Illinois 5Essentials Survey

School Environment Matters: District 31 Administers Eleventh Illinois 5Essentials Survey to Improve Student Learning

Students, teachers and parents weigh in on school climate and learning conditions

West Northfield School District 31 will join the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in the eleventh statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions. The survey provides a unique opportunity for students, teachers and parents to have a voice in improving their schools. From January 11 through March 11, students and teachers will be asked to take a 25 -minute research-based survey to help identify strengths and weaknesses in their school’s learning environment. The parent survey supplement will also be administered during the same survey window. These surveys will serve as an opportunity for schools to reflect on progress since the last statewide implementation.
 
“The District is excited to once again have the opportunity to gain valuable feedback that will be used to improve our school effectiveness,” said Superintendent Dr. Erin Murphy. “We encourage all of our parents, students, and staff to participate and help our schools continue to excel.”
 
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.
 
Generated from a rigorous analysis of student and teacher survey responses, 5Essentials Reports demonstrate that what students and teachers say about their schools can serve as important indicators for school success. In the inaugural 2012-2013 statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey, 87 percent of all schools in the state met the 50-percent participation threshold to receive a 5Essentials Report, with participation from more than 70 percent of all teachers and eligible 6th through 12th graders across Illinois.  Starting in 2018-19, 4th and 5th grade students were also included in the 5Essentials survey administration.
 
All district schools are required to participate in a school learning conditions survey every year. Starting in school year 2018-19, the survey was required annually. The survey was deemed an important component to balanced accountability under the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan by stakeholders, which resulted in state legislative changes requiring the survey annually.
 
District 31 has consistently participated in the statewide 5Essentials Survey and is opting to administer the survey to teachers and students again this year to continue tracking and informing progress.
 
Principals and superintendents will receive their 5Essentials Reports in May 2023. Survey results will also be reported publicly on the 5Essentials reporting site in Spring 2023 and on the State School Report Card website in Fall 2023. An optional parent survey supplement is again available to all schools as a supplement to the 5Essentials Survey for teachers and students—results from the parent survey supplement will be included only in the individual school 5Essential Reports. Since 2013-14, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey has been normed using the 2012-13 statewide results so that all schools can demonstrate progress over time.
 
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.
 
For more information visit: www.5-essentials.org/illinois.

Weekly Prize Drawing

Take a screenshot or photo of your completed 5Essential Survey and send it to tblankeheim@district31.net for a chance to win a gift card from a local restaurant. Winners will be announced weekly.

Week 1 Winner: Kenneth Wah
Week 2 Winner: Margo Schwartz-Newton
Week 3 Winner: Emily O'Connor
Week 4 Winner: Joann Kim
Week 5 Winner: Evangelina Murillo 
Week 6 Winner: Natasha Charr
Week 7 Winner: Ranjeet Rai