K-2 Teachers' Guide: Presidential AI Challenge & West Virginia Standards Alignment
- Hampshire County AI
- Oct 16
- 9 min read
How the Presidential AI Challenge Meets WVBE Policy 2520.14 (College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Technology and Computer Science)
Quick Reference: West Virginia Standards Alignment at a Glance
Here's what you need to know: The Presidential AI Challenge directly addresses all seven Technology clusters and all five Computer Science clusters required by West Virginia's College- and Career-Readiness Standards for K-2.
When your students identify a problem, explore it with AI_Challenge_Helper, design an app, build it, test it, and submit it, they're hitting standards in these categories:
Technology Standards (T.K-2.1 through T.K-2.19)
Empowered Learner (T.K-2.1 through T.K-2.4)
Digital Citizen (T.K-2.5 through T.K-2.8)
Knowledge Constructor (T.K-2.9 through T.K-2.10)
Innovative Designer (T.K-2.11 through T.K-2.12)
Computational Thinker (T.K-2.13 through T.K-2.15)
Creative Communicator (T.K-2.16 through T.K-2.17)
Global Collaborator (T.K-2.18 through T.K-2.19)
Computer Science Standards (CS.K-2.1 through CS.K-2.12)
Computer Systems and Computational Thinking (CS.K-2.1 through CS.K-2.3)
Networks and Cyber Infrastructure (CS.K-2.4 through CS.K-2.5)
Data and Information (CS.K-2.6 through CS.K-2.7)
Programming and Algorithms (CS.K-2.8 through CS.K-2.10)
Impacts of Computing (CS.K-2.11 through CS.K-2.12)
Bottom line: This isn't a supplement. This is standards-aligned work that counts.
Why This Matters for Your Classroom
West Virginia expects all K-2 teachers to integrate technology and computer science into instruction. Policy 2510 makes this clear: you're responsible for classroom instruction that integrates these standards "foundational skills, literacy, learning skills and technology tools."
The Presidential AI Challenge is a concrete, scaffolded way to do exactly that. It's not extra. It's the work itself.
Full Details: How Each Standard Gets Addressed
Technology Standards
Empowered Learner (T.K-2.1 through T.K-2.4)
What the standard says: Students should explore age-appropriate technologies, share ideas and organize information, use input devices, and navigate basic browser functions.
How the challenge addresses it:
Teachers log into Poe, a technology platform, and use an app developed in Hampshire County, the AI_Challenge_Helper, to explore their problem. They're learning by doing—navigating an interface, typing or dictating questions, seeing how a digital tool responds to their input. When they design their app, they're making choices about what information the app should show and how to organize it. When they test the app, they're using input devices (mouse, touch screen, keyboard) to interact with technology and see the results.
What you might say to a colleague or family member: "When we use AI_Challenge_Helper to help kids brainstorm their app, we're practicing exactly what the standards require—using technology as a learning tool, exploring how digital systems work, and organizing their thinking in a digital space. The kids are not passive; they're directing the tool based on their ideas."
Digital Citizen (T.K-2.5 through T.K-2.8)
What the standard says: Students should demonstrate responsible technology use, safe and ethical behavior online, collaborate with peers using technology, and begin understanding fair use and copyright.
How the challenge addresses it:
The Presidential AI Challenge requires parental consent and emphasizes privacy from day one. When you and your students use AI_Challenge_Helper, you're modeling responsible tech use: no personal information in the chat, thoughtful questions, respectful collaboration. Your Poe chat becomes evidence of positive online behavior. When students discuss "Is this solution fair to everyone? Does this encourage community division or cohesion?" during the design process, they're thinking ethically about technology. When you cite your tools in the final submission, you're teaching attribution and responsible use.
What you might say: "This challenge teaches digital citizenship naturally. We talk about what information is safe to share online, how to use technology respectfully, and why we give credit to the tools we use. Kids see that technology has rules and responsibilities, just like the classroom does."
Knowledge Constructor (T.K-2.9 through T.K-2.10)
What the standard says: Students should create original work using age-appropriate technology and demonstrate creativity through digital tools (digital storytelling, digital media displays, etc.).
How the challenge addresses it:
Your students are creating an original app—a digital product that didn't exist before. They're using technology to construct something real. The app itself is their creative artifact. The demo video they record shows their learning in action. This is original work, not a worksheet or a premade activity.
What you might say: "Kids are building something that exists in the digital world. It's their original creation, made possible by technology. That's exactly what the standards mean by 'create original work through the use of age-appropriate technology.'"
Innovative Designer (T.K-2.11 through T.K-2.12)
What the standard says: Students should select appropriate technology tools to solve problems and create a product using a step-by-step process.
How the challenge addresses it:
This is the heart of the challenge. Your students identify a real problem ("Kids ask the same rule questions all day" or "We can't find our lunch options easily"). They work through a step-by-step design process: What's the problem? What would help? What should the app do? How will it work? They select AI_Challenge_Helper as the tool to solve the problem. They follow a process from problem to solution to testing. This is design thinking for K-2.
What you might say: "The challenge teaches kids the design process in a concrete way. They see a problem, think through steps to solve it, use a tool to build it, and test if it works. That's exactly the innovative designer standard—problem-solving through a step-by-step process."
Computational Thinker (T.K-2.13 through T.K-2.15)
What the standard says: Students should research topics of interest using age-appropriate technology, deepen learning across content areas through technology, and begin working with data (entering information into a spreadsheet, sorting).
How the challenge addresses it:
When your students use AI_Challenge_Helper to explore their problem, they're researching. They're asking questions, getting AI suggestions, and thinking critically about what works. They're deepening their understanding of the problem through a digital tool. If their app collects or displays information (like a list of classroom rules or lunch options), they're working with data in a structured way. They're thinking about how information should be organized and presented.
What you might say: "Kids are using technology to think deeper about a problem. They're asking questions, exploring possibilities, and learning how information can be organized to help people. That's computational thinking—using technology as a thinking tool."
Creative Communicator (T.K-2.16 through T.K-2.17)
What the standard says: Students should communicate with others using age-appropriate technology and select appropriate digital tools to produce and publish information.
How the challenge addresses it:
Your students' insights in the Poe chat are a type of communication—sharing ideas, asking questions, building on each other's thinking. They use AI_Challenge_Helper to publish their thinking in a digital form (the app). They record a demo video to explain their app and why it matters. They're using digital tools to communicate their ideas clearly.
What you might say: "Kids are learning to explain their thinking using different digital tools. The Poe chat shows how they communicate with each other and the AI. The demo video shows how they present their work to an audience. They're using technology to be heard."
Global Collaborator (T.K-2.18 through T.K-2.19)
What the standard says: Students should connect with others and explore different points of view using age-appropriate technology, and identify positive and negative impacts of technology on themselves and their family.
How the challenge addresses it:
Your class collaborates together using AI_Challenge_Helper. When you share your Poe chat and app submission with judges and the broader Presidential AI Challenge community, you're connecting with others beyond your classroom. You're part of a national initiative. When students discuss "Does this solution help everyone?" they're thinking about different perspectives. When they think about how their app will be used, they're considering impact.
What you might say: "This challenge connects kids to something bigger than their classroom. They're solving a problem that matters to their community, building something others can use, and seeing their work recognized nationally. They're learning that technology can be a tool for connection and positive change."
Computer Science Standards
Computer Systems and Computational Thinking (CS.K-2.1 through CS.K-2.3)
What the standard says: Students should verbalize steps to solve a problem, work collaboratively to solve problems, and identify computer components and functions.
How the challenge addresses it:
When your students use AI_Challenge_Helper, they're verbalizing their problem-solving steps out loud or through typing: "What's the problem? What would help? How would it work?" They're doing this collaboratively—either in group discussion or in the Poe chat where their thinking is recorded. They're learning how a computer (the one running their app) responds to their design choices. They're learning that computers follow instructions (algorithms) that people write.
What you might say: "Kids are thinking out loud about how to solve a problem, doing it together, and seeing how a computer system builds what they design. They're learning that computers do what we tell them to do—not the other way around."
Networks and Cyber Infrastructure (CS.K-2.4 through CS.K-2.5)
What the standard says: Students should experience making connections with familiar adults through the Internet and understand the importance of staying safe online.
How the challenge addresses it:
Your students use an Internet-based tool (Poe/AI_Challenge_Helper) to connect with a resource that helps them think and design. They're experiencing how the Internet connects people and tools. They learn how a local parent and a local organization, Hampshire County AI, built a tool to help the community.
You're emphasizing safety: no personal information in the chat, thoughtful use, responsible behavior. The consent forms required by the challenge emphasize that families are part of this digital experience.
What you might say: "Kids see how the Internet connects them to tools and resources that help them learn. They're also learning that being online has safety rules—just like being in a physical space. Parents are part of this too, which is important."
Data and Information (CS.K-2.6 through CS.K-2.7)
What the standard says: Students should identify, collect, organize, and describe patterns in data, and make decisions using data.
How the challenge addresses it:
If students build an app that displays information (like a list of rules, lunch options, or a schedule), they're organizing data. When they test the app and notice "Does this work?" or "Do kids understand it?" they're making decisions based on what they observe. They're collecting feedback (data) from their testing and using it to decide if the app is ready to submit or if it needs changes.
What you might say: "When kids organize information in their app and test it to see if it works, they're working with data. They're noticing patterns ('Kids always ask this question') and using that information to build a better solution."
Programming and Algorithms (CS.K-2.8 through CS.K-2.10)
What the standard says: Students should analyze and explain steps to solve problems, follow procedures/algorithms using tangible materials, and write an algorithm using sequences.
How the challenge addresses it:
The entire challenge is an algorithm—a step-by-step sequence. Your students work through it: (1) Identify the problem. (2) Explore ideas. (3) Design what the app should do. (4) Build the app. (5) Test it. (6) Record and submit. They're following a procedure. They're explaining the steps. AI_Challenge_Helper builds the app based on their design (the algorithm they created in words). They see that when you give clear, step-by-step instructions, a computer can execute them.
What you might say:"The whole challenge is teaching algorithms—breaking a big problem into clear steps, putting them in order, and following them through to the end. Kids see that when they give clear instructions, the computer builds what they asked for."
Impacts of Computing (CS.K-2.11 through CS.K-2.12)
What the standard says: Students should research how technology has changed over time and list ways to use technology to help in daily life.
How the challenge addresses it:
Your students are learning that technology is a tool to solve real problems in their daily lives. They're seeing that technology can be created by people (like them) to help people (like their classmates). In discussions during the challenge, you can ask: "How has technology helped us solve problems before? How is our app helping?" This connects the abstract idea of "technology helps" to their concrete experience.
What you might say: "Kids are learning that technology isn't magic—it's something people create to help with real problems. They're becoming creators, not just users. That changes how they think about technology forever."
How to Use This Guide on West Virginia Standards Alignment
For a parent who asks: "Why are you having my kid do this instead of regular classwork?"
Use this: "The Presidential AI Challenge is regular classwork. It's how we're meeting West Virginia's standards for technology and computer science education. Every standard in the state's technology and computer science policy gets addressed through this challenge. It's not extra—it's the work itself."
For a colleague who's skeptical: "Isn't this just playing around with AI?"
Use this: "It looks playful because it's engaging, but it's meeting specific state standards. We're teaching computational thinking, digital citizenship, collaborative problem-solving, and how to use technology as a tool. Those are the standards we're required to teach. This is just a more authentic way to teach them."
For an administrator who asks: "How does this align with our standards?"
Use this: Send them the full guide. Show them the standard codes and how each one is addressed. This challenge hits all of WVBE Policy 2520.14 for K-2. It's not a nice-to-have; it's required content.
For yourself (as you plan): Pick the standards your students are strongest in and the ones you want to emphasize. This guide gives you multiple entry points. Use what works for your class.
The Bottom Line
The Presidential AI Challenge isn't supplemental. It's a comprehensive, standards-aligned way to teach the technology and computer science standards West Virginia requires for K-2. Your students are learning real skills, solving real problems, and meeting real standards.
That's why it's worth 2-3 hours of class time over a few weeks. You're not adding something extra. You're teaching what you're already required to teach, just in a way that makes sense and matters to kids.
Ready to get started?
Questions? Use the chat box on the Hampshire County AI website, or reach out directly to your school's technology coordinator.
Your students' ideas are worth the time. West Virginia's standards say so.
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