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Media Department Program Review Summary

Erin Carcamo and Kelli Whiteside

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Background

Who are We?

What is Our Mission?

Comprehensive Program

While it’s the first review presented to the board, the media department has been actively engaging in curriculum development for years based on best practices and standards from AASL, ISTE, CSTA, and ITEM.

All 9 media specialists contributed to the development of the report.

Comprehensive Program - AASL and Future Ready Librarians (graphic) - A comprehensive program goes far beyond just teaching.

AASL - Mission Statement taken from the American Association of School Libraries

The mission of Minnetonka’s school library program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. The school librarian empowers students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information by:

collaborating with educators and students to design and teach engaging learning experiences that meet individual needs.
instructing students and assisting educators in using, evaluating, and producing information and ideas through active use of broad range of appropriate tools, resources, and information technologies.
providing access to materials in all formats, including up-to-date, high-quality, varied literature to develop and strengthen a love of reading.
providing students and staff with instruction and resources that reflect current information needs and anticipate changes in technology and education.
providing leadership in the total education program and advocating for strong school library programs as essential to meeting local, state and national education goals.

AASL - 5 Components from Planning for School Library Programs

Learning Environment
Teaching For Learning
Building Collaborative Partnerships
Advocacy and Outreach
Leadership in a Global Society

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Background

21st Century Skills and Learning Environment

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Current Practice

Information Literacy Standards for Students in Minnetonka Public Schools (K-12)

Digital Citizenship
Media Literacy and Literature Appreciation
Research Information Fluency
Technology Operations and Concepts

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Current Practice

K - 5 Instructional Schedule

6 -12 Instructional Schedule

Professional Learning Communities (PLC)

Unit Development and Common Assessment (K-5)
Program Development/Expansion (6-12)

Grades K-12

Fixed schedule (K-5)

25 minutes once per instructional cycle each grade level
Make connections to relevant classroom information and media literacy; obvious limitations
Some units taught in isolation -
Professional leeway and creativity in lesson creation

Flexible schedule (grades 6-12)

Lessons always taught in classroom context = increased relevancy = increased cross application
Recent examples: Global Studies Capstone project, database instruction and World War II/Holocaust at grade 8
“Isolated” lessons: Digital citizenship - attempts and recent issues

PLCs

Elementary focuses on common units and instruction with some common assessments
Secondary (MMW and MHS this year) focuses on primarily on impacting reading scores by increasing circulation; discussion of local and national exemplary programs; research

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Current Practice

Time Studies - Total Program

Student Surveys (MHS, MMW)

Atmosphere
Books
Research and Homework

Circulation and Collection Statistics

Overview

Time Studies - Representative of all schools

Specialists: Direction instruction highest rate (larger school populations show higher percentage) MHS more students than MMW; elementary schools vary accordingly; with library administration/leadership (describe) following
Paras:

More paras at MHS = time divided depending on roles of the paras; MHS study hall = supervision
Secondary: iPad/tech support largest role at secondary 1:1 followed by processing materials then supervision
Elementary: Processing materials and then tech support and then supervision

Student surveys: account for whole program; 16% of response from MHS; 21% response from MMW

Helps guide program development
Directs areas of purchasing
Indicates areas of more education needed

Circulation and Collection Statistics

Higher circ rates at elementary because of weekly visits
Collection sizes differ based on budget allocation, collection management (deselection, purchasing, curricular support, current trends), and remodeling spaces

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Literature

20+ Years of Student Achievement Impact Studies in 25 States and 1 Canadian Province

Colorado (1994, 2000, 2010)

Minnesota (2003)

School Libraries Work (2016)

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What Does the Literature Say?

The major themes supported by the research confirm that the presence of all of the following

a credentialed school librarian

collaboration and co-teaching

technology access

collection size

elevate student learning!

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Best Practices

Multiple Literacies

Collaborative Partnerships

Leadership in a Global Society

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Exemplary Programs

Adlai E. Stevenson High School

21st century learning environment
Extensive library collection with a variety of formats (print and digital)
Focused on student research and recreational reading aligned with instructional goals.

Exemplary Programs: Looked at components of programs that exemplified best practice and current trends

Stevenson High School (northern suburb of Chicago)

Information and Learning Center: multi-level environment extensive print and ebook collections; print and electronic magazines, zones areas for group work and independent, quiet work; tutoring center open until the evening
Focuses on research and promoting reading

Perry Meridian Middle School (Indianapolis, IN) winner of a humanitarian award for extensive research in family geneaology study; the program demonstrates the value of community partnerships using state library systems and the Indiana Historical Society
Veterans Memorial Elementary School (Naples, FL): School Library of the Year winner in 2016; align with broad school philosophy; student run news program; maker space/innovation lab

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Exemplary Programs

Perry Meridian Middle School

Award winning genealogy study facilitating student learning and collaboration with state library system and historical society
Direct, collaborative support for classroom and global learning

Exemplary Programs: Looked at components of programs that exemplified best practice and current trends

Stevenson High School (northern suburb of Chicago)

Information and Learning Center: multi-level environment extensive print and ebook collections; print and electronic magazines, zones areas for group work and independent, quiet work; tutoring center open until the evening
Focuses on research and promoting reading

Perry Meridian Middle School (Indianapolis, IN) winner of a humanitarian award for extensive research in family geneaology study; the program demonstrates the value of community partnerships using state library systems and the Indiana Historical Society
Veterans Memorial Elementary School (Naples, FL): School Library of the Year winner in 2016; align with broad school philosophy; student run news program; maker space/innovation lab

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Exemplary Programs

Veteran’s Memorial Elementary School

Program well aligned with school philosophy emphasizing 21st century and leadership skills

Encouraging student creativity through makerspace/ innovation lab resources
Empowers students through participation in a student run news broadcast

Exemplary Programs: Looked at components of programs that exemplified best practice and current trends

Stevenson High School (northern suburb of Chicago)

Information and Learning Center: multi-level environment extensive print and ebook collections; print and electronic magazines, zones areas for group work and independent, quiet work; tutoring center open until the evening
Focuses on research and promoting reading

Perry Meridian Middle School (Indianapolis, IN) winner of a humanitarian award for extensive research in family geneaology study; the program demonstrates the value of community partnerships using state library systems and the Indiana Historical Society
Veterans Memorial Elementary School (Naples, FL): School Library of the Year winner in 2016; align with broad school philosophy; student run news program; maker space/innovation lab

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Trends in Library Media

Information Access - New Formats, New Devices

Maker Spaces/Innovation Labs

Collection Genrefication

Names and Labels - Professionals and Spaces

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Findings/Recommendations

Maintain and Update Standards

Curriculum Development and Collaborative Instruction

Assessment Data

Development 21st Century Learning Environment

Maintain and Update Standards

Maintain standards created by the Minnetonka Media Department based on current AASL, ITEM, CSTA, and ISTE
Update based on 2017 release of AASL standards

Curriculum Development and Collaborative Instruction

Continue developing curriculum at elementary level
Secondary begin working together to define a cohesive curriculum to standardize comparable objectives
Seek continued opportunities to collaborate with grade levels and departments
Recommend prioritizing larger instructional blocks for intermediate elementary

Assessment Data

Develop regular student assessments to measure understanding of key concepts
Surveys and feedback for continuous improvement and responsiveness

Develop 21st Century Learning Environment

Adoption of electronic access point that streamlines access library resources
Subscription to additional databases which support newly created curriculum like Global Studies

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Questions and Feedback

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Happy National Library Week! (April 9 - 15)