staff said focuses on phonemic awareness, phonics and fluency. Coaches and district specialists will provide targeted coaching for teachers new to the program and quarterly webinars with UFLI experts, the presentation said.

Math and small‑group instruction: Math instruction will shift emphasis this year toward small‑group stations and targeted monitoring for learning. The district said classrooms will continue number talks and a fact‑fluency program called Fact Tactics and will use the new walkthrough data to target professional learning and coaching.

AI tool for teachers: Presenters introduced NotebookLM, described as a Google product that the district’s specialists populated with the district’s framework documents and state benchmarks. Teachers can query the notebook with targeted prompts to find benchmark alignment, suggested student stations, or resources tied to a particular skill. “It’s only gonna pull from those documents,” said Michelle Pisani, district coordinator for K‑12 ELA.

Targeted supports: The Student and School Success department reported layered, weekly coaching support for five target schools — Idyllwild, Pinecrest, Spring Lake, Sterling Park and Wicklow — and said more than 1,100 classroom walkthroughs have been completed across those campuses to date.

Implementation and family supports: The district plans evening professional learning for teachers, family engagement nights at schools, and online resources (including Clever and state materials) to help families support reading and math at home. District staff also flagged a parent‑facing initiative, New World Reading, which can provide books and videos to families of students performing below grade level.

Ending: Board members praised the emphasis on PLCs and in‑person family engagement and asked the district to expand recorded offerings for teachers who cannot attend in person. District leaders said they will continue rolling out training and tracking walkthrough results to guide coaching and professional development across elementary campuses.