Minooka Community High School administers Illinois 5Essentials Survey to improve student learning

MINOOKA – Minooka Community High School (MCHS) District #111 will join the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in the eleventh 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. From January 24 through March 31, students 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.

“We encourage all of our teachers, students, and parents to complete the survey and make their voices heard to impact change. The survey results allow us to make data-driven decisions and provide us an opportunity to continuously improve,” said Dr. Robert Schiffbauer, Superintendent.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey provides 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. 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.

District #111 has consistently participated in the statewide 5Essentials Survey and is opting to administer the survey to teachers and students again this year to continue tracking and informing progress.