5Essentials puzzle
With news that CPS is going to factor in the 5Essentials survey into its elementary school ratings (gone will be Level 1, Level 2, Level 3), I wanted to read a little bit more about the survey that reports on a school’s culture and organization.
I started with this AP story:
“Students will respond online to more than 70 multiple-choice questions — it will take less than 20 minutes, according officials, who are asking schools to administer the survey during school hours. Some questions will ask about learning, including the difficulty of homework assignments and tests. Others address bullying and safety concerns.
One question: “How safe do you feel in the hallways and bathrooms of school?” Another asks whether most students at school “like to put others down.”
The survey will be available online through March 31. There are about one million pupils in middle and high schools who will take the survey, although no one, including teachers, is forced to participate.”
The folks at the University of Chicago’s Consortium on School Research who developed the survey say that a school that is well organized and healthy in these five areas is better able to teach kids.
The five essentials are effective leaders, collaborative teachers, ambitious instruction, supportive environment and involved families, and the teachers and parents of Pre K- 12 grade students, and also by students in grades 6-12.
Here’s Chicago-specific info. Looks like you have to have a login to see actual school reports, but here’s a sample report to see what they look like.
