By Cherry Dumaual

NEW FAIRFIELD – In his Chairman’s Report at the New Fairfield Board of Education’s (BOE) regular meeting via Zoom on March 20, Chair Dominic Cipollone thanked the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Focus Group for their work and said the group may give a report in June, after their final meeting in May. He noted the need to consider how AI exists in daily life for both students and educators, stating, “There is a place where AI can be a personal tutor for a student who is struggling in any particular area, and this tool can be used to help a young person get up to speed and then allow teachers to help with more enrichment activities, life skills activities and passion projects.”

During his remarks, Chair Cipollone also gave strong reminders about the use of social media related to schools. “If you’re going to comment in social media about anything related to schools…be accurate, be factual, speak the truth, and make your comments civil.” He added that both people and children are watching. “Let’s set an example…when we speak, whatever podium we’re standing at, let’s make sure what we say is based on facts, in reality.”

As part of his report, Chair Cipollone commented on student performance, noting that while New Fairfield is doing better as a district, “By and large, we all need to do better.” He made a plea to parents and shared a personal anecdote. “Please stay engaged in your child’s life. And there are two comments I learned early on, one that I shouldn’t say and one that I should have said more to one of my children. You know the idea of always saying to your kid, you’re so smart, you’re so smart. It’s great to acknowledge your kid’s intelligence , but it also backfires at times, because it might, like, prevent them from even striving more…I think a better thing to say is you’re such a hard worker, and it kind of encourages a young person to continue to strive and improve and grow. That’s just my two cents on that subject.”

A highlight of the meeting was Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kristine Woleck’s presentation of the Eduplanet platform, a tool developed by an educational technology company. Dr. Woleck noted that work on Eduplanet has been shared at the Board of Education Curriculum Subcommittee meetings over the course of the year. “It’s important for the full board to see this platform, to be aware of the work that’s happening with it, and for the community to see what this work is looking like in progress—the progress we’re making.”

She explained that Eduplanet provides districts with design tools and a platform for developing, designing, and sharing curriculum. “We still maintain the design features, we do the work of designing and developing our curriculum, but this is providing us with tools to support that work and a platform to share it out.”

The main takeaways about Eduplanet and its benefits for educators, teachers, students, parents, and the community are:

Eduplanet offers a standardized template for curriculum design that will be used across all grade levels and subjects. This consistency benefits teachers, who will now have a clearer picture of what is being taught before and after their grade level. For example, a sixth-grade math teacher can easily view what students learned about fractions in earlier grades, and a history teacher can check how historical concepts are introduced in elementary school.

It supports collaboration and alignment from kindergarten through 12th grade. Teachers and curriculum leaders can use it to spot gaps, remove overlap, and ensure a smooth progression of skills and knowledge as students advance.

Eduplanet’s analytics tools allow district leaders to review how well the curriculum aligns with academic standards and learning goals. If something is missing or could be improved, the platform makes it easier to adjust and refine curriculum documents.

The platform isn’t just for internal use. The district is also preparing to launch a public-facing curriculum site through Eduplanet. Families and community members will be able to visit the district’s website, click on a subject and grade level, and read summaries of what students are learning. For parents who want more detail, they’ll be able to see specific learning standards, key skills, and topics being taught.

Concluding her presentation, Dr. Woleck said, “We’ve also begun sharing some of the examples of that community-facing platform with our PTO executive board and getting their feedback. It’s been very positive feedback so far. We’re excited to have a tool that’s allowing us to move forward with not only the design work in a consistent way and having a structure for it, but also giving us that opportunity to share it out with the community.”

Sharing his excitement with Dr. Woleck and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Craw about Eduplanet, Chair Cipollone enthused, “I know there are members on this board who had been asking for something like this from previous administrations…and the fact that this current administration, through your leadership in this area and Dr. Craw’s, really speaks volumes. I’m sure there will be districts in the surrounding areas that will be looking at this also as a model for their own schools.”

While the online curriculum page isn’t live yet, the school district expects it to become a valuable tool for transparency, communication, and student engagement. It’s anticipated that Eduplanet will be live in the fall and continue to grow.

The next New Fairfield Board of Education Regular Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 3, at 7 p.m.