Evolution of Evaluation in Georgia: Exploring School Librarians' Responses
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ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| Language: | en |
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2019
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| _version_ | 1867181236375519232 |
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| author | Snipes, Phyllis Robinson Frilot, Holly |
| author_facet | Snipes, Phyllis Robinson Frilot, Holly Snipes, Phyllis Robinson Frilot, Holly |
| collection | Education Resources Information Center |
| contents | Evolution of Evaluation in Georgia: Exploring School Librarians' Responses Snipes, Phyllis Robinson Frilot, Holly School Districts Instructional Effectiveness Librarians School Libraries Responses Library Role Media Specialists Library Services Surveys Partnerships in Education Instructional Leadership Library Administration Communication Skills Literature Appreciation Educational Environment Information Technology Technological Literacy In many locales--in many states--early conceptions of the school librarian's job have not evolved over the years even as the duties have expanded exponentially. The fact that in some districts outdated evaluation tools, such as Georgia's 1990 system, are still used to rate 21st-century school librarians is an obvious sign of the misconceptions others have about the duties and performance of the school librarian today. The roles of school librarians and the assessments used to evaluate their performance are often incongruent. Two factors seem to contribute to this incongruence. First, various stakeholder groups view the roles of the school librarian inconsistently; therefore, members of the public do not always apply the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) roles of leader, teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator when they define the roles of the school librarian (AASL 2009). Second, assessments that have been developed to evaluate school librarians' effectiveness are either outdated--and therefore, do not reflect the actual roles of today's school library professionals--or they lack a consistent focus on credible school library guidelines. In light of these mixed concepts of role definitions and assessment inconsistencies, and in an effort to address these obstacles, the Georgia School Library Media Specialist Consortium developed the School Librarian Evaluation Instrument (SLEI). The ten standards that form the basis for the system were built using the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards for 21st Century Learners (AASL 2007), American Library Association (ALA)/ AASL Standards for Initial Preparation of School Librarians (AASL 2010), and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Coaches (2011). It should be noted that, with the 2018 update to the earlier AASL standards, members of the Georgia Consortium did a thorough review of the SLEI standards. This review revealed that the ten SLEI standards are in full alignment with the 2018 AASL Standards, as the five roles of the school librarian were unchanged. One goal for the development of the SLEI system was to advocate and demonstrate the powerful contributions the school librarian can make when in a position to fulfill the roles set forth in the instrument. The SLEI system has been transformative for school librarian evaluation in the Cobb County School District. It has brought about a more-thorough understanding of what the specific roles of the school librarian are, and has provided a platform for strong advocacy for the profession in that district. |
| format | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| id | eric_EJ1207624 |
| institution | ERIC Institute of Education Sciences |
| language | en |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| record_format | eric |
| spellingShingle | Evolution of Evaluation in Georgia: Exploring School Librarians' Responses Snipes, Phyllis Robinson Frilot, Holly School Districts Instructional Effectiveness Librarians School Libraries Responses Library Role Media Specialists Library Services Surveys Partnerships in Education Instructional Leadership Library Administration Communication Skills Literature Appreciation Educational Environment Information Technology Technological Literacy Evolution of Evaluation in Georgia: Exploring School Librarians' Responses Snipes, Phyllis Robinson Frilot, Holly School Districts Instructional Effectiveness Librarians School Libraries Responses Library Role Media Specialists Library Services Surveys Partnerships in Education Instructional Leadership Library Administration Communication Skills Literature Appreciation Educational Environment Information Technology Technological Literacy In many locales--in many states--early conceptions of the school librarian's job have not evolved over the years even as the duties have expanded exponentially. The fact that in some districts outdated evaluation tools, such as Georgia's 1990 system, are still used to rate 21st-century school librarians is an obvious sign of the misconceptions others have about the duties and performance of the school librarian today. The roles of school librarians and the assessments used to evaluate their performance are often incongruent. Two factors seem to contribute to this incongruence. First, various stakeholder groups view the roles of the school librarian inconsistently; therefore, members of the public do not always apply the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) roles of leader, teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator when they define the roles of the school librarian (AASL 2009). Second, assessments that have been developed to evaluate school librarians' effectiveness are either outdated--and therefore, do not reflect the actual roles of today's school library professionals--or they lack a consistent focus on credible school library guidelines. In light of these mixed concepts of role definitions and assessment inconsistencies, and in an effort to address these obstacles, the Georgia School Library Media Specialist Consortium developed the School Librarian Evaluation Instrument (SLEI). The ten standards that form the basis for the system were built using the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards for 21st Century Learners (AASL 2007), American Library Association (ALA)/ AASL Standards for Initial Preparation of School Librarians (AASL 2010), and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Coaches (2011). It should be noted that, with the 2018 update to the earlier AASL standards, members of the Georgia Consortium did a thorough review of the SLEI standards. This review revealed that the ten SLEI standards are in full alignment with the 2018 AASL Standards, as the five roles of the school librarian were unchanged. One goal for the development of the SLEI system was to advocate and demonstrate the powerful contributions the school librarian can make when in a position to fulfill the roles set forth in the instrument. The SLEI system has been transformative for school librarian evaluation in the Cobb County School District. It has brought about a more-thorough understanding of what the specific roles of the school librarian are, and has provided a platform for strong advocacy for the profession in that district. |
| title | Evolution of Evaluation in Georgia: Exploring School Librarians' Responses |
| topic | School Districts Instructional Effectiveness Librarians School Libraries Responses Library Role Media Specialists Library Services Surveys Partnerships in Education Instructional Leadership Library Administration Communication Skills Literature Appreciation Educational Environment Information Technology Technological Literacy |
| url | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1207624 |