Peoria Public School District 150 is surveying parents, students and teachers to get a bird’s-eye view of the district’s learning environment and culture.
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey is a statewide initiative with the Illinois State Board of Education, developed by the University of Chicago. District 150’s Chief Curriculum Officer Susan Grzanichsays the survey allows members of school communities a chance to have their voices heard.
“It’s just another piece of data that does allows you to either corroborate what’s already been said or it might give you a piece of information that you haven’t had before," Grzanich said. "So it gives you another look.”
This is the first year District 150 is using the 5Essentials survey as a benchmark to track progress in the future. Grzanich says the service was used in the past, but not in an official capacity.
“When I was a principal, I used the data with my teachers a lot and we did goal-setting around customer service of things we wanted to do to improve our building,” Grzanich said.
The findings will be posted online along with the Illinois State Board of Education’s report card data in May. Interim Superintendent Sharon Kherat says this year’s data will be used to measure progress as the district implements its five-year strategic plan.
For findings to be compiled, the district needs at least 50 percent participation from students, 50 percent from teachers and 20 percent from parents. The survey can be accessed through March 11th.
The five areas the survey measures are effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environment and ambitious instruction.