Transcript Raise Your Test Scores 15 Points With Resources You Already Have! Audrey P.

Raise Your Test Scores 15
Points With Resources You
Already Have!
Audrey P. Church
Coordinator,
School Library Media Program,
Longwood University
Past 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 Ingredients
Library 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

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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.
Collaboration
Leadership
Technology
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 to
1.
2.
3.
Access information efficiently and
effectively
Evaluate information critically and
competently
Use information accurately and
creatively
Nine Information Literacy
Standards for Student Learning

Independent Learning—Students are
information literate and are able to
4.
5.
6.
Pursue information for their own personal
interests
Appreciate literature and other creative
expressions of information
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.
8.
9.
Recognize the importance of information in a
democratic society
Practice ethical behavior in regard to information
technology
Participate effectively in groups to pursue and
generate information
Element of
INFORMATION LITERACY

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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. Church
Coordinator,
School Library Media Program,
Longwood University
[email protected]
http://www.longwood.edu/staff/achurch
434-395-2682