Illinois Essentials Survey

Dear Warrior Families,

We are pleased to offer our students, teachers and families the opportunity to share thoughts about the effectiveness of our schools through the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of school, including data relating to the five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, such as improved attendance and test score gains.

On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. Those 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 students are invited to fill out the survey, and 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 May and will also be included in the State School Report Card. 

Additionally, If at least 20 percent of parents and guardians complete this survey, a parent report will also be generated. The parent data will not be included 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. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. 

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey for students and teachers will be conducted through March 29. To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin.

For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ reports, please visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact UChicago Impact Survey Support at 1-866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Ryan McTague, PhD

Superintendent of Schools