Elmhurst School District 205 joins the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in the twelfth 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. Now through March 29, students in grades 4-12 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,” said Dr. Keisha Campbell, superintendent of School District 205. “We encourage all our teachers, students, and parents to take this opportunity to share their valuable input and experiences with the District. The results of this survey are an important part of our continuous improvement work.”
The survey is designed to provide 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. Strength on components within the Essentials also correlated with increased teacher retention, student attendance, college enrollment, and high school graduation.
All district schools, including alternative schools that fall under the district’s domain, are required to participate in a survey of learning conditions every year. Starting in the 2018-19 school year, the survey was made an annual requirement. It was deemed an important component to balanced accountability by stakeholders under the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which resulted in the state requiring the survey annually.
Principals and superintendents will receive their 5Essentials Reports in May 2024. Survey results will also be reported publicly on the 5Essentials reporting site in spring 2024 and on the State School Report Card website in fall 2024. An optional parent survey is also available to all schools as a supplement to the 5Essentials Survey for teachers and students in grades 4-12—results from the parent survey supplement will be included only in the individual school 5Essentials Reports, but only if at least 20 percent of parents complete this survey.
To take the survey, visit survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/. Just select the appropriate survey to begin.
