District outlines curriculum updates, TeachTown ratification, LinkIt data warehouse and expanded AI use

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District staff presented a package of curriculum and technology updates at the Aug. 11 Curriculum, Instruction and Technology meeting, including a request to ratify a TeachTown purchase for life-skills and autistic support, the upcoming eighth-grade novel decision, and a planned districtwide rollout of the LinkIt data warehouse and AI-assisted analysis.

TeachTown and curriculum items: Dr. Jenkins (staff member) said the board had previously given initial approval for TeachTown, an instructional resource for low-incidence students, and staff sought ratification so trainers could be scheduled before the school year. “We thank the board for giving us the okay to go ahead with this, and this is to ratify it so that we could set up training and professional development for our teachers when they come back,” Dr. Jenkins said. Staff noted the district allowed a 30-day community comment window; the ratification step was taken in August because of the abbreviated July schedule.

The district also noted an upcoming vote on using Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 as an eighth-grade novel (that item was on the June CIT agenda and will appear on a voting agenda next week), and changes to the K–12 field-trip list: Brandywine Picnic Park was removed because it is no longer in business; Camp Arrowhead and Kennett Library were added.

LinkIt data warehouse and AI: staff described LinkIt as the district’s new data warehouse that will centralize student records (grades, PSSA, Keystones, PSAT/SAT, attendance and discipline) and support MTSS through an Intervention Manager module. “It really allows us to enter that data and then shows a growth chart and allows us to look at kids individually,” Dr. Jenkins said. Staff said administrators and teachers will have access at levels appropriate to their roles and that the tool will support referral documentation so interventions tried in earlier grades are visible to middle- and high-school staff.

On artificial intelligence, staff described using a closed, paid AI system connected to the district’s data in LinkIt to generate possible intervention ideas and to analyze patterns across cohorts. Staff emphasized data protection: “It keeps our data protected because it’s that paid closed system,” a staff member said, adding teachers could query the system without entering names or student identifiers.

Professional development and curriculum cycle: the district outlined multiple PD efforts this year, including training on new curriculum (Hegarty, Foundations), TeachTown, LinkIt trainings with vendor trainers, a staff wellness day at Mount Cuba Center and three hours of mandatory school-safety training. Curriculum-cycle work was described: social studies and family and consumer sciences are in year 1 of the multiyear review; business courses, including a newly mandated personal-finance graduation requirement from Pennsylvania, are in year 2; the district said it is also exploring College Board’s new AP cybersecurity fundamentals course and AP personal finance.

Technology operations: Justin Webb (technology staff) reported summer “rip-and-replace” device refreshes, implementation of a new ticketing system, Chromebook and iPad deployments, infrastructure upgrades to switches and wireless access points, and onboarding for roughly 60 new support staff accounts. Webb said outdoor networks and classroom technology were being finalized for the fall and that licensing renewals were complete.

Why it matters: the combined curriculum and technology changes aim to align instruction, assessment and intervention across grades and to give teachers tools to monitor progress quickly. Board members asked for clarity on who has access to LinkIt and how the AI will be used; staff provided examples of non-identifying queries and said the AI will be a time-saver for pattern analysis but will rely on human judgment for instructional decisions.

What’s next: TeachTown ratification was presented for board ratification to allow PD scheduling; the LinkIt rollout and PD sessions will proceed this fall. The district said it will continue to update the board on curriculum adoption votes and implementation progress.