Fox Chapel Area SD to pilot AI professional development and FastBridge screening

The Fox Chapel Area School District board on Monday heard district staff describe a package of instruction items headed for approval at next week’s meeting that centers on educator training for artificial intelligence and a limited pilot of a new progress‑monitoring tool.

District staff said they will move a professional development contract with Kurtz Works LLC (Eric Kurtz) for an amount not to exceed $19,500. The work is described as three on‑site professional development sessions plus preplanning meetings that will be cocreated with an AI leadership cohort made up of volunteer educators, some administrators and student representatives. Staff said the district is accounting for the cost in Title II‑A funds and called the contract a one‑year engagement. “We want to work collaboratively…so that the professional development isn’t done to, in a way that honors where everybody’s starting point is and helps to move us all forward,” district staff said during the meeting.

Board members pressed staff for measurable outcomes and for the number and mix of educators who will participate. Staff said final cohort membership and specific outcomes are still being developed and that they expect to provide a confirmed list to the board next week; staff estimated an internal target of about 25–30 cohort members but said that number was approximate.

The district also proposed two MOUs with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit to provide written translation through an AI portal and telephone voice interpretation services for non‑English speaking parents and families; staff described those as renewals and noted they would take effect in the contract period described in the MOUs.

On assessment, the board was asked to ratify a quote from Renaissance Learning Inc. to pilot the FastBridge subscription and services at a cost of $1,975 for the 09/01/2025–08/31/2026 period. Staff said FastBridge is intended to expand the district’s bank of short probes for progress monitoring — especially in elementary grades and interventions — and is not a replacement for benchmark or state testing. “This is just another bank of those [probes]…we want to try it out before we say that it works and meets our needs,” staff said.

Staff said the FastBridge pilot would be used chiefly in elementary intervention contexts and would run through the end of the school year if approved. Access for the pilot was described as a limited, paid trial; staff said some vendor pilots are free but that this pilot includes a nominal fee and appropriate data oversight.

If approved next week, the PD contract, MOUs, FastBridge pilot and related instructional items will move from discussion to formal action by the board. Staff also noted the district is hosting the 3 Rivers Educational Technology Conference in January, where an AI strand will be available to educators at no cost because the district is the host.

The board asked for additional detail on outcomes and participation and requested follow‑up documentation at the next meeting when votes are scheduled.