What Is Assessment? Why Should Library Media Specialists Be Involved?

1. What Is Assessment? Why Should Library Media Specialists Be Involved? Violet H. Harada University of Hawaii AASL Fall Forum 2006

2. Vi’s Informal Survey • Library media specialists teach an average of 600 to 700 lessons a year. • Library media specialists spend at least 2 to 3 hours of preparation time for each new lesson. • Library media specialists teach a diverse range of students, from pre-K through grade 12 in special education, gifted, ESL, and regular classes. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

3. The BIG QUESTION With so much teaching being done . . . how do we know how well students are actually learning? Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

4. Coffee pot comments and underlying issues “I have to teach the same lessons year after year because the students simply don’t learn.” • The problem lies with students. • Repetition is the most effective way to achieve successful student learning. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

5. More coffee pot comments “I don’t have time to give quizzes and tests so I can’t really assess students’ work.” • The only means of assessing student performance is through conventional paper and pencil tests. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

6. More coffee pot comments “Actually, assessment is not my responsibility anyway--it’s the teacher’s job.” • Assessment is done primarily for grading purposes. • Assessment is divorced from the learning process. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

7. The REALITIES • Assessing student learning is every school professional’s responsibility. • Assessment and evaluation are not the same thing. • Assessment is integral to successful learning. • Assessment is central to effective teaching. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

8. Essential questions • What is assessment? • Who should assess? • Why do it? • How are library media specialists doing it? Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

9. What is assessment?

10. More of Vi’s informal survey • How do you currently know whether students “get it or not”? • Eyeball the room • Spot check as students work • Survey the number and types of books checked out • Look for the glimmer of discovery in a student’s eye Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

11. Assessment defined • Process of collecting, analyzing and reporting data that informs us about progress and problems a learner encounters in a learning experience • Derived from Latin assidere (to sit with) • Implications: mentors talk with and work alongside learners Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

12. Purposes for assessment • Assessment OF LEARNING • Assessment FOR LEARNING • Assessment FOR ADVOCACY Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

13. Assessment OF learning • Summative, judgmental • Involves grading • Places responsibility on instructor • Focuses on programmatic and system accountability • Examples: high stakes testing, unit tests, culminating products Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

14. Assessment FOR learning • Formative, ongoing, reflective • Involves student and instructor as partners in assessment • Involves pre-assessment to diagnose what students already know or don’t know Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

15. Assessment FOR learning • Focuses on student’s evolving performance • Where am I going? • Where am I now? • How do I close the gap? • Examples of instruments: learning logs, rating scales, checklists, conferences, graphic organizers, rubrics Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

16. Assessment for ADVOCACY • Focuses on communication • Targets stakeholders and decision makers in the school community • Involves the synthesis of evidence focusing on student achievements • Requires a strategic, selective approach to assessment • Possible methods: evidence folders Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

17. Who should assess?Why do it?

18. Assessment as a reflective community experience • Students • Classroom teachers • Library media specialists • Other teaching partners Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

19. Why we need to assess • Library media centers are extensions of the classrooms. • What we teach is foundational to successful learning. • Information literacy is considered central to • 21st century skills • New basics Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

20. Why we need to assess • What we teach helps to close the learning gap. • If we are teaching partners, we are also partners in assessment. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

21. Research indicates . . . . For students-- • Increases student motivation • Deepens quality of learning For instructors-- • Informs teaching--what to adjust and why • Enables specific and personalized feedback • Allows for differentiated instruction Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

22. How are library media specialists doing it?

23. Scenario 1: Pacific Elementary

24. The setting • K students discover a strange insect on campus. • They want to find out what it is and its potential danger. • They work with teacher, LMS, and tech coordinator. • They use library resources and contact an entomologist by email. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

25. Students’ email Dear Mr. K We fownd a bug on the sidwok at or school. It is red and black. It has 2 antena and small sqares on the back. Kan you hlp us? We want to no if this bug is dangris and if it pichas and what it can do. Can you tell us its name too? Mrs. W’s class Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

26. The setting • They publicize the results by • Designing informational posters for the campus • Creating a short video message aired over closed circuit television Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

27. Assessing for learning • Focus: To what degree are K students able to identify important aspects of the inquiry process? • Teacher and LMS devise 2 class charts to show prior knowledge (pre-assessment) and new knowledge gained (post-assessment). Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

28. Chart 1: What we know about inquiring (pre) Have a question Find the information Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

29. Chart 2: What we know about inquiring (post) Find something interesting Think about what we already know Have wonderings Find the information Check in different places Try to find the information Share what we learned Don’t make up the information! Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

30. Scenario 2: Island Middle School

31. The setting • Grade 6 students engage in two cycles of research assignments. • Cycle 1 • Inquiry: Are ancient civilizations still alive today? How do we know? • Performance task: Create artifacts. • Context: Students work on exhibits displayed in the library as part of school’s Curriculum Fair. • Audience: Peers and parents. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

32. The setting • Cycle 2 • Inquiry: Historical heroes--what makes a hero? Who would I choose and why? • Performance task: Create posters. • Context: Students mount a Hall of Fame of Historical Heroes in the cafetorium for Parent Night. • Audience: Parents and peers. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

33. Assessing for learning • Focus: Are students able to identify important aspects of the information search process? • Students maintain e-logs on a bi-weekly basis. • Teacher, LMS, and student compare and contrast e-logs from both cycles. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

34. Gloria’s e-log (cycle 1) Prompt: If a new student came to our class, how would you explain the steps you would take to work on your research assignment? “I would tell her to find a topic and go to the library and use the electronic encyclopedia to find information. Then write it up and turn it in.” Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

35. Gloria’s e-log (cycle 2) Prompt: If a new student came to our class, how would you explain the steps you took to work on your research assignment? [Read aloud Gloria’s e-log] Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

36. Scenario 3: Paradise High School

37. The setting • Grade 10 students study issues relating to global pollution. • Inquiry: What factors impact global pollution? How bad is the situation? What can we do about it? • Performance task: Create multimedia presentations to showcase findings and possible solutions. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

38. The setting • Context: Students participate in a mock global summit sponsored by the local department of education. Members of the community are invited as responders. • Audience: Peers and community experts. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

39. Assessing for learning • Focus: Are students able to evaluate the usefulness of web sites for their research? • Students assess the web sites based on content, authority, and ease of use. • They collaborate with the LMS to design a graphic organizer to evaluate web sites. • They use the graphic organizer to evaluate 3 web sites at 3 different intervals in their search process. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

40. Levels of proficiency Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

41. Compiled class results Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

42. Assessment for advocacy: building evidence folders

43. Context • Pilot project in Hawaii • Collaborative initiative • Hawaii Association of School Librarians • University of Hawaii • Hawaii Department of Education • 24 K-12 librarians in pilot group • Face-to-face summer workshop and checkpoint sessions • Online exchanges and support Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

44. Targets of the pilot • Apply a strategic approach to assessment for advocacy • Practice an outcome-based approach in designing instruction • Build evidence folders of student learning through libraries Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

45. Strategic approach to assessment • Identify school’s student learning priorities. • Select specific lessons and projects that link to the school’s learning priorities. • Establish criteria to assess student achievement of the learning targets. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

46. Strategic approach to assessment • Devise assessment tools to measure achievement of the learning targets. • Collect and analyze the data. • Communicate the results to different stakeholder groups. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

47. Outcome based approach to instruction • Develop a clear learning goal or outcome. • Align it with standards. • Determine the performance task for students to demonstrate their understanding. • Identify criteria to assess student performance on the task. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

48. Outcome based approach to instruction • Create an assessment tool to measure quality of student performance. • Develop activities that facilitate achievement of the learning goal. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

49. Possible contents of evidence folder • Link library’s mission with school’s mission statement. • Connect with school’s learning priorities. • Select samples of instruction that most closely align with school’s priorities. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006

50. Possible contents of evidence folder • Provide examples of student work for lessons included. • Display compiled assessment data for lessons selected. • Include samples of student and instructor reflections about progress and improvements. Harada AASL Fall Forum 2006