Programming Assessment Tools

School Librarian Role Assessment Tool. (2013). School Library Monthly, 30(2), 59. 

How do you really measure student achievement? What tools does a teacher librarian have to document student achievement other than circulation statistics, test scores, and units of study grades? How do you measure growth of a student based on inquiry-based teaching modules, student achievement as an individual, or motivation for learning?

I located this rubric illustrated above and found that it has wonderful tools for ways to document assessment of student learning through the roles established as a teacher librarian. (I also included this in my vision report!) What I have had difficulty finding in the literature is actually how you assess enthusiastic and strategic readers, critical thinkers, and whether or not the programming developed contained engaged learning tasks. A response from the literature, "since direct measurement of what students learn through these programs is difficult, collecting faculty perceptions of students’ learning and development after these programs can help gain faculty support," (Sobel & Wolf, 2011).

Sobel & Wolf, while the article focuses on academic libraries, provides a baseline concept of using Bloom's taxonomy for a breakdown to assess student outcomes. I am including the three categories here:

Knowledge: “relates to the acquisition and ap-
plication of knowledge and understanding. It
deals mainly with learning of an intellectual
nature, covering the range from simple recall
through to analysis and evaluation of informa-
tion.”

Skills: the ability to apply prior knowledge and
use it to carry out tasks.

Attitudes: “deals with learning that has a sub-
stantial emotional basis and covers the range
from having an awareness of feelings through
to amending behavior so that it becomes con-
sistent with new values and beliefs.”

So let's look back at the model provided by AASL foundational roles of the teacher librarian. The assessment tools used as formative and summative analysis of student academic standards, technology and information literacies, and ethical use of information and research skills can be attributed to the knowledge and skills portion of Bloom's taxonomy. However, the above mentioned outcomes of students are based on the attitudes. Which Sobel & Wolf recognize are complex and not easy to measure. So how as a professional staff are we supposed to assess and analyze our programs to report to the administrative staff that the program meets the community needs, school environment, and vision of the school.

Academic assessment of learning and student success is easily measured through testing (pretest/posttest) where there is the ability to compare prior knowledge to gained knowledge individually and class as a whole. These assessment tools are easy to implement through co-teaching. Whereas, activities provide student engagement and creates opportunities for independent/cooperative learning opportunities, a rubric based scoring is not as easily accomplished with co-teaching as it is more involved before the lesson, during the lesson, and after the lesson.

 Some strategies of formative assessments provided by the Library Girl's blog:
Exit Slips- Linoit, iBrainstorm, Perfect Caption and Stixy.
Graphic Organizers- Popplet,  Bubbl.us, SimpleMind and Tools for Students
Poles & Surveys- Socrative, Poll Everywhere and Google Forms
Observation- Reflection and Doceri 

Also, Kristin Fontichiaro, has been a name that has popped up in my research; however, I cannot access her webpage or article for assessment tools as you need to be subscribed to the site http://www.abc-clio.com/LibrariesUnlimited.aspx. This makes me think about expanding my PLN! As continual professional organizations and memberships one has the greater the learning (and continual life-long learner we are) for better techniques to teacher librarianship.

I think that, while I don't know if I'll ever get a solid answer of how to track and demonstrate the more attitude/emotional factors based in student achievement, I know that I will always be able to locate a resource; whether that be a colleague, a staff member, a professional association, or attending a workshop through the use of a developed and growing PLN.


Church, A. (2012). Making Performance-Based Evaluation Work for You. Knowledge Quest, 41(2), 38-41. 

LeGarde, J. (2012). Library Girl's Picks: The Best Digital Tools for Formative Assessment. [blog]. http://www.librarygirl.net/2012/12/library-girls-picks-best-digital-tools.html

School Librarian Role Assessment Tool. (2013). School Library Monthly, 30(2), 59.

Sobel, K., & Wolf, K. (2011). Updating Your Tool Belt Redesigning Assessments of Learning in the Library. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(3), 245-258.