4.3

==  //**Reflection on AASL Standard 4.3: Comprehensive and collaborative strategic planning and assessment**//  ==

One of the great pleasures of being a school librarian is the ability to work with students across grade levels. In my three short years at the school, I can already see the skills development in my students. Because I know each element of my curriculum I know the strengths (and weaknesses) of my previous instruction and know where my students can begin. Because I know the students, I know where instruction must be emphasized and which facts will be grasped quickly. This enables us to make better use of our instructional time. I must have detailed knowledge of the materials available to support instruction. During the course of EDUC 717, we prepared a text set and that opportunity helped me see that each curriculum area and topic can provide multiple instructional opportunities to the school librarian. Recently, our school began using the 6 plus 1 writing process; I developed a comprehensive list of everybody titles that would support that learning also (indicating if we owned the book), to further support instruction I purchased titles that provided insights into the process. Teachers use these resources frequently to increase writing skills in support of school goals. It is the responsibility of the librarian to be alert to administrations and faculty needs, one cannot wait until they asked to provide assistance, one must seek out ways to use our skill and knowledge to assist, ultimately, the students. I regularly meet with teachers to discuss curriculum and upcoming needs. To support their requests I tailor my instruction, provide additional materials, and/or assist them with their lessons. We have begun preparation for the Science Fair that has mandatory participation for grades 3 through 5. I am presenting lessons on the scientific process and then will follow up by instruction in graphing (4th and 5th grade students will develop Excel based spreadsheets and then explore the various graphs and tables that can be created within this software.) In addition, I publish a monthly email that provides teachers highlights of the collection – both new titles and ones that might be useful at that point in time.Based on standardized testing data, approximately 20 percent of our students are reading below grade level. Improving reading for all students is a key goal of the school. One way to assist these students (and raise their reading ability) is to provide them audio readings of various texts. To provide teachers necessary hardware, we repaired many audio players and headsets. I also identified multiple web based audio book sources (Tumble Books and World Book Kids) and included an orientation on their capabilities. I have followed this up with one-on-one orientations of the sites, encouraging their use. While in ISTC 601, I wrote a proposal for Playaways to support these students. In the future, I will pursue a grant to obtain these items. I am well aware of which of my students have special instructional needs and plan my instruction around varying levels of difficulty. I obtain this information through review of individual education plans, as a member of the Collaborative Decision Making team that evaluates students to determine needed intervention levels, and assessment of the Maryland State Assessment data for students in grades 3 through 5. As I work with students who struggle to learn I also want to challenge those operating above grade level. It is my belief that we must challenge student to achieve their individual best In EDUC 717, we conducted genre studies that helped me understand how various materials may be used to best effect. Many aspects of the instructional technology curriculum can be applied to multiple subject areas; the librarian must take the initiative to work with teachers in areas that best support the students. School library instruction should be based on all available school performance data and supportive of administration and teachers needs. It takes time to develop deep understanding and connections but the reward is potentially valuable in terms of job satisfaction for the librarian, success for the school, life-long skills for the students, and an enhanced society for us all.

