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Indian Prairie rolls out 'Design Discovery' pilot, moves to School Links for college-career planning
Summary
District staff described a new semester-long seventh-grade 'Design Discovery' course using Mixed Ink EDU (annual cost ~ $35,000), the statewide PACE endorsement framework and the adoption of School Links as a replacement for Naviance to track endorsements, internships and 4‑year plans.
District staff presented a plan to adopt a semester-long seventh-grade course, Design Discovery, using the Mixed Ink EDU curriculum and to expand the district’s use of School Links to implement PACE college-and-career endorsements.
The presenter described the Design Discovery course as embedding entrepreneurship and innovation, career awareness and retained elements of study skills such as social-emotional learning and executive functioning. The curriculum was described as team-based, with students identifying problems, prototyping solutions and pitching ideas; the presenter said the program will include teacher training and community engagement opportunities. The presenter stated: "There is an annual cost, for this course which is just around $35,000," and described Mixed Ink EDU as in use in other districts and nationally.
The board also heard details about PACE (the state’s postsecondary and career endorsement framework), including requirements for endorsements: an individualized learning plan, two career exploration activities, two team-based challenges, six hours of college credit (AP, dual credit or articulated credit) and 60 hours of work-based learning or simulated internship experiences. The presenter said School Links will be the district’s platform for grades 8–12 (replacing Naviance) and that data from School Links will be used to track progress toward endorsements and to build 4‑year plans.
Board members asked practical questions about overlapping platforms, articulated credit, protections for student-created ideas and implementation timelines. In response, the presenter said School Links is replacing Naviance: "School Links is our replacement for that," and explained that articulated credit requires students to apply to the partner university (Rochester University) to obtain the college credit after completing a Project Lead The Way class. The presenter said parts of the course experience—especially high-school entrepreneurship—could be taken to market, but the middle-school version will have a smaller scope and budget.
Board members generally expressed support for expanded dual-credit opportunities and for the emphasis on career awareness and experiential learning. The district indicated the platform onboarding is underway and that administrators will continue to provide implementation details and coordination with College of DuPage and other partners.
Next steps: the board will receive adoption documents and may consider formal approval and procurement steps in upcoming meetings.
