Lori Franklin Laura Soash April 2009

AASL Fall ForumAssessment, Part II: Constructing and Interpreting Viable

Tools for Effective Student Learning in the Library Media Center

October, 2008Oak Brook, IllinoisShort, focused conference held every other yearYou can apply for an attendance grant through KASL

Three-pronged ApproachConstructing effective programs as a teaching partner in

assessment – Celeste Nalwasky, Ph.D.Interpreting statistical evidence of student learning –

Judith DzikowskiUsing standardized assessment to guide instruction and

leverage collaboration – Barbara Schloman, Ph.D. and Julie A. Gedeon, Ph.D.

Each presenter provided a general session introduction Breakout sessions focused on the above topics in more

depth

Dr. Celeste NalwaskyDescribed

Peters Township Middle School Library Media Center as a framework for showcasing what media programs should strive to create.

7th-8th grade schoolWe must build programs to support learning.Library program is fully integrated with whole-school

curriculum.

FeaturesNo-hassle circulation policy (no due dates/overdues).Teacher desire to work with someone they perceive to

be highly skilled and effective as a teacher.Recommends: Harry K. Wong’s The First Days of School

as a “must” for the entire school faculty.Another influential educator/researcher: Robert

Marzano: Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement.

A Planning Guide for Information Power; Building Partnerships for Learning (AASL)

How Good is Good?Pennsylvania School Library AssociationExamining competencies for teacher-librarians.Take a look at their brochure:

http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/libraries/lib/libraries/BLD2618_PDE_Key_Players_Booklet_COLOR.pdf

Works of Charlotte DanielsonNeed for high-quality, complex teaching practices.Specialist frameworks.Teacher mentoring and evaluation.Professional growth plans.

Using Data“Teachers’ assessment of individual students’ readiness,

interests, and ways of learning, as well as understanding their thoughts and feelings, which are driving the decisions made about instruction.” – Hollis, 2005.

“Every student an IEP in the future.”

Kuhlthau: Inquiry Learning“An approach to learning whereby students find and use

a variety of sources of information and ideas to increase their understanding of a problem, topic, or issue.” – Kuhlthau, 2007

Inquiry learning means: motivator, a goal/objective and assessment.

Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century

Judith DzikowskiFocus on human growth and development knowledge.We need to engage learners at all levels – our goal is to

improve and increase instructional access.This looks like:

- knowledge of learners - knowledge of teaching and learning - knowledge of information literacy

InquisitivenessChildren are inquisitive by nature.We need to seek out diverse perspectives.Asking good test ?s = rise in test scores.

TiesWe should tie our collection to assessment data.Determine how to balance love of reading with lifelong

learning.How can we help students to develop:

- critical thinking skills - problem-solving skills - communication skills

P.A.L.S.Partners in Achievement: Libraries and Students (PALS)

Improving Student Achievement through Data Use for Library Media Specialists

Award winning program3-year cycleExamines:

- student learning needs - library program - collection

All linked to student achievement

Also examined: Student Assessments + Data

Analysis

RationaleStudies show that the LMS has a positive impact on

student performance.There is a missing element: the direct connection

between information skills instruction and reading advocacy taught by the LMS and measured performances by students on standardized tests.

Action Plan: Perform gap analysis for student performanceLook at trend analysis of previous years’ dataCollection development planCollaborative instruction planEnd goal: Strategic Growth

ImpactDecided to redesign projects based on gap analysis

(student learning needs)Enhanced collections to support new projects/strategiesDecided to use more mini-projects for info. Lit. skillsTrue collaboration and team teachingPiloted flex scheduling at elementary schools

ResultsIncreased teacher and librarian collaborationPrioritized district curriculum mappingScheduling options pilotedCollection development targetedLMS seen as “Key Players” in data analysis/use

LMS Participants say:Data helps LMS determine how to collaborate with

teachers.Examines students’ genuine needs – not formulaicWeedingBudget increases for updating collectionsProfessional and personal growth

Teacher participants say:LMS essential to literacy development.Collaboration provides for more interesting/varied

lessons taught to students.Students are now eager to search for new information.Students better at finding main idea/details in text;

writing quality; working in collaborative groups.

Student participants say:Students see LMS as integrated part of the instructional

process.Students are having more fun in the library, working on

projects!In-depth learning has increased on subjects they

researched.

Dr. Barbara F. Schloman & Dr. Julie GedeonTool for Real Time Assessment for Information Literacy

Skills – T.R.A.I.L.Shttp://www.trails-9.org/Looks at education as a continuum from age K-20.Tool to measure information literacy competencies.Free!

InformationDevelopers saw a need for assessment tools, based on

interactions with academic and school librarians.Used the Ohio Academic Content Standards and AASL’s

Information Power.Determined information literacy categories:

- Develop topic - Identify potential sources - Develop, use and revise search strategies - Evaluate sources and information - Recognize how to use information responsibly, ethically,

and legally.

Assessment itemsPriority competencies determinedObjectives developedItems writtenItems field-tested by LMS and then revised

- Are items understandable as written? - Are they measuring what was intended?

TRAILS assessmentsTRAILS 9

- Two 30-item general assessments covering all five of the information literacy categories.- Two sets of 10-item assessments for each of the five categories.

TRAILS 6 - Two 25-item general assessments covering all five of the information literacy categories.

TRAILS 3 - Being developed.

T.R.A.I.L.S. provides:Measure of overall performance.Diagnostic.Distribution of correct/incorrect answers.Randomly assigned codes – protects student identities

outside of school.

Examples6th grade

Your class is holding a health fair for your entire school. You have been assigned the topic of West Nile Virus. You have located a variety of useful sources on the topic. Which of the following resources could you make copies of and distribute to the entire school without violating copyright? CHOOSE ONE ANSWER.

A. a government publication made available for educational useB. a magazine article that you located in your school libraryC. a section of a textbook used in your science class

Examples9th grade

What is the best definition of intellectual freedom? CHOOSE ONE ANSWER.

A. the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction B. the prevention of cheating by students the encouragement of open and public sharing of ideasC. the limiting of access to ideas and information that some people find objectionable or dangerous D. the support of the Bill of Rights

Personal experiencesI worked with one teacher to initially explore

T.R.A.I.L.S.We looked at two classes

- Low-achieving students in a resource class - Medium-achieving students in an AVID program designed to move them up into the next level

Bringing one teacher onboard seemed like a quick way to begin investigating T.R.A.I.L.S. assessments

Other teachers observing decided to use T.R.A.I.L.S. as a pre- and post-assessment for all AVID students

Neighboring high school…Kate Thompson, Olathe Northwest High SchoolUses with all student to ascertain beginning skills

upon entering high schoolHealth classes - orientationLanguage Arts classesBaseline information helps to determine

instructionWill be having seniors take it this semester as a

post-test to compare growthModified assessment to reflect local

standards/library

Comments…Initially, I used TRAILS with sophomores and seniors, as a

pre and post assessment. I used the Ninth Grade - Identify Potential Sources 1 Assessment for these two groups. My hope is that I'd see an improvement from 10th to 12th grade.

I began by using the TRAILS web site to set up my classes and collect data but now that we have a Clicker set, I've used the TRAILS questions, and added a few of my own, and created the assessment as a whole group activity. The clickers software generates a sheet with the questions the answer choices the students' answers and a bar graph (see attached). I was creating a bar graph with Excel (inputting data, etc.) when I was using the TRAILS site, the CPS software is much quicker. Students can also see the results immediately with the CPS, which allows me the segue I need to speak to certain skills.

More Comments…I like most of the questions, they follow the

AASL information literacy standards. Some of them, though, are specific to Ohio but now that I use the clickers I just omit these questions.

The cons are the state specific questions.

ReferencesHard copyLinked PDF posted onlineSlide Share

http://www.slideshare.net/lfranklinoeOlathe East Library Media Center

presentationshttp://teachers.olatheschools.com/oelibrary/

presentations.html