The Challenge
When Putnam County Schools, Tennessee announced that every student in grades 6–12 (about 1,200 in total) would need to take and pass computer science to graduate, Instructional Technology Coordinator Lance Key was skeptical about the results the first year.
“High school? I think this could be a challenge. Middle schoolers just had to sit for the class. But high schoolers had to pass to graduate.”
The hurdles were steep
Only six certified CS teachers across 10 campuses
Students ranging from general-ed to ESL and special education
Just one summer to prepare
Device issues and login problems threatening to derail lessons
Key admits it looked like a difficult task.
A Hail Mary Plan
The plan, as Key puts it, “seemed born more of desperation than inspiration”:
Instead of hiring a small army of specialists he didn’t have the budget for, Key tried something else:
Kira's AI-powered curriculum delivered the lessons.
Kira’s 24/7 AI tutor supported students any time they got stuck
7 in-room lab facilitators (non-CS specialists) kept students on task and supported tech
6 certified remote teachers focused on grading and targeted feedback
“What really started happening,” Key says, still sounding amazed, “was that they were actually learning how to program and were answering for the kids when they were struggling.”
Suddenly, each student effectively had three teachers:
The AI tutor (available 24/7 with infinite patience)
The certified remote teacher who graded work and provided feedback
A facilitator in the room, learning Python or JavaScript five minutes ahead of the students they were helping
The Results
"To be honest with you, I did not expect the results to be this high the first year. But having that success is a testament to Kira’s flexible content."
By June every high-school student passed. 100 percent. Middle-schoolers achieved nearly the same rate, including ESL and special-ed students. The results:
1,200 out of 1,200 students completed the course
100% pass rate for high school students (≈98% for middle school)
Just 5 help videos were needed all year (instead of the 30 originally expected)
0 facilitator turnover
And most importantly, students began saying not “I don’t know,” but “I feel good about coding.”
Why it worked
Several factors came together to make this model work and keep it working all year:
AI democratized expertise. Students got instant, accurate answers—even when a certified teacher wasn’t in the room.
Facilitators kept momentum.Human support meant motivation, troubleshooting, and encouragement stayed strong.
Teachers focused on high-impact work. Grading and targeted feedback replaced re-teaching syntax errors.
Simple beats complicated. Five targeted help videos and real-time AI feedback outperformed layers of scaffolding
And Kira’s AI tutor was the quiet force behind the success.
“I do think that the AI tutor was very helpful for our students,” Key notes. Yet its real impact was in what it didn’t do: it didn’t replace teachers, isolate students, or turn learning into a solitary experience.
Other teachers have noticed the same impact.
What we learned
Key’s takeaway: ask not how to replicate this, but what else we’re making unnecessarily hard. He discovered that with the right tools and the right approach, success could be... easy?
If there’s a moral to Putnam’s story, it’s this:
Don’t wait for an army of certified teachers. Pair AI expertise with people who care.
You don’t need 30 videos. You need smart, responsive tools and real-time support.
ESL and special-ed students don’t need a separate track when the right model meets them where they are.
Don’t assume some kids can’t do it. With the right model, every student can succeed
Right now, somewhere in Tennessee, 1,200 students are writing code. Their facilitators are learning with them. An AI tutor is always available. And a tech coordinator who once said “I don’t know” now says: “I feel really good about what we’ve got.”
