Illinois 5Essentials

Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 has given the Illinois 5Essentials Survey every year since 2012. The survey results are reported to members of the Board of Education and are included as a part of the school report cards that are published by the State Board of Education.

The survey is administered annually during the months of November, December, and January. Students in grades six through eight took the survey along with all of our teachers and many of our parents. You can view a copy of the survey on the Illinois 5Essentials website (opens in a new window as a .pdf).  Additionally, a list of frequently asked questions about the survey can be found on the Illinois 5Essentials website.

About the Survey

The 5Essentials is a comprehensive, evidence-based tool designed to drive improvement in schools. This system - which includes a diagnostic survey, scoring, reporting, and training - is an x-ray for schools and districts that identifies areas of strength and those in need of support. 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: The principal works with teachers to implement a clear and strategic vision for school success.
• Collaborative Teachers: Teachers collaborate to promote professional growth..
• Involved Families: The entire school staff builds strong relationships with families and communities to support learning.
• Supportive Environment: The school is safe and orderly. Teachers have high expectations for students and support students to realize their goals. Classmates also support one another.
• Ambitious Instruction: Classes are academically demanding and engage students by emphasizing the application of knowledge.

 
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.
 
Generated from a rigorous analysis of student and teacher survey responses, 5Essentials Reports demonstrate that what students and teachers say about their schools can serve as important indicators for school success. In the inaugural 2012-2013 statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey, 87 percent of all schools in the state met the 50-percent participation threshold to receive a 5Essentials Report, with participation from more than 70 percent of all teachers and eligible 6th through 12th graders across Illinois.

Lake Bluff Results

The reports from the Illinois 5Essentials Survey are available in the folders below.

2016 Results