This past April and May I have facilitated four sessions across the State of Vermont on the new National School Library Standards, reaching about 90 Vermont School Librarians.
I have adopted the new National School Library Standards to use as performance indicators for our school libraries within our district. I then broke the performance indicators down into learning targets, from which I have constructed my lessons, formative assessments, and summative assessments. Hoping to make the transition to Proficiency-Based Learning and Grading by 2020 a little easier for Vermont School Librarians, I am sharing the Proficiencies, Performance Indicators (AASL), and Learning Targets (skills/competencies - AASL) I created (at the 9th-12th grade level), which can then be modified to meet the needs of students at the elementary and middle school levels. Please see the presentation below to learn more. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
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The framework for the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries has been built upon the four domains from 2007 AASL's Standards for the 21st Century Learner and our roles within the domains from Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs, 2009. I. The four domains from the Standards for the 21st Century Learner are: 1. Think 2. Create 3. Share 4. Grow. II. Our roles from Empowering Learners are: 1. Leader 2. Instructional Partner 3. Information Specialist 4. Teacher 5. Program Administrator. III. The new National School Library Standards are also built upon the following Common Beliefs: 1. The school library is a unique and essential part of a learning community. 2. Qualified School Librarians lead effective school libraries. 3. Learners should be prepared for college, career, and life. 4. Reading is the core of personal and academic competency. 5. Intellectual freedom is every learner's right. 6. Information technologies must be appropriately integrated and equitably available. Please click here to learn more about the Common Beliefs. IV. The new National School Library Standards are also built upon six Shared Foundations, as seen in the image below. According to the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries, "Each Shared Foundation is a one-word idea encompassing each standard" (ALA 2018). Please click here to learn more about the six Shared Foundations. V. In addition, the new National School Library Standards are built upon Key Commitments. According to the new National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries, "...the Key Commitments are expressed by the Alignments included in each functional Domain" (ALA 2018). The six Key Commitments for Learners are as follows...Learners who hare empowered to deepen their own learning will: 1. acquire new knowledge by thinking critically and solving problems; 2. operate in global society by interacting with and acknowledging the perspectives of others; 3. work with others to achieve common goals; 4. collect, organize, and share sources; 5. harness curiosity and employ a growth mindset to explore and discover; and 6. follow ethical and legal guidelines while engaging with information. VI. The new National School Library Standards are also built upon Competencies, which according to the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries, "...may be used as a progression of knowledge, skills, and dispositions" (ALA 2018). Key Vocabulary
Shared Foundation: This level describes the core values that learners, school librarians, and shared libraries should reflect and promote. The six Shared Foundations of Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage were derived from our research and community input. Each Shared Foundation is also inherent in your Common Beliefs. Key Commitment: The Key Commitments spell out the essential components of the Shared Foundations. Consider Key Commitments as expanded definitions of the Shared Foundations. Domains: As mentioned earlier in this chapter, the interlinked nature of school librarians’ roles is translated into the learning categories of Think, Create, Share, and Grow. Competencies: For learners and school librarians the Key Commitments are put into practice by doing the actions that demonstrate mastery of the core Competencies included in each functional Domain. Think, Create, Share, Grow may be seen as a continuum mirroring the inquiry process, from Discovery and questioning through to sharing the results of one’s work and reflecting on the process. The Competencies are not intended to be only linear, but may be used as a progression of knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Alignments: In school libraries the Key Commitments are expressed by the Alignments included in each functional Domain. Key Vocabulary terms from the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. ALA, 2018. Please email [email protected], if you have any questions. Please be sure to sign up for the next National School Library Standards Webinar - tomorrow Wednesday, March 7th at 6:00 P.M. Central Time!
AASL Standards and Advocacy Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly with Judy Deichman and Megan Murry Cusick. When? Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. Central Time. According to the AASL website, "Presenters Megan Cusick and Judy Deichman will highlight the National School Library Standards as a platform for strategic advocacy in your learning communities. This webinar will provide concrete steps and actions to advocate for your learners and school library utilizing resources from ALA's Office for Library Advocacy, the AASL Standards Portal, and the National School Library Standards publication." Learning Outcomes
To register, please use this link: Register via GoToWebinar. A certificate of participation will be provided to attendees of the live webinar by request. To request a certificate of participation after the webinar, please email Jennifer Habley. Certificates will be sent as PDFs via email within one week of the webinar. For more information, please click here. What Do The New Standards Replace? DID We Keep Anything From Earlier Standards Or Guidelines?3/6/2018 The new National School Library Standards - Released in November 2018 replace:
HOWEVER, We Have Kept Our Four Functional Domains (AASL’s Standards for the 21st Century Learner 2007 - please see link above to learn more). We Have Also Kept Our Roles Within the Domains (Empowering Learners 2009 - please see link above to learn more). Stay tuned for the next blog post on the new National School Library Standards Common Beliefs!
If you have any questions, please email: [email protected] Please be sure to sign up for the webinar "Connecting Competencies: Learner, School Librarian and School Library" - presented by Susan Ballard and Sara Kelly Johns
When? Thursday, February 22, 2018 | 6:00 p.m. Central Participants will be introduced to the language of competencies as part of the structure of the National School Library Standards (NSLS). The intentional shift from outcomes to competencies in the standards is designed to better align the AASL framework with other education standards and provide increased opportunities for learners, school librarians, and school libraries to thrive in a more personalized learning environment. Learning Outcomes Learning Objective: Learner Competencies Participants will examine the role of competencies within the six Shared Foundations as a continuum on which school librarians and school libraries empower learners to master competencies in the domains of Think, Create, Share, and Grow. Learning Objective: School Librarian Competencies Participants will explore how the school librarian competencies parallel those of the learner, and emphasize the integrated nature of a comprehensive learning environment. Learning Objective: School Library Competencies Participants will recognize the school library as an environment for learners and school librarians to develop competence and achieve mastery relating to educational content and tools. Learning Objective: Assessment/Evaluation of Competencies Participants will recognize the importance of the assessment and evaluations processes as described in the NSLS that measure progress toward competency for learners, school librarians, and the school library. Cost is FREE! To register, please use this link: Register via GoToWebinar. A certificate of participation will be provided to attendees of the live webinar by request. To request a certificate of participation after the webinar, please email Jennifer Habley. Certificates will be sent as PDFs via email within one week of the webinar. For more information, please click here.
To understand where we have been, in terms of school library standards, and how we arrived at the point where we are today, please take a moment to reflect upon the following timeline of events.
* 2017 - National School Library Standards (AASL 2017):" School Library"
* 2007 - Standards for the 21st Century Learner (AASL 2007): Think, Create, Share, Grow! "School Librarian"
"School Library Media Specialist"
"School Library Media Program"
"Media Programs: District and School (AASL and AECT 1975), reflected a greater emphasis on the librarian's role in teaching learners to communicate ideas through media creation as well as through information use (ALA 2018)." * 1920 - 1959: Foundational Work. 1920's - "The Certain standards' focus on high-quality instruction and student engagement placed school librarians at the center of teaching and learning (ALA 2018)." 1945 - School Library Standards - School Libraries for Today and Tomorrow: Functions and Standards (ALA et al. 1945)...In these standards, school librarians were expected to have deep knowledge of their collections and to be knowledgeable about their learners' reading abilities and preferences (ALA 2018).
View the video below, to hear first reactions of the
NEW AASL Standards.
The new American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards were released in November, 2017. According to the National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries, (ALA 2018) "The AASL Standards frameworks are composed of Shared Foundations, explanatory Key Commitments, competency Domains, Competencies, and Alignments." These "...core components" (ALA 2018) are part of each of the three separate frameworks...one for Learners, the second for School Librarians, and the third for School Libraries.
The new standards were developed with these Common Beliefs in mind.
Please view the video below to learn how the standards have evolved, but yet, are still familiar to us all.
Please view the video below, to learn about the new standards structure.
Any questions? Please contact me at: [email protected]
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AuthorDeborah Ehler-Hansen Archives
May 2018
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