Aurora West recommends Inquiry Journeys for K–5 social science; staff to pilot one unit in fall

District staff recommended on May 19 that Aurora West USD 129 adopt Inquiry Journeys (InquireEd) as the district’s K–5 social science curricular resource, but the board did not vote at the meeting.

Dr. Sarah Waddell, assistant director of curriculum and instruction, said the district began a formal review after switching its literacy curriculum to HMH in spring 2024 and hiring elementary social science teachers. "In the spring of 2024, we made that decision to switch our literacy curriculum to, HMH," Waddell said, explaining that published literacy materials no longer carried the embedded social science coverage the district wanted.

Waddell told the board the selection team evaluated programs against Illinois learning standards for social science, equity and multilingual access, K–12 articulation, and inquiry-driven instruction. Of three finalists—Nystrom’s Young Citizens, McGraw Hill’s Impact, and Inquiry Journeys from InquireEd—staff recommended Inquiry Journeys as "far superior to any of the other pieces that we looked at," citing its inquiry structure, extended units, and alignment to the district’s evaluation criteria.

Staff described implementation details for the fall. Social science will be taught as a district special once per week for 50 minutes by newly hired, specialized social science teachers. The team plans to teach approximately one-and-a-half Inquiry Journeys units the first year to allow teachers to complete a full inquiry cycle before expanding to two full units in later years. Professional learning is scheduled over the summer to prepare teachers for the fall rollout.

Waddell presented estimated costs to license the resource: "We really are looking for 3 years, dollars 290000," which the presentation said covers teacher editions, starter training, and three years of student licenses. Materials are primarily digital, with printable worksheets; staff noted Spanish components exist for bilingual classrooms but said additional languages are not directly built in.

Board members asked implementation questions about on‑ramps for teachers, unit pacing, and language access. Waddell and Lindsey Hall (elementary social science department administrator) said the first‑year plan intentionally limits scope to ensure teachers can teach a complete inquiry. Hall explained that some bilingual materials are provided but that full translation across all assets varies by publisher.

No formal motion or vote on adoption was recorded at the May 19 meeting; staff made a final recommendation and indicated next steps for summer professional learning and fall implementation. A display and QR code with sample materials were made available in the meeting space for board members and the public.

Why this matters: District adoption would create a stand‑alone elementary social science special (rather than embedding social science in literacy), change weekly scheduling for K–5, require summer professional learning and licensing outlays, and add a specialized teacher role intended to increase depth of standards coverage.

What’s next: Staff will proceed with planned summer professional learning and return to the board for any formal adoption or budget approvals required before final procurement.