Reflection 4.3
4.3 Comprehensive and collaborative strategic planning and assessment
Candidates collaborate with teachers and administrators to develop a library media program plan that aligns resources, services and information literacy standards with the school's goals and objectives. Candidates use data for decision-making.
The last standard, Standard 4.3, revolves around comprehensive and collaborative strategic planning and assessment. In our ISTC 702 (Educational Leadership and Technology) class we explored the importance of assessment and data-driven decision making in the instructional setting. We were asked to read three provocative and enlightening articles and reflect on each one. The articles were entitled, Where Does Your Authority Come From?Empowering the Library Media Specialist as a True Partner in Student Achievement (School Library Media), The Best Value in Formative Assessment (Educational Leadership), and Learning to Love Assessment (Educational Leadership). The value of data had not been apparent to me until reading these articles. I can recognize now how examining the benchmark results at each grade level and reading our School Improvement Plan were ways I could reinforce weak areas within our learning community. I then looked at our own school’s reading deficiencies (through benchmarks) and developed a plan to present to our SIT team as to why we should purchase a subscription to Brainpop Jr. to help remedy the situation. My reasoning was that if the school used this resource in collaboration with content area curriculum, student achievement on standardized testing (Benchmarks and MSA) may improve. Brainpop had been unfamiliar software to me, but by the end of my proposal, I sold myself on what a wonderful program it actually was. I now use this resource often in my own classes which I access through the Wicomico County Public Library’s website.
Teachers and principals have been challenged to identify what students are learning and how well they are learning. By using formative and summative assessments, library media centers can be extensions of the classroom, reinforcing curriculum objectives, integrating literacy skills in print and nonprint formats in order to ensure student achievement
As a program administrator, the media specialist is responsible for developing a library mission, policies, managing budgets, and having positive interaction with the school and building partnerships with the public. In ISTC 615 (Collection Development) we studied other school’s media center policies and collection development plans and created one appropriate for Willards Elementary School. It is my desire to always develop our resource collections in the best way that correlates with the interests of our students, needs of our teachers, and reflects the values of our community.
Within this class, we were introduced to the MUSTY weeding suggestions…if we chose to implement them. M=Misleading and/or factually inaccurate information; U=Ugly, worn, and beyond mending; S=Superseded by a new edition or a much better book on the subject; T=Trivial of no discernable literary or scientific merit; Y=Your collection has no use for this book. It is irrelevant to the needs and interests of your community.
By being a member of our WIN team (Willards Integration Network), my administration allows me time and space to collaborate with specific teachers (art, music, physical education) to make yearly plans for artists-in-residencies and other arts immersion projects. But on a regular basis, meeting with grade level teachers is not possible because of my fixed and full schedule. Although through my experience in the Towson Cohort, I have seen firsthand that collaboration can be a critical component to achieving educational goals and cohesiveness in curriculum. In the future, I intend to increase contact and collaboration with our teachers, through whatever means I can produce. Possible ways I will try are emails, lunch conversations, after school visits, and contacting each grade team leader periodically.
4.3 Comprehensive and collaborative strategic planning and assessment
Candidates collaborate with teachers and administrators to develop a library media program plan that aligns resources, services and information literacy standards with the school's goals and objectives. Candidates use data for decision-making.
The last standard, Standard 4.3, revolves around comprehensive and collaborative strategic planning and assessment. In our ISTC 702 (Educational Leadership and Technology) class we explored the importance of assessment and data-driven decision making in the instructional setting. We were asked to read three provocative and enlightening articles and reflect on each one. The articles were entitled, Where Does Your Authority Come From?Empowering the Library Media Specialist as a True Partner in Student Achievement (School Library Media), The Best Value in Formative Assessment (Educational Leadership), and Learning to Love Assessment (Educational Leadership). The value of data had not been apparent to me until reading these articles. I can recognize now how examining the benchmark results at each grade level and reading our School Improvement Plan were ways I could reinforce weak areas within our learning community. I then looked at our own school’s reading deficiencies (through benchmarks) and developed a plan to present to our SIT team as to why we should purchase a subscription to Brainpop Jr. to help remedy the situation. My reasoning was that if the school used this resource in collaboration with content area curriculum, student achievement on standardized testing (Benchmarks and MSA) may improve. Brainpop had been unfamiliar software to me, but by the end of my proposal, I sold myself on what a wonderful program it actually was. I now use this resource often in my own classes which I access through the Wicomico County Public Library’s website.
Teachers and principals have been challenged to identify what students are learning and how well they are learning. By using formative and summative assessments, library media centers can be extensions of the classroom, reinforcing curriculum objectives, integrating literacy skills in print and nonprint formats in order to ensure student achievement
As a program administrator, the media specialist is responsible for developing a library mission, policies, managing budgets, and having positive interaction with the school and building partnerships with the public. In ISTC 615 (Collection Development) we studied other school’s media center policies and collection development plans and created one appropriate for Willards Elementary School. It is my desire to always develop our resource collections in the best way that correlates with the interests of our students, needs of our teachers, and reflects the values of our community.
Within this class, we were introduced to the MUSTY weeding suggestions…if we chose to implement them. M=Misleading and/or factually inaccurate information; U=Ugly, worn, and beyond mending; S=Superseded by a new edition or a much better book on the subject; T=Trivial of no discernable literary or scientific merit; Y=Your collection has no use for this book. It is irrelevant to the needs and interests of your community.
By being a member of our WIN team (Willards Integration Network), my administration allows me time and space to collaborate with specific teachers (art, music, physical education) to make yearly plans for artists-in-residencies and other arts immersion projects. But on a regular basis, meeting with grade level teachers is not possible because of my fixed and full schedule. Although through my experience in the Towson Cohort, I have seen firsthand that collaboration can be a critical component to achieving educational goals and cohesiveness in curriculum. In the future, I intend to increase contact and collaboration with our teachers, through whatever means I can produce. Possible ways I will try are emails, lunch conversations, after school visits, and contacting each grade team leader periodically.