“Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing.” – Thomas Jefferson
Every other year the state of Illinois asks school districts to survey students, teachers, and parents to complete a statewide climate survey called the 5Essentials from the University of Chicago. As part of our continuing efforts to get input and learn in what areas we succeed and in what areas we need improvement, we ask every member of our school community to complete the surveys.
From a letter I sent:
“Beginning November 16, students, teachers and parents across Illinois will have an opportunity to participate in the fourth annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. …This year, District 109 is participating, and asking parents to share their thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness.
Please click here to take the survey.
If you have children in more than one school, please take the survey for each school. The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Your participation will help the District understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey is administered by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.
- Effective Leaders
- Collaborative Teachers
- Involved Families
- Supportive Environments
- Ambitious Instruction
Prior research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of these “5Essential” indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials.
All teachers and 6th through 12th grade students will be responding to this survey. 5Essentials Reports will be generated for schools if their teachers and/or students meet the response rate threshold of 50 percent. These reports will be sent to schools and districts in March 2017 and will also be included in the State School Report Card. If at least 20 percent of parents complete this survey, a parent supplement will also be generated. The parent data will not be reported on the State Report Card.
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey for parents will be conducted November 16 through January 16, 2017. Thank you so much for giving your valuable time and input. We are listening!
Sincerely,
Mike
Michael Lubelfeld, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Deerfield Public Schools District 109
517 Deerfield Road | Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 945-1844 x7231
http://www.dps109.org | https://dps109supt.edublogs.org
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