Orting School District has become the first district in Washington and the nation to launch a full AI-PLC Lab™, integrating the AI-PLC Agent™ to strengthen instructional clarity, accelerate meaningful feedback, and advance the district’s vision for responsive, mastery-based learning.
This groundbreaking initiative is championed by Superintendent Ed Hatzenbeler, whose leadership removed barriers that previously prevented PLCs from providing timely, actionable feedback to students. Their team’s commitment to equity, coherence, and continuous improvement has accelerated a district-wide agency mindset—one that places student growth, voice, and belonging at the center.
Executive Director of Teaching & Learning Dr. Aaron Lee played a critical role in implementation, ensuring full alignment with Orting’s Strategic Plan commitments to agency, dignity, belonging, and mastery. His leadership helped teams connect the AI-PLC Lab™ to the district’s deeper theory of action.
The AI-PLC Agent™ was co-designed and developed by Dr. Paul J. Bloomberg—best-selling author of Leading Impact Teams and CEO of The Core Collaborative Learning Network—and Isaac Wells, Director of Impact, who together lead AI-PLC Labs™ nationally. It is the first AI tool in education purpose-built for Professional Learning Communities, transforming authentic student work into strengths-based insights, high-leverage instructional recommendations, and asset-forward feedback grounded in learning science.
Centering Feedback, Agency & Equity
Launch day began with an inside-out storytelling protocol in which teachers reflected on moments when feedback had most shaped them as adults. Across sessions, several shared beliefs surfaced:
- Feedback must offer actionable next steps.
- Students need the why behind feedback.
- Timing matters for revision.
- The source of feedback influences trust and uptake.
- Strengths-based feedback deepens engagement.
These insights reinforced a collective realization: students need greater agency in how they give, receive, interpret, and act on feedback. The AI-PLC Agent™ was purpose-built to support this vision.
Teacher Reactions & Early Impact
Teachers tested the full application using their own student evidence. Reactions included:
- One teacher, who pre-scored all student work, reported that the AI’s analysis aligned with her judgments and even offered more specific feedback and instructional next steps.
- Another teacher expressed deep appreciation for the Justice Scaffolds, which surfaced clear UDL and MLL supports that reduce cognitive load and expand access without lowering rigor.
The tool’s small-group instructional suggestions sparked dialogue about how to strengthen differentiation and personalization at the secondary level—an essential next step in Orting’s commitment to advance learner agency.
What’s Coming Next
Based on educator feedback, the next version of the AI-PLC Agent™ will introduce:
- One-per-student Glow & Grow feedback PDFs
- Improved evidence-upload workflows
- Enhanced small-group instruction pathways
- Expanded and more specific Justice Scaffolds and MLL supports
- More refined math analysis tools
A Statewide Catalyst
Orting’s pioneering work positions the district as a catalyst for statewide and national transformation, demonstrating what is possible when visionary leadership, aligned strategy, and research-based innovation come together to support every learner.