Stafford MSD pilots AI classroom tools; Magic School selected for multi-year pilot
Summary
District tech leaders described small-scale pilots of SchoolAI and a planned three-year pilot with Magic School that will customize AI tools for math and English, include a free first year and cost roughly $4.50 per student thereafter if continued.
District technology and curriculum staff told the board on Sept. 8 that Stafford MSD has begun piloting several artificial intelligence tools to support instruction and personalized learning.
Pilots described - SchoolAI: A five-week, district-hosted trial with 21 volunteer teachers that provided instructional challenges, video guidance and a collaborative community. The district said feedback collection was underway and the short pilot was useful for initial exposure but had limited depth. - Magic School: District staff described Magic School as a more substantive offering. Administrators said Magic School will provide a three-year partnership; the first year will be free and will serve as a pilot year focused on two targeted content areas (math and English). Magic School will work with district curriculum staff to build custom tools aligned to Stafford—s instructional materials. The district reported about 65 percent of teachers are already using Magic School—s free version voluntarily.
Expected uses and costs District leaders said Magic School will provide teacher-facing tools (lesson planning, instructional modeling, and professional development) and student-facing personalization (adaptive tutoring aligned to district curriculum). Magic School agreed to collect usage and outcome data, perform an analysis of impact against STAR/STAAR and other district measures, and allow the district to exit after the first year with no penalty if goals are not met.
Cost: District staff said the first pilot year is free. If the district continues with the service beyond the pilot, the recurring cost quoted during the meeting would be approximately $4.50 per student (presenter described it as roughly $18 per district which she explained equates to about $4.50 per student on current enrollment figures). District staff said they would provide links and demos for trustees to explore the products.
Board reaction and next steps Trustees praised the district—s cautious, pilot-first approach and asked for direct access to trial accounts for review. Leaders said they will bring back outcome data and the vendor—s analysis at the end of the pilot year to measure any impact on targeted outcomes and to decide whether to scale the platform more broadly.
Ending District staff said they would return next school year with usage and outcome data and that Magic School would provide an analysis comparing tool usage with STAR/STAAR and other student outcome measures.
