Take the 5Essentials Survey to improve student learningTake the 5Essentials Survey to improve student learning

Survey is now closed. Thank you to all who participated!

East Aurora School District 131 joins the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in the sixth statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions. The 5Essentials survey provides a unique opportunity for students, teachers and parents to have a voice in improving their schools.

From December 5 through January 31, students, teachers and parents will be asked to take a 25-minute research-based survey to help identify strengths and weaknesses in their school’s learning environment. This survey will serve as an opportunity for schools to reflect on progress since the last statewide implementation.

“The 5Essentials Survey provides students, parents and teachers the opportunity to make their voices heard,” said interim superintendent Steve Megazzini. “We encourage everyone to take the survey and help impact change.”

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey provides a comprehensive picture of a school’s organizational culture in an individualized report measuring five “essentials” critical for school success:

• Effective Leaders
• Collaborative Teachers
• Involved Families
• Supportive Environment
• Ambitious Instruction

Twenty years of research at the University of Chicago in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of the 5Essentials were 10 times more likely to make substantial gains in improving student reading and math than schools that were weak on three or more of the Essentials. Those differences remained true even after controlling for student and school characteristics, including poverty, race, gender, and neighborhood characteristics. Strength on components within the Essentials also correlated with increased teacher retention, student attendance, college enrollment, and high school graduation.

On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, UChicago Impact is providing Illinois 5Essentials to schools statewide.

Teachers, students, and parents may complete the Illinois 5Essentials Survey online, through January 31, 2018.