Why pilot first: a tool that looks right in a demo meets real classrooms, real families and real data in a pilot — at a scale where stopping costs little. The criteria for continuing are written down before launch, so the decision is not made by whoever is most enthusiastic at the end.
Five Steps

1. Choose the pilot groups

Three groups — classes, grades or campuses — that between them look like the school.

  • Leaders of each group willing to take part
  • A mix of enthusiastic and sceptical teachers
  • Students with additional needs and language learners included
  • Devices and connectivity the school provides (policy §14)
  • More than one grade band, if the tool is meant for several

2. Recruit teachers honestly

Say what it will cost them and let them say no.

  • State the time it will take, in hours
  • Offer levels of participation, including none
  • Written opt-out at any point, without consequence
  • Sceptics wanted — they find the problems early

3. Set targets before launch

Write each target down, with how it will be measured, before the tool is switched on. Examples to adapt — not benchmarks:

  • Share of pilot teachers using it weekly
  • Change in student AI literacy, pre and post
  • Family awareness and opt-out rate
  • P1/P2 incidents (policy §10) — the threshold for stopping
  • Comparable use across student groups

4. Decide with the rubric

Eight criteria, 1–5 each, 40 points. The worksheet below prints on its own.

  • GO STRONG: 32–40 — adopt school-wide
  • GO: 28–31 — phased adoption
  • GO CONDITIONAL: 24–27 — close the gaps first
  • NO GO (REVISE): 20–23 — pause, fix, re-pilot
  • NO GO (STOP): <20 — end it

5. Report the pilot

Design, targets, results by group, incidents, cost, recommendation. A full sample is on request with the Blueprint card.

8-Week Timeline
Go / No-Go Decision Matrix
ScoreDecisionAction
32–40GO STRONGAdopt school-wide
28–31GOPhased adoption
24–27GO CONDITIONALAddress identified gaps, then implement
20–23NO GO (REVISE)Pause program, fix issues, re-pilot
<20NO GO (STOP)Terminate program, end vendor contracts
8-Criterion Scoring Worksheet (Printable)

Score each criterion 1–5 based on pilot evidence (1 = far below target, 3 = met target, 5 = exceeded). Total maps to the Decision Matrix above. Print this section and complete it with the pilot review team before the decision meeting.

Criterion Key question Score (1–5) Evidence ref.
1. Teacher adoptionDid target % of teachers actively use the tool weekly?
2. Student outcomesDid pre/post AI literacy scores improve at the planned rate?
3. Incident rateWere P1/P2 incidents (policy §10) below the threshold set before launch?
4. Parent sentimentSurvey average ≥ 3.5/5 and opt-out rate < 20%?
5. Equity & accessComparable use and outcomes for students with additional needs, language learners, and across family income?
6. Budget compliancePilot spend within 10% of plan, including hidden costs?
7. Vendor performanceSLA met, support responsive, no privacy red flags surfaced?
8. Group-lead endorsementDo the leads of all three pilot groups recommend continuing, in writing?
Total score / 40
Pilot lead — name & signature
Date
Recommendation (GO STRONG / GO / CONDITIONAL / NO GO)
Pre-Pilot Checklist