Raise Your Test Scores 15 Points With

Resources You Already Have!

Audrey P. ChurchCoordinator,

School Library Media Program, Longwood UniversityPast President, VEMA

Educational Technology Leadership

What this conference is all about…

Academic Achievement?

TEST SCORES! Parents—”School Report Cards”

Newspaper Accounts Virginia Department of Education website

How do the two relate? Educational Technology Leadership? Academic Achievement?

Where do the two connect?In the Library!

Key IngredientsLibrary media program and

Library media specialist as a Leader in Technology in your School

“Evidence of the positive impact of school librarians on students’ academic achievement abounds. Over the past 40 years, dozens of studies conducted throughout the United States and abroad have produced conclusive evidence that this relationship exists.”

Dr. Keith Curry Lance, Director, Colorado-based Library Research Service

Eight Recent Statewide Studies

The Impact of School Library Media Centers on Academic Achievement, Colorado, 1993

Information Empowered: The School Librarian as an Agent of Academic Achievement, Alaska, 1999

Measuring Up to Standards: The Impact of School Library Programs & Information Literacy in Pennsylvania Schools, 2000

How School Librarians Help Kids Achieve Standards: The Second Colorado Study, 2000

School Libraries and MCAS Scores, Massachusetts, 2000

Good Schools Have School Librarians: Oregon School Librarians Collaborate to Improve Academic Achievement, 2001

Texas School Libraries: Standards, Resources, Services, and Students’ Performance, 2001

Make the Connection: Quality School Library Media Programs Impact Academic Achievement in Iowa, 2002

Four Key Findings from the Studies

Test scores rise…with the level of development of school libraries (staff, collection, program and activities).

Test scores rise…as the library media specialist becomes more involved in leadership and collaboration to foster information literacy skills instruction.

What is information literacy?

“the ability to access information, evaluate what you find, and use it”

Access—from using indexes to appropriate search tools to Boolean logic

Evaluate—from forming focusing questions to taking notes effectively to evaluating Web sites

Use—responsibly, ethically using information to create a meaningful product

Test scores rise…with the extent to which information technology is utilized beyond the reach of the library walls.

What is involved in information technology?

Efficient and effective use of information resources such as The online catalog The Internet Subscription databases

Online Catalogs

The Internet

The Internet

Subscription Databases

Subscription Database--Infotrac

Subscription Database--SIRS Knowledge Source

Test scores rise…as the library media specialist takes an active role in instructional activities in the school.

CollaborationLeadershipTechnology

Jamie McKenzie states… IT (Information Technology) does not

transform schools by ITself. It is time we replace the term IT with IL

(Information Literacy). IT is about flow—the movement of

information through networks of various kinds.

IL is about developing understanding and insight.

From Beyond Technology: Questioning, Research and the Information Literate School, 2000

Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student

Learning Information Literacy—

Students are able to1. Access information efficiently

and effectively2. Evaluate information critically

and competently3. Use information accurately and

creatively

Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student

Learning Independent Learning—Students

are information literate and are able to

4. Pursue information for their own personal interests

5. Appreciate literature and other creative expressions of information

6. Strive for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation

Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student

Learning

Social Responsibility—Students who contribute positively to the learning community and society are information literate and

7. Recognize the importance of information in a democratic society

8. Practice ethical behavior in regard to information technology

9. Participate effectively in groups to pursue and generate information

Element of INFORMATION LITERACY Recognizing the need for information Constructing key questions to focus

research/information need Accessing/finding information Evaluating the information that is

found Using that information creatively,

responsibly, and ethically

Understanding/Proper Use of INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Science 4.5: The student will investigate and understand how plants and animals in an ecosystem interact with one another and the nonliving environment. Key concepts include…habitats and niches.

Sample Internet Search

Sample Database Search

Sample Subject Search Results from SIRS Discoverer™

Sample Database Search

Sample Search Results from SIRS Researcher

How much do test scores go up…Or, what difference does a strong library media program make?

The second Colorado study reports that “CSAP [Colorado Student Assessment Program] reading scores tend to run 18 percent higher in fourth grade and 10 to 15 percent higher in seventh” when library media predictors are maximized.

The Pennsylvania study reports that “PSSA [Pennsylvania System of School Assessment] reading scores tend to run 10 to 15 points higher” when library media predictors are maximized.

For Academic Achievement…

Utilize the library media specialist as MORE than a resource person…as an

instructional partner who specializes in information

“The nation’s future depends on the next generation’s ability to compete in a new world that places information, critical thinking, and problem solving at a premium.

The research is mounting that young people and teachers are at risk if they lack the types of information technology a strong library media program can deliver.”

Powering Achievement, p. v.

Strong school library media programs make

a significant difference in academic

achievement!

Use the library to boost your test scores and student learning!

Take advantage of the great potential that is there!

Fully utilize library information resources—collection and person—to positively impact student learning!

Raise Your Test Scores 10-15 Points?

Use your library media specialist

as the active instructional partner that he/she is! Maximize the potential

that is there!

Audrey P. ChurchCoordinator,

School Library Media Program, Longwood Universityachurch@longwood.edu

http://www.longwood.edu/staff/achurch

434-395-2682