District 113A Seeks Public Input on School Climate

is seeking input on the public's perceptions of the district's schools and processes within each building.

An online survey will be available Dec. 14 through Dec. 23 at www.sd113a.org to determine how District 113A schools have been performing in the eyes of parents, students and district staff.

According to a district press release, the surveys will ask questions regarding school climate, which—by definition—reflects social, emotional, ethical and academic experiences of school life.

"We invite everyone to fill out this important climate survey as soon as possible," District 113A Superintendent Tim Ricker said in a press release. "It will help us with continuous improvement and with working to make our schools the best place it can be for students."

School officials indicated the surveys will serve to meet three purposes:

• Data will be used in the school improvement process for each school site;
• As part of the new requirements of Senate Bill 7, which focuses on performance and accountability, school principals will be required to do this type of surveying annually beginning next year;
• The administration and paraprofessional union have been discussing school climate and morale over the past several months and wants some hard data on areas to address based on the respondents' perceptions.

District 113A is using survey instruments from Victoria Bernhardt's School Portfolio Toolkit, "A Planning, Implementation and Evaluation Guide for Continuous School Improvement." According to district officials, the program has been nationally recognized and is a reliable and valid.

"We need all of our parents and interested community members to fill out this important survey as soon as possible,” Ricker said. "It will help us plan for both the near and far future of our schools.”

Once the data is collected it will analyzed and used to move ahead with continuous improvement plans and addressing issues based upon the data.

For more information, visit www.sd113a.org or call 630-257-2286, ext. 4605.