Superintendent David Smith took the stage for his annual multimedia presentation before the Rotary Club luncheon, the EVSC Honors Orchestra waiting to perform.
He talked about preparing students for the future, the diversity and plethora of course offerings, accomplishments in AP courses and the GAIN program — Growth in Academics through Innovation and Neuroeducation.
It was all good news about cooperation with local colleges. In short, it sounded much like previous events. To him, this is a good thing.
“I think that is really our dedication to not going after the flavor of the month,” Smith said. “I think we have chosen roads that will lead to improvement for student outcomes, specifically neuro education, giving them incredible opportunities.”
He said they’re intentional about “staying the course.” The entire address, including orchestra performance, can be heard below.
With 284 course options, he believes this is more that were offered last year, and said advanced placement (AP) course enrollment has increased by 144-percent over the past five years.
Smith said challenges ahead include the redesign of the Indiana high school diploma. Indiana is a test state for a national redesign. “My concern is that Indiana is looking at the end of the process, instead of looking at the whole process,” Smith said.
He mentioned that the compulsory age of school enrollment is 7 — but much of the brain development in children happens before age 5, meaning children aren’t being reached at the critical time.
Smith also spent some time talking about how artificial intelligence (AI) is now being used in the classroom. He feels using AI is the next step in using technology for education.
“We're just at the very beginning stages of that,” he said. “And we do know that it has tremendous promise for us in the future. But like any new technology, we want to make certain that we're going into that with our eyes wide open, we want to make certain that everything we put in place is for the betterment of our students and for faculties.”
So far, teachers have used AI to keep coursework at the correct grade level. Students have created AI to beat a video game. They’ve established a team to study AI best practices in other schools.
Smith said they have safety features in place to prevent plagiarism via AI. He likens this era to the early uses of the internet in the classroom.
He closed by talking about how blessed he is to be able to give the State of Our Schools Address. "It is difficult for me to imagine a vibrant community without a vibrant school system, without our kids," he said. "The state of schools at EVSC is strong and vibrant."
