Yes, Virginia, There IS Assessment in Library Media Instruction!

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Yes, Virginia, There IS Assessment in Library
Media Instruction!

• Andy Spinks
• Supervisor of Library Media Education
• Cobb County School District

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Introduction/Context

• Not program assessment, Not grading
• Level of assessment
• Institutional level
• Program level
• Classroom level
• Curricular Focus
• Separate/Additional assessment of information
  literacy
• Collaborative assessment of curriculum standards
  relating to information literacy

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Why Assess?
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Why should LMSs participate?

• Have an impact
• Ensure that all students become information
  literate
• Work more efficiently
• Dont spend time doing things that dont lead to
  student learning
• Demonstrate your importance
• The data you gather provide evidence that your
  program directly contributes to student
  achievement.

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21st Century Education Assessment

• New Methods for a New Mission

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Change in Mission for Education

• OLD Sort students into a rank order
• Good for students who are good at school
• Bad for students who dont succeed initially
• Creates a destructive feedback loop the good get
  better and the bad drop out
• NEW Help ALL students succeed
• Adjust differentiate instruction so that every
  student meets standards

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Balanced Assessment

• Assessment Of learning
• Summative takes place after the learning
  experience
• measures student success/failure
• Assessment FOR Learning (AFL)
• Formative takes place during the learning
  experience
• Provides feedback to student and teacher
• Allows for corrective action so that all students
  succeed

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Assessment FOR Learning (AFL)

• Provides feedback that informs teachers
  instructional decisions
• Allows for instructional changes during the
  learning experience, rather than measuring
  results afterward
• Provides positive motivation and encouragement to
  students
• Uses a carrot, not a stick. (Fear and
  intimidation do not motivate at-risk students.
• Provides evidence of successes and describes
  pathways to continued growth (scaffolding).

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Students as Instructional Decision-Makers

• Students are the most important audience for
  assessment data.
• Based on assessment feedback, they decide whether
  to try harder or stop trying.
• Feedback that says You failed! causes students
  to stop trying.
• Feedback that says You got this part right, and
  here is how to get the next part right.
  motivates students to continue.
• If students stop trying, we have failed. All
  other instructional actions are irrelevant.

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Advantages of AFL

• Continuous, ongoing feedback allows student and
  teachers to make real-time adjustments
• Breaks the destructive feedback loop of the old
  methods
• Research has clearly shown that it works.

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Assessment in Library Media Instruction

• Roles of the Library Media Specialist in
  Assessment

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Common Assumptions/Understandings

• Good library media instruction is
• Collaboratively planned with teachers
• Co-taught (both are engaged in instruction)
• Integrated with subject area curriculum
• Project-based
• Inquiry-based
• Designed to engage higher order thinking

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Co-Planning of Assessment Goals

• Collaborate with teachers in the earliest stages
  of assessment planning
• Co-design projects that
• Employ inquiry learning
• Align with curriculum standards
• Incorporate information literacy elements
• Engage higher-order thinking skills
• Allow for differentiation
• Co-develop assessment rubrics

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Co-Planning of Assessment First Steps

• Identify teachers with whom you already have good
  collaborative relationships
• Identify teachers who are open to change
• Suggest small adjustments to the projects you
  already do with these teachers
• During initial collaborative planning for the
  project
• At the beginning of the term, before they have
  started planning

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Co-Planning of Assessment Examples

• Allow students to choose their own topics and
  allow/encourage them to make creative topic
  choices.
• Add elements that require students to compare,
  contrast, evaluate, or create information.
• Broaden/Narrow source requirements
• Add citation requirements, even for presentations
• Create a schedule of sub-goals or progress
  indicators within the project to guide students
  through the project.
• Others?

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Co-Assessment During Co-Teaching

• Whole-group instruction
• Teacher LMS can swap off one performs
  informal assessment individual assistance while
  the other gives instruction to the group
• Small Group or Individual Instruction
• LMS can provide individual feedback and
  scaffolded instruction to students as they
  complete the project (even after the class visit)
• This requires that the LMS know the standards,
  understand the assignment and maintain open
  communication with the teacher.

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Co-Evaluation of Assessment Data

• After the project is completed, the LMS can join
  the teacher in
• Examining student work samples
• Reflecting on the what worked didnt work
• Using this information, they can
• Make adjustments to the plan for next time.
• Pro-actively improve similar projects in other
  classes
• Promote the role of the library media program in
  student achievement!

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More Contributions to Assessment

• Common Assessments
• Collaborate with teams/grades/departments to plan
  common projects with common rubrics.
• After all classes complete the project, meet as a
  group to examine reflect on assessment data.
• Data Teams
• Use your skills and training to help teachers
  draw meaningful conclusions from assessment data.

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Review Why Participate in Assessment?

• Improve the effectiveness of your program
• Improve student achievement for all students,
  especially those who struggle
• Gather concrete data that directly shows your
  programs contribution to student achievement
  support of curriculum

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Thanks for being here!

• Discussion
• PowerPoint selected resources online
• http//www.andyspinks.com/conferences