AASL Standards - don't lose your right to grumble

OK, school library media specialists who had issues regarding the new AASL Student Standards. Here is your chance to have your voice heard:

The AASL Learning Standards Indicators and Assessment Task Force invites you to review and critique the first draft of Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/standardsinaction/standardsinaction.cfm

After releasing Standards for the 21st Century Learner in October 2007, AASL charged the task force "to develop a document to expand and support the new learning standards" with "indicators, benchmarks, model examples, and assessments." Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action provides support for school library media specialists and other educators in teaching the essential learning skills defined in Standards for the 21st Century Learner. It presents  Examples for putting Standard 1: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge, into practice in Benchmark Grades 2, 5, 8, 10 and 12+.

This is the first draft of Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action. It will be revised based on input from AASL members.  A second draft, expected to be posted for comment in September 2008, will include Benchmarks and Action Examples for Standards 2, 3 and 4. You are encouraged to thoroughly examine and critique the contents of this document. Please email your comments to StandardsInAction@ala.org, with "Comments" in the subject line, before June 6, 2008.

If you are attending the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, plan to attend the Open Forum on Saturday, June 28 at 9am to provide your input to the task force members in person.

You are also invited to contribute to Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action by completing the blank template included in thedraft with your own sample tasks and assessments. Examples you provide will be considered for inclusion in the final publication of Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action. Please email your completed template(s) to StandardsInAction@ala.org, with "Sample Tasks" in the subject line.

We encourage you to forward this invitation to your school library colleagues and to distribute it widely through your state and local school library listservs and blogs.

We look forward to reading your comments!

AASL Learning Standards Indicators & Assessment Task Force:

• Katherine Lowe, Chair, Massachusetts School Library Association
• Cassandra G. Barnett, Fayetteville High School Library, AR
• Melissa P. Johnston, Silver City Elementary, Cumming, GA
• Barbara K. Stripling, New York City Department of Education
• Dr. Violet H. Harada, University of Hawaii
• Frances Glick, Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland

Here's the deal... If you don't take the time to read and comment on this first draft, YOU LOSE ALL YOUR WHINING RIGHTS about the standards. This task force is comprised of the very best thinkers our field has to offer, but none of them, as far as I know, are mind-readers.

 
Go for it...

Comments

[Kathy Lowe]

Thanks Doug! Couldn't have said it better myself. Our task force chose to include only Standard 1 in our first draft to find out if people like the format/content before we go ahead and do the other three Standards. So if this draft just doesn't work for you, please say so now! And of course - we'd also like to hear if you love it!

The deadline to post comments is June 6th. I hope many of you will take the time to read, digest, and thoughtfully critique what we have done so far - and if you're going to Anaheim, we'll be there at 9 a.m on June 28th to hear your comments in person.

Kathy Lowe, Chair
AASL Learning Standards Indicators and Assessment Task Force