May 2010: The School Library Link to Standards Achievement

So, what are we talking about when we talk about standards? Well, here’s one definition from The Free Dictionary (www.thefreedictionary.com):

Standard: An acknowledged measure of comparison for quantitative or qualitative value; a criterion.

In the educational world, standards are the goals we set for students. For example, states set their own curriculum standards, which are learning goals they want students to reach at each grade level. Have you seen your state’s standards? It’s important to know what your child is expected to achieve each year. Often state-mandated tests are based on the standards. On the Education World Web site you can find standards for every state:

www.educationworld.com/standards/state/index.shtml

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
In the school library community, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has created a set of information literacy standards--skills that every student needs to be taught in the school library. At every grade level, school libraries are poised to teach students skills on how to integrate what they learn from the curriculum with information.

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner was written in 2007 by the AASL and contains a detailed list of needed information skills for students. The document was written with a few core beliefs in mind. They center around the important of reading, inquiry, ethical behavior, technology skills, equitable access, and the changing nature of information literacy. The four basic goals for students is that they are able to :

1) Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.
2) Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge
3) Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.
4) Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

--Excerpted from
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
AASL, 2007

These four basic standards are then expanded to detail even more specific skills. To read more, view the PDF of this document, at http://tinyurl.com/c39tdq.

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The Link to Standards-Based Learning Resources

Many online learning resources link their lesson plans and programs to state standards, so that educators and parents can select the lessons that their students need to work on. Here are some great examples.

The Smithsonian Education Web site has an educator’s page with lesson plans about art & design, science & technology, history & culture, and language arts. On this page, you can select your state, the grade level of your student, and the subject to find the lessons that match your state’s specific learning goals. This is a great tool for parents to use at home too.

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/

BrainPop is a subscription service that offers parents and educators interactive lessons and activities, complete with animated videos, to help students learn. They have lessons on science, social studies, English, math, arts & music, health, and technology. BrainPop also has a link to state standards and their lessons that correlate:

http://www.brainpop.com/educators/state_standards/

BrainPop also comes in two additional versions: BrainPop ESL for English-language learners and BrainPop Jr. for younger learners in grades K-3. Subscription rates run from $9.95 to $14.95 a month for a family and they offer a free seven-day trial.

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Learn More About Standards and Libraries in the 21st Century

This book by Kristin Fontichiaro is a collection of more than 90 articles from School Library Media Activities Monthly (now School Library Monthly) that discuss the ideas and methods behind the AASL’s Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action (2009), an expansion of the original Standards for the 21st-Century Learner (2007). It includes lesson plans, instructional strategies, and topics on reading, inquiry, and assessment. Although this book is written for school librarians as a resource, parents who want to know more about the kinds of information skills we need to teach in schools will find it useful as well. (Libraries Unlimited, 2009)

 Although not about school libraries (and with a kind of corny title) this book is just for fun for anyone interested in knowing more about the new kinds of librarians out there in the 21st century. Author Marilyn Johnson takes a humorous look at the unstereotypical and wacky librarians and “cybrarians” out there who guide patrons to information through blogs, on their smartphones, and of course, in the public library. Take a look at how librarianship is changing! (HarperCollins, 2010)