D. 202 parents, staff, students invited to take state's 11th annual 5Essentials survey

Plainfield – District 202 staff, students and parents are encouraged to take the Illinois 5Essentials Survey between January 24, 2023 to March 31, 2023.

The 5Essentials lets teachers, students, and parents help improve their schools by identifying strengths and weaknesses in their school’s climate and learning conditions. The Illinois State Board of Education produces and gives the 5Essentials survey in partnership with local school districts.

Fourth through 12th graders will take the survey during school. The 5Essentials Survey is a 25-minute research-based survey. Responses will be completely confidential.

Parents may opt their student out of the survey by filling out a form available in their school’s main office.

Local school districts use 5Essentials data to refine and improve services for students, families and community.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey provides a comprehensive assessment of school organizational culture with actionable reports to help drive school improvement on five indicators or “essentials:”

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

Illinois 5Essentials generates data that helps schools target resources and make decisions that help accelerate learning and test score gains. Illinois 5Essentials also demonstrates that teachers and students can play a crucial role in school reform: What they share about their schools reliably predicts whether those schools are likely to improve or stagnate.

More than 20 years of University of Chicago research in more than 400 schools has shown at 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.

Principals and superintendents will receive their 5Essentials Reports in May 2023. Survey results will also be reported publicly on the UChicago Impact website. 

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