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To take the 5Essentials Survey, click here and select the appropriate option.

Note: This is a state survey and it is available to take in English or Spanish.

Dear Parent or Guardian,

At the start of each calendar year teachers, parents, and students across Illinois have the opportunity to participate in the annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school.

On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online 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. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:

• 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 fourth through eighth grade students will have an opportunity to participate in 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 2020 and will also be included in the State School Report Card.

Additionally, the district has chosen to provide the optional 5Essentials parent survey. If at least 20 percent of parents from each school to complete this survey, a parent report will also be generated. The parent data will not be reported on the State Report Card.

Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. If you have children in more than one school, feel free to complete a survey for each school. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

Students in fourth through eighth grade began taking the survey during class time on January 6th, 2020. The Parent Survey can be taken anytime prior to February 14th, 2020.

Parents, to take the survey, please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin. Please note, parents who have children at the ELC should select Holmes Junior High School when completing the survey.

For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, please visit https://illinois.5-essentials.org. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu.

Sincerely,
Tom Luedloff
Associate Superintendent of Schools