Kazakhstan's educational infrastructure is defined by a significant number of rural schools, which represent the socio-cultural and intellectual centers of the rural community. One of the pressing challenges facing Kazakhstani education is improving the quality of education in rural schools and narrowing the gap in educational achievement between urban and rural students. The "Concept for the Development of Preschool, Secondary, Technical, and Vocational Education in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2023-2029" outlines priority tasks for supporting rural schools [1].

Kazakhstan first participated in the international study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2009 and continues to participate in each testing cycle (2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025). PISA analyzes the relationship between learning outcomes and factors characterizing students' socioeconomic status, that is, the impact of segregation on learning outcomes: students' place of residence, family income, cultural development, and ethnic origin in relation to the general secondary education system, curriculum, and educational policy.

In Kazakhstan, there is a large gap in the quality of education between urban and rural schools. One indicator illustrating the differences in educational achievement between urban and rural students is the results of the international PISA study across different cycles, which primarily examines the sustainability of education and then the accessibility of quality education. Differences in educational achievement between urban and rural students are confirmed by data from the international PISA 2022 study, according to which the gap between urban and rural schools in Kazakhstan was 18 points in mathematics, 37 points in reading, and 26 points in science [2]. Research questions:

1. How can we improve the quality of education in Kazakhstan's rural schools, reduce the achievement gap between urban and rural students, and create an effective educational environment using innovative educational technologies?

2. What effective methods for developing reading literacy using artificial intelligence tools should be used to improve the academic performance of rural students?

3. What new digital technologies should be used in developing digital educational content on literacy and mindful reading as an important skill for solving real-life problems?

The PISA 2025 innovation track, Learning in a Digital World, assessed students' ability to learn independently using digital tools (browsers, online courses, virtual labs, and other technologies). To improve the academic performance of Kazakhstan's rural students, it is necessary to create an effective educational environment using innovative educational technologies and new artificial intelligence developments, adapted to the educational needs of rural students. To this end, we have created a digital educational resource for rural schools: https://auylschool.kz/. As part of our research, we aim to further develop this educational resource by creating digital educational content on reading literacy using large-scale language models (LLM) and generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI). The idea of ​​developing a digital educational resource for rural students and teachers is aimed at addressing educational challenges in developing functional literacy and soft skills in rural students.

Research strategies and approaches combine traditional scientific and theoretical methods (comparative analysis, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, factor analysis, meta-analysis) and empirical methods (interviews, focus groups, online surveys, observation). This study utilizes the following approaches: a theoretical and analytical approach to explore modern concepts in the digitalization of the educational process and new developments in artificial intelligence; a sociocultural approach to study the socioeconomic aspects of regional and rural school development and effective ways to improve the academic performance of rural students; an innovative approach to developing digital content, innovative simulators, and gamification using artificial intelligence tools; an interdisciplinary approach combining psychological, pedagogical, social, and digital tools to create an effective educational environment, enhance student motivation, and enhance their social interaction. Research Types: descriptive (theoretical and methodological framework for the study, review and analysis of scientific and methodological literature on the research topic); Correlational (studying the relationship between academic achievement and socioeconomic conditions in regions); Experimental (testing digital educational content on reading literacy in rural schools; conducting empirical research). The reliability and reproducibility of the study results were achieved through the use of triangulation methods to verify the validity of the obtained data. Statistika, SPSS, and Excel software will be used to process statistical and quantitative data. The reliability of qualitative data will be confirmed by transcribing and coding the obtained information.

The scientific and technological needs underlying the importance of this study are related to the study of the relationship between educational innovation and the social development of rural regions. The fundamental differences between the project's ideas are based on the development of effective solutions for sustainable regional development and rural education, with the aim of improving the academic performance of rural students. The innovative solution is an educational product – digital educational content on reading literacy using large-scale language models (LLM) and generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), which will be hosted on the educational platform https://auylschool.kz/. This project integrates the educational environment with new digital solutions in the field of artificial intelligence. The implementation of the project's ideas will contribute to Kazakhstan's achievement of sustainable development goals in ensuring access to quality education, an integral part of which is the development of functional literacy and soft skills as essential skills in the face of global and technological challenges of the 21st century. The socioeconomic impact of the study is aimed at addressing regional challenges associated with a large student population, a significant number of schools, and a shortage of teaching staff. In rural small-class schools, the problem of student career guidance is particularly acute, contributing to educational inequality [3]. A number of Kazakhstani researchers are studying teaching strategies in the context of mixed-age education in small-class schools. Research aimed at examining the socioeconomic aspects of rural school development and improving the quality of rural education is particularly relevant [4, 5, 6]. Thus, the project is consistent with the strategic development of education in Kazakhstan and offers an innovative solution to the problems of improving academic achievement and developing practical skills in rural students.

1.Concept for the development of preschool, secondary, technical, and vocational education of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2023–2029. https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/edu/documents/details/451747?lang=ru 2.PISA 2022 Results (Volume I and II) - Country Notes: Kazakhstan. [Electronic resource]. – Available at: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-and-ii-country-notes_ed6fbcc5-en/kazakhstan_8c403c04-en.html (accessed: 09.01.2025) 3.Kuznetsova, E. V. (2020). Specifics of professional self-determination of students in small rural schools. Issues of Pedagogy, (9-1), 72–75. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=43940336 4.Shunkeeva, O. A., Almurzayeva, B. K., Zhaitapova, A. A., Satybaldina, K. T., Tulegenova, Sh. I., & Nauryzalina, D. G. (2015). The modern small rural school of Kazakhstan as a center of sociocultural development and the information space of the village. Fundamental Research, (2-14), 3175–3179. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=23837332 5.Rakisheva, Zh. B., Birmanova, Zh. K., Vasich, B. K., & Gabdrakhmanova, Sh. T. (2019). Socio-innovative aspects of the rural school of Kazakhstan. Bulletin of WKSU, (4), 223–229. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=46148176 6.Shamatov, D., Ablayeva, M., & Tazhik, M. A. (2023). Professional opportunities of rural teachers in Kazakhstan.Scientific and Pedagogical Journal “Bіlіm-Obrazovanie” of the National Academy of Education named after I. Altynsarin, 106(3), 55–65 .https://doi.org/10.59941/2960-0642-2023-3-55-65 7.Nurbayev, Zh. E. (2021). Inequality between students of rural and urban schools of Kazakhstan: reasons and prospects for overcoming it. Central Asia Program. George Washington University. https://www.centralasiaprogram.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cap-paper-no.-268-zhaslan-nurbayev.pdf