Board hears student-achievement updates: AI tools, Latinos in Action enrollment and expansion of pathways and internships

The Ogden City School District’s student achievement committee summarized recent work on artificial-intelligence tools in classrooms, enrollment and outcomes for Latinos in Action (LIA) and a push to expand career pathways and internships across the district.

Jamie Joyce and board member Stacy Bridal reported that the district’s AI framework gives students controlled access to models through a ‘‘walled garden’’ tool called Magic School, and that CopyLeaks is used for grades 7–12 to detect AI-generated content and plagiarism. "What we're really doing is teaching our students how to use AI as a tool and not a crutch," Bridal said when summarizing the committee's presentation.

The committee also heard a presentation about Latinos in Action, a curriculum-based program the district began hosting in 2012. Officials reported 261 students enrolled in LIA districtwide; enrollment was described as about 34% male and 66% female, and participants had logged roughly 3,800 service hours since August. The presenters said LIA students attend school at a rate about 5 percentage points higher than non-LIA students and that the program reports increases in student confidence and goal-setting.

Board members and staff described renewed emphasis on career pathways and internships. The district described a career-college-awareness (CCA) class for seventh- and eighth-graders, expanded internship placements and employer outreach. Officials said Don Mendenhall is coordinating internship placements and that the district recently connected with aerospace companies and Ogden City to identify students for pathway opportunities. The board highlighted a 2023 revision to the district’s work-based learning policy, which lists multiple internship and work-experience formats including cooperative education, internships, job shadowing, service learning and work-based learning.

Several board members returned from the National School Boards Association conference with takeaways the district plans to apply locally. Topics included trauma-informed and culturally competent schools, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) awareness, strategies to reduce summer learning loss, and work to increase postsecondary employment rates for students with disabilities. One speaker urged teachers to consider their own ACE scores to be more trauma-informed; district leaders said they already embed trauma-informed approaches into intervention supports.

Board members raised operational questions about professional development access and suggested sharing reputable online resources and micro-credentialing options to give teachers flexible learning choices. Staff noted the Utah State Board of Education and district micro-credentialing and reimbursement options are already being used in some cases.

Several members urged more information about Summer Bridge programming, including which students are required to attend, the program cost and how the district measures outcomes. Board members also discussed evaluation cadence for the superintendent, with some describing the state-of-the-district report and departmental updates as the primary tools they currently use to monitor district progress.

No formal votes on AI policy, LIA funding or pathway expansions were recorded in the transcript portion provided; the items were presented as committee updates and board discussion.