Rhode Island is committed to ensuring that all educators receive fair, accurate, and meaningful educator evaluations that provide information that can help all support professionals improve and refine their practice. Currently, local education agencies (LEAs) in Rhode Island may submit a district-designed model for approval that complies with the…

Rhode Island is committed to ensuring that all educators receive fair, accurate, and meaningful educator evaluations that provide information that can help all support professionals improve and refine their practice. This document describes the process and basic requirements for the Rhode Island Model Support Professional Evaluation and Support…

School librarians serving diverse learning communities, such as the Chicago Public Schools, have always been aware of the need to seek out multicultural books as "mirrors [that] let readers see reflections of their own lives; windows [that] let them see others' lives." But until a colleague sent this author the document "10 Quick…

How are AASL's (American Association of School Librarians) new learning standards, the "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner," incorporated into the school library media program? This publication from AASL takes an in-depth look at the strands of the "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" and the indicators within those strands. It also…

School library media specialists at all levels have been investing long hours in preparing and implementing lessons. They try to coordinate these lessons with teachers, and, in the best-case scenario, they collaboratively plan and deliver the instruction. The missing piece is an indication of whether or not students have actually been learning.…

Describes a performance review instrument which utilizes a self-assessment approach to evaluate skills and behaviors applicable to management and supervisory roles. The technique's objectives are reviewed and steps in the review process are described, including the formulation of personal development objectives. (MBR)

Too often school library media specialists shy away from program assessments and fail to seek out the opportunity to participate in the review of their school or district for accreditation purposes. On a smaller scale, but just as critical, is the school library media specialist's reluctance to be judged professionally as his or her fellow…

This column is a collaborative effort by library media specialists and K-16 educators who write about the motivational strategies that have worked for them in teaching information literacy (IL) skills. Motivational strategies include ways to gain and sustain attention, increase relevance for learning IL skills, build confidence in students'…

Examines the information problem-solving (Big Six Skills) approach to performance evaluation, which allows library media specialists to focus on student performance and how it benefits from specific activities. Describes the "Big Six Skills Approach": task definition, information seeking, location and access, use of information,…

Intended to provide a comprehensive system for the evaluation of a media specialist's total job performance, this three-part evaluation form is based on the St. Louis Community College's Faculty Evaluation System: Instructional Resources Faculty, August 1981. Designed for peer evaluation of media specialists, the first form includes a rating scale…

Reviews the role of a public school media specialist and suggests resources for further reading in various areas. Highlights include the instructional role; levels of instructional involvement; the role of school libraries; teaching information skills; and the evaluation process, including evaluation of instructional systems, student performance,…

Suggests five-step process for teachers and media specialists to determine which microcomputer courseware will be of value: (1) make chart of important characteristics; (2) use vendor catalogs and reviews to locate titles addressing unit objectives; (3) obtain courseware for preview; (4) preview; (5) compare notes. An 18-item bibliography is…

Seven articles discuss the importance of using evaluation forms and methods tailored to the library, rather than to teachers, for the evaluation of school librarians. Appropriate evaluation criteria are suggested and three evaluation forms are provided, including one intended to be completed by students. (CLB)

This information guide is intended to assist principals and members of media committees in implementing the media policy of the Transvaal Education Department, this information guide was designed to be used in conjunction with the chapter on the education media service in the Manual for General School Organization (1986). Chapter 1 outlines…

Argues that the traditional method of library media collection development in public schools is inappropriate and proposes collection mapping as more efficient and better suited to the school curriculum. Instructions for creating a map are provided as well as guidelines for collection development. (CDD)