Independent School Librarians and Common Core: What Are We Doing?

Brandt, Alisa

MacLean, C. D. (2013, December 25). Independent school librarians and Common

    Core: What are we doing? [Blog post]. Retrieved from Independent Ideas

    website: http://aislnews.org/?p=841

CO-Collaboration Strategies

CO-School Organization

IL-Communication of Products

I have had over 15 years of experience working in independent school libraries and now eight MLIS courses under my belt. I have noticed a serious lack of scholarly library research materials directed entirely at independent school libraries so my goal is to find materials that will support this underrepresented population.

Most independent schools do not rely on government funding and thus do not have to implement programs such as Common Core. The idea is that the curriculum will have already included those standards and content and more. So, it follows that independent school libraries will have other standards and goals to help the school accomplish their mission.

This article from the Association of Independent School Librarian’s blog Independent Ideas is about how independent school librarians addressed the emergence of Common Core Standards in their libraries. As will most standards and guidelines, independent school librarians tend to study up on the newest state and national standards and look for ways to integrate the best of what would apply to their schools. C. D. MacLean offered her library’s solution of using the AASL CCSS Crosswalk in combination with their school’s own standards to create a document that will help compare their alignment with the state standards. This would allow the librarians to focus on areas that will meet their school standards while including the state standards.

There are also some suggestions of useful LibGuides and an iPad app that will help Language Arts teachers integrate technology into the classroom.
Evaluation: Seeing examples of how independent school librarians are working with state standards helps me understand how I can apply them to my own library. The links and the app suggestion are also very helpful.

A review of: Statistics About California School Libraries

A review of: Statistics About California School Libraries

This is the annual data collection of trends pertaining to California School Libraries and the level of library resources made available to students from year to year.

This information isn’t derived from an article, but from the source that directly collected the information.  I reviewed quantitative data that’s been collected for the California Department of Education reflecting the 2013/2014 School Year to examine the availability and types of services offered to California students in grades K-High School.

According to the California Department of Education, in 2013-14, 4,273 California schools completed the survey representing 43 percent of schools (CDE). The CDE report shares, “The following statistical snapshot is based on these data as well as data collected by the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) (CDE)”.

While the intentions of what California will do with this information is unclear, it is encouraging to learn library surveys have gone out to schools across the state.  Findings shared by the California Department of Education show that, California continues to rank at the bottom of professional library staffing numbers. In 2012, the California ratio was 1:7,374 (2011-12 CBEDS Report) and in 2014-15 the ratio dropped to 1:7,187(CDE). Considering the size professional staffed deficit, I’m intrigued and curious as to why California ranks so low in areas of professional librarian support systems. What first comes to mind is the size of California. According to the California Department of Education Fingertips Facts on Education, there are 6,235,520 students in grades K-12^th in the state.  Student to educator ratios in general are often compromised, and teacher librarians as important and valued as they may be, are low on the list of improvements for quality the state desires. Another factor that might influence these low rankings can come from the specific requirements Teacher Librarian Service Credential holders are required to have. These requires are in addition to the standard Teaching Credentials these educators must have. In many instances the pay for teacher librarians offers little compensation for amount of extra education and training required to obtain this specialized credential.

Another area of interest in this report, is the acknowledgement of print material as well as web-based. The need for print material is connected to the Common Core State Standards. This condition, validates the significance of having a credentialed teacher librarian as part of the team to increase the quality of student educational experience. 

Since 2011, a steady decline of teacher librarians work in California Public Schools. In my research experience, this decline correlates with state budget cuts. The question isn’t if California can increase the quality of their libraries for students, but when. Many new grants are becoming available within the state to improve California public school libraries.

Statistics About California School Libraries

This is the annual data collection of trends pertaining to California School Libraries and the level of library  resources made available to students from year to year.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/schoollibrstats08.asp

 Questions:   Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division | CFIRD@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0881

Last Reviewed: Thursday, October 8, 2015

The Common Core

Bullard, Sherrie

CA

Krashen, S. s. (2014). THE COMMON CORE. (cover story). Knowledge Quest, 42(3), 36-45.

Summary:

The author argues that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will not benefit students and ignore the issue of poverty which is the real problem in American education. He claims that the CCSS will only profit a small group of the elite and turn schools into test-prep centers. He debunks the evidence in support of the argument for the adoption of CCSS which is low international test scores and explains why controlling poverty would boost the performance of American students.

Evaluation:

Although I don't agree with the author one hundred percent, I do think that CCSS are more of a problem than a solution.

Understanding the Common Core Standards: What they are - What they are not.

Brugioni, Angela

Understanding the Common Core Standards. (2014). Education Digest, 79(8), 16-21.

ET – Educational Theory and Practice ET – Restructuring  ET – Standards-based Education  ET – Government and Professions 

CA- Curriculum Assessment CA – Common Core Assessments

This article is handy fact sheet for the Common Core State Standards. Along with describing the Common Core and how they are intended to work in conjunction with State mandated curriculum this article explains misconceptions surrounding the Common Core. Being new to the Common Core, I had wondered why they only included language arts and math standards. There is a separate but similar initiative that was developed for science and engineering and released in 2013 called the Next Generation Science Standards. As far as the role of the government in all of this, they have provided funds for the development of “next-generation” assessments aligned with Common Core standards, which are expected for release in 2014-15. Behind the opposition to Common Core are the Tea Party and Libertarians who “disapprove of the idea of national standards in the belief that educational decisions are rightfully made by parents and local communities.” In addition some progressive educators believe that “Common Core will impose more test-driven accountability and open the door to corporate influence over education.”


This is a worthwhile read for those new to Common Core, or looking for clarification on who is behind the initiative and what the process has been for its application. I would have actually liked it to be longer and more detailed, but I feel like a lot is explained in a short few segments. The article is also biased towards the Common Core, but there is a fair assessment included of the challenges faced by schools for implementation in terms of cost, administrative duties and obligations, technology needs, training of staff, etc.