Grafton High School details new focus on cognitive rigor, AI use and student well-being

Grafton High School staff on May 13 told the school committee they spent the year translating a district definition of cognitive rigor into classroom practice and assessments, and piloting approaches to ethical, instructional AI use.

Principal-level staff described a four-level depth-of-knowledge framework teachers used to classify lessons and summative assessments so future unit assessments better align with standards. "Depth of knowledge is not necessarily about having more work. It's about the complexity of thinking required to complete the work," a presenter said, explaining how the district will use common assessments to benchmark instruction.

Staff also summarized faculty work on AI: they adopted a green/yellow/red rubric to define acceptable student AI use per assignment, trained teachers on prompting and tools, ran teacher-led PD in May, and required teachers seeking professional development points to modify their practice using AI tools. The presenters said next year the district will pair cognitive rigor work with AI-literate assessment design so AI supports creation of common assessments that address multiple depth-of-knowledge levels.

The committee heard proposed handbook edits: instructors will be required to "clearly communicate to students what the acceptable AI use policy is regarding that particular assignment," and the handbook will include an appendix that lists discrete offenses with progressive consequences (for example, repeated tardiness may now carry detention after threshold occurrences). Presenters said these changes are intended to keep students in class and maximize instructional time.

Committee members asked about bullying and absenteeism; presenters said formal bullying reports at the high school were few and that most conflicts were peer-to-peer. For chronic absenteeism the district relies on counselor-family conferencing and tailored interventions; where necessary, staff may pursue court action (CRA) for younger students but take a different approach with 11th–12th graders who may face work or family responsibilities. Members also asked whether French would be preserved after the override; presenters confirmed French will remain.

The presentation closed with an outline of a larger community engagement strategy — expanded principal advisory groups, a student culture committee and a community engagement team — and an invitation for committee members to review proposed handbook language and policy cross-references in the coming weeks.