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District committee recommends Amplify Science for K–5 to align with NGSS
Summary
After reviewing three programs, the district’s elementary team recommended Amplify Science as the K–5 science resource because it aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and provided multilingual supports; final financing remains under review.
The Aurora West USD 129 Board of Education on April 7 heard a recommendation from elementary instructional leaders to adopt Amplify Science as the district’s K–5 science resource to better align K–12 science instruction with Illinois’ Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Dr. Sarah Waddell, assistant director of elementary teaching and learning, told the board a curriculum committee evaluated three programs — PhD Science (Great Minds), Amplify Science and SABIS Experience Science — with an eye toward NGSS alignment, K–12 coherence and multilingual and special-education access. "We would recommend that Amplify Science would best meet the needs of our students when we think about all of those criteria," Waddell said.
Waddell said the committee included STEM teachers, two building administrators, district administrators Lindsey Hall and David Allen, bilingual/multilingual representative Cynthia Ramos and special-education staff. The committee prioritized materials with Spanish supports and tools that preserve inquiry-based, phenomena-driven instruction so younger students’ questions can lead lessons and students arrive in middle school with preparation for a coherent sixth-through-eighth-grade progression.
Waddell noted schedule constraints at the elementary level — the district typically provides about 33 to 35 specials sessions per year — and said some programs that rate highly for depth may require more instructional time than the current specials block allows. She told the board that Amplify was the only elementary program the committee found that EdReports ranked as "meets expectations" and that it is fully aligned to NGSS.
District staff said budgeting and financing for a formal adoption remain under discussion and that the administration presented this recommendation now to allow the board time to consider the selection while staff continue to finalize cost details and a possible professional-learning plan for teachers. The administration said any formal purchase or contract would return to the board for approval.
Board members thanked the team for cross-department collaboration and asked about Spanish and other language supports; Waddell said many program components are available in Spanish in print and online or include toggles to switch language displays, with additional language supports varying by publisher and format.
