Chicago Students Build Key Adaptive Competencies while Exploring the Boundaries of AI and Creativity

This summer, eighteen Chicago Public School (CPS) students and alumni served as summer interns for a partnership program developed by One Summer Chicago’s Everyone Can Code + Create Program and CPS’ Department of Competency-Based Education. International Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert, Paul Hamilton, led the course – Beyond Imagination: Exploring the Boundaries of Creativity with AI-Assisted Tools. This course focused on integrating CBE competencies & practices with those of work-based learning and other relevant external partner programs.

About the CPS CBE AI & Creativity Summer Youth Program

This program was a partnership between the CPS’ Grading & Proficiency Based Learning (CBE) Team, Apple’s Everyone Can Code + Create Program, Illinois Tech University, CPS’ Work-Based Learning Team, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, and One Summer Chicago. Citywide program coordination was facilitated by Daniel Yao. Teacher Molly Hintz served as the CPS CBE Summer Program Coordinator. Illinois Tech students and alumni of the Summer 2023 One Summer Chicago’s Everyone Can Code + Create, Khayla Erediauwa and Angelica Viramontes, served as teaching assistants. 

During this hybrid program, interns participated in virtual and in-person AI and Competency-Based Education (CBE) sessions. Hamilton led students through an exploration of a variety of web-based AI software, including Canva, Spline, Kaiber, Spatial, and Padlet. There was emphasis on examining AI tools beyond ChatGPT, particularly investigating the impact of ethics and creativity in original product creation. He shared the importance of becoming a “prompt engineer” in order for creatives to get the best output for their projects. The pace was fast! Students only had six weeks to learn, navigate, and select from at least thirteen AI platforms. The program culminated in a final AI and creativity project presented at the 2024 Sandbox Showcase. You can check out the final AI & Creativity Project Videos for all of the students here. Students worked on a variety of topics from using AI to learn new languages or how to build office environments to creating diverse AI cartoon characters & posters for school-based robotics teams.

Connecting Learning Goals to the Key Adaptive Competencies

At the same time students were honing their artificial intelligence skills, Hintz led three CBE mini-sessions focusing on work-based learning skills and goal-setting aligned with the four Key Adaptive Competencies (KACs) outlined in the CPS CBE Framework – agency, adaptability and flexibility, collaboration, and leadership. In CBE session 1, students focused on understanding the KACs, identifying what they look like in the classroom, workplace, and community roles. Students rated their proficiency in each competency and identified their strengths and areas for growth within the KACs. They then created goals aligned with the KAC of their choice, which led to the successful integration of AI and creativity in their learning. 

Benjamin (AI Finalist, Payton College Prep), an AI Showcase finalist, shared his goal that, “By the end of the summer, I will focus on agency by making consistent progress on my project, and demonstrate effective time management, and check off goals within a plan.”  Italy (Southern IL Univ-Edwardsville)’s goal was to “figure out how to manage and set weekly goals for myself while completing my AI project for the showcase at the end of the program.”

By the second CBE session, students assessed their progress, getting feedback from their peers and mapping out the final steps to be showcase ready. While exploring various AI-integrated tools, students participated in discussions and informal debates about the pros and cons of AI. They examined the ethical considerations of using AI in creative contexts. Ultimately, the cohort agreed that while AI represents the future, it also carries significant responsibility and accountability. Learning about the KACs supported students’ ability to responsibly use AI to amplify their creativity. 

Kennedy (Brooks College Prep) worked on “successfully navigating the utilization of AI programming to create a unique project that suits me, demonstrating the adaptation necessary to progressing, and presenting the work to a panel of mentors for feedback.” While Khloie (Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep) shared that, “I struggle to hold myself accountable for some things and it’s definitely a work in progress. I want to work for agency.” Estefani (Curie HS), on the other hand, said, “Despite being able to collaborate with groups almost my whole life, I tend to care more about others and make sure they’re doing okay while I don’t really take care of myself, but I have been seeing signs of myself taking care of myself during the summer…I would have to make sure I have a routine that I do each day of the week that I work for to make sure that I get things done.” During the final CBE workshop, provided the students reflected on the ways they were using AI to not only enhance their creative expression, but to address academic needs or social issues. 

Reflecting on the Key Adaptive Competencies

By the time students were putting the finishing touches on their AI & Creativity project videos, they were able to reflect on the ways in which they’d grown in each of the KACs. In the final CBE workshop session, students discussed how the KACs were applied in their classrooms, workplaces, and community roles. These discussions sparked “light-bulb” moments, helping students connect their current experiences to broader life goals and future aspirations. These learning opportunities fostered deep collaboration among peers, not only regarding their projects, but also in applying KACs to advance their personal growth beyond the summer program. Having a range of high school and college students allowed for perspectives and insights from two different chapters of life, inspiring students and teachers to think about the bigger impact of learning about agency, collaboration, leadership, and adaptability and flexibility. 

Here are learning highlights from students in the KACs:

Agency

• “Agency is a Key Adaptive Competency. I have had many difficulties completing my project due to my tendency to procrastinate. To show my growth in agency, I managed my time as efficiently as I could throughout my weeks – having to balance household responsibilities and my summer college course (dual enrollment). The only proof I have to offer is my fully completed project that should (hopefully) count as evidence of the time well-spent on achieving a clean, finished product.” – Mia, AI Finalist, Lindblom Math & Science Academy
• “I would like to focus on agency in order to improve how fast I can work on projects and improve efficiencies…I was able to improve at the Agency [KAC by the end of the summer]. While working on this project I realized that without time and effort I wouldn’t be able to finish my project or use AI to bring my vision to life…” – Fredrick, Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep
• “The competency I mostly focused on was agency because I have a long history of procrastination, so I wanted to try and fix that with this project. My smart goal was little steps to achieving the final outcome. I used the smart goal by splitting the work into sections such as recording one week and editing the next, lowering the chance of procrastination. During the time working on this project, my stress has lowered compared to the times from other projects where I had procrastinated, meaning I had successfully reduced my procrastination” – Kevin, Walter Payton College Prep

Adaptability & Flexibility

• “The competency I focused on the most in my project was adaptability and flexibility as I have been preparing myself for college and have just generally been stressed. I’m proud of myself for finishing on time and just putting effort into my work. This connects to my smart goal as I adapted to timeframes and became flexible when problems would happen…the CBE Key Adaptive Competencies definitely held me accountable when it came to my project and life in general. ” – Shylah, Lindblom Math & Science Academy/Howard University

“I would like to grow my adaptability even more because with working on AI there are many options to try to get different outcomes while working on something…skills I expect to be able to [use later] in life. I’ve had a lot of problems that I had to fix and some AI tools aren’t working so I have to adapt and find different ways to meet my requirements.” – John, Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep

Collaboration

• “I focused on the use of collaboration. I learned how to be more open-minded to others’ opinions in hopes of expanding my project through the use of another’s perspective. I took feedback and helpful ideas without taking anything personal but rather as the assistance it is.” – Saniya, Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep
• “I believe the feedback that was the most impactful for my final product was continuing to refine my products after the first go-round. Instead of being satisfied with what I got the first time, I pushed myself to think of something else/improve the product…One of the main KACs I chose to focus on was collaboration because usually I am quick to work on my own because of its effectiveness. With this program I forced myself to talk to people and try to actually connect so I can make an acquaintance and grow as a person.” – Olivia, AI Finalist, Bradley University

Leadership

• “I decided to focus on [the] leadership competency. Originally, I wasn’t sure how I’d be a leader through this project and didn’t consider myself much of a leader. However, through this project. I encourage creatives to follow in my footsteps and create diverse characters whenever they can, so everyone can feel represented in their favorite forms of media.” – Sabeen, AI Finalist, Payton College Prep/DePaul University 
• “I would like to grow my Leadership. I have a hard time taking initiative and voicing my ideas. By the end of the summer, I would like to be able to have the courage to bring forward my own ideas by incorporating them into my project at the final showcase.” – Denise, University of Illinois at Chicago” 

• “I’m someone who prefers to give feedback instead of receiving feedback. In the future, I hope to become someone who is more willing to accept feedback and constructive criticism because I know that is how I can grow as a person.” – Katrina, AI Finalist, Payton College Prep

Showcasing Success Beyond the Program

On August 2 the 2024 Sandbox Showcase at the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship in Chicago featured the work of student finalists in the AI, Machine Learning, Esports and AR programs – five students from AI & Creativity made it to showcase! Ed Kaplan himself was in attendance! When surveyed, 75% of students felt that the CBE mini-lessons were effective in helping them understand the Key Adaptive Competencies, and 100% of the participants said they would recommend the CBE AI & Creativity Summer Program to a friend. Following the showcase, the CBE Team members and program interns provided refreshments for the students and their families. Planning for potential student opportunities in Summer 2025 begins this winter.

Learn More

• Check out the final AI & Creativity Project Videos for all of the students on this Padlet!
• Showcase, Share, Inspire: Performance-Based Assessment and Competency-Based Learning in Chicago Public Schools
• Empowering Students Through the Lens of Adaptive Competencies
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Competency-Based Education (CBE), According to an AI Language Model

Savannah Bell is the Manager of Grading & Proficiency Based Learning at Chicago Public Schools. She began as a teacher on Chicago’s South Side, where she helped secure over $300K in grant funding to implement personalized, proficiency-based learning. Savannah has led staff development to expand this model across schools. She holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Cincinnati and an MEd in School Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her work focuses on ensuring high-quality education for all children through innovative learning approaches.

Molly Hintz was the CPS CBE AI & Creativity Program Coordinator. As CBE Summer Program Coordinator, Molly effectively managed a citywide AI partnership with Apple’s Eveyone Can Code + Create and with Illinois Tech University. During her time as a Special Education Teacher with Chicago Public Schools, she served as a Personalized Learning Ambassador for the district – helping teachers in developing & rolling out learning plans, learner profiles and Pathways to track students’ proficiency of the standards. Molly is committed to creating dynamic learning environments for the youth she serves.

Sonjanita Moore, a Fulbright Education Specialist, has 30+ years of experience in the field of education – as a Proficiency-Based Learning & CBE Specialist, Content & Curriculum Developer, SEL Specialist, National Board Certified Master Teacher and as a Credentialed College & Career Access Advisor. In 2019, she served as a member of the Office of Equity’s Instructional Equity Working Group and is a Chicago Public Schools’ Equity Champion.
Sonjanita has mentored more than 50 educators from Chicago area universities and has developed countless youth and adult learning experiences over the years.