Program Development and Evaluation Plan White County Ninth Grade Academy EDIT 6300 Terri Byers, Shelby Day, & Jennifer Parker
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Table of Contents
(Click on description to go directly to that section) 1. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................3 2. School Description...............................................................................................................5 3. Media Center Philosophy.....................................................................................................7 4. Media Center Mission Statement.........................................................................................7 5. Media Center Slogan............................................................................................................7 6. Media Center Service Overview..........................................................................................8 7. Media Center Facilities Description ....................................................................................9 8. Budget Sources ..................................................................................................................10 9. Media Committee...............................................................................................................11 10. Media Center Personnel.....................................................................................................12 11. Long-Range Goals with Rationale.....................................................................................15 12. Short-Range Goals (Objectives) ........................................................................................17 13. Budget Plan........................................................................................................................21 14. Planning & Evaluation Plan...............................................................................................23 15. Individual Reflections........................................................................................................26 a. Terri Byers .............................................................................................................26 b. Shelby Day.............................................................................................................27 c. Jennifer Parker .......................................................................................................28 16. References..........................................................................................................................29
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Executive Summary Below is a brief overview of the prominent elements of the Program Development and Evaluation Plan for White County Ninth Grade Academy media center in Cleveland, Georgia. •
Mission: The White County Ninth Grade Academy media center’s mission is to be a partner in education to students and teachers alike in the pursuit of life-long learning.
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Slogan: Read! Learn! Achieve!
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Long Range Goals o Goal #1:
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Goal #2: Goal #3: Goal #4: Goal #5:
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Improve stakeholders’ (teachers, administrators, students, and community members) perceptions of the media center and the media specialist as a partner in student achievement and a school leader. Improve information literacy throughout the school. Increase human resources to expand the learning community. Promote reading throughout the school and community. Continuously expand, improve, and promote the media center collection across all formats. Uphold the media program as an integral part of the curriculum school wide and necessary for student achievement across all subjects.
Objectives: 1. Develop a media center newsletter and webpage. 2. Improve the collections in all subject areas by a minimum of five new resources per subject each year. 3. Yearly review current curriculum goals for main academic areas, including Georgia Performance Standards and End-of-Course exams. 4. Work with at least ten teachers in each of two subject areas per year in mapping their curriculum and offer suggestions for additional resources and technologies to improve lessons. 5. Remain current in the latest educational theories, print and non-print resources, and technological advances by belonging to relevant professional organizations (AASL, GLMA, etc.), attending at least one conference per year, and subscribing to at least four professional journals. 6. Maintain active participation on at least two school committees per year. 7. Weekly collaborate with teachers in each department and administrators to promote the media center collection and provide “access to resources that meet learning and information needs” (Information Power, 1998, p. 86).
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8. Design lessons that help students find, evaluate, and use information appropriately, including ethical practices (copyright, plagiarism). Conduct a minimum 180 lesson sessions per year (5 per week) with various classes and student groups. 9. Recruit a team of parent and community volunteers on a yearly basis to assist with media center fundraising, projects, programs, and more. 10. Recruit a student worker or a team of student workers each school year to assist with media center tasks. 11. Promote Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) time within all courses. 12. Develop a Reading Circle to encourage leisure reading. 13. Implement fundraisers to raise funds for media center collection and promote reading at school and throughout the community. 14. Make the media center environment more conducive to learning. Budgeting Plan o o o o o o
Goal #1 (Perception): Budget Amount - 20% Goal #2 (Information Literacy): Budgeted Amount - 10% Goal #3 (Human Resources): Budgeted Amount - 5% Goal #4 (Reading): Budgeted Amount - 10% Goal #5 (Collection): Budgeted Amount - 45% Goal #6 (Curriculum): Budgeted Amount - 10% Click to Return to Table of Contents
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School Description •
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Description of Community o White County Ninth Grade Academy is located in downtown Cleveland, Georgia, which is in the rural Northeast Georgia Mountains. It is located approximately eight miles from Helen, Georgia, which is a major tourist attraction and the only other recognized town in the county. Business and Industry o White County’s major commerce includes tourism, agriculture, and retail. Major manufacturing corporations are NOK (which manufactures gaskets) and Mount Vernon Mills (which is a textile plant). Economic o The average income in White County is $21,642. This is considerably lower than state and federal averages. Ethnic Make-Up of Community o White County is home to approximately 20,000 people. Of these, 19,000 are white, 450 are black, and 315 are Hispanic. The remaining residents would fall under other race or multiracial categories. School System Description o The community has three elementary schools, one middle school, one ninth grade academy, and one high school. Truett-McConnell College is also located in Cleveland, North Georgia College and State University is approximately 20 miles away in Dahlonega, and North Georgia Technical College and Piedmont College are located approximately 20 miles away in Habersham County. School Description Including Teacher Experience and Degrees Description o The Ninth Grade Academy is in its third year of operation and serves ninth grade students only. It currently has 290 students. o Out of 16 teachers, four have a Bachelor’s degree, eight have a Master’s degree, and four have a Specialist’s degree. Most of the teachers at the Ninth Grade Academy are new to the teaching field. Only two teachers have over 21 years of experience, while a mere three have between 11 and 20 years of experience. Eleven teachers have less than ten years of experience. Student Population Description o Ninety-five percent of students are white, 2% of students are black, and the remaining 3% are multi-racial. Thirty-nine percent of students are eligible for free or reduced meals. o Twelve percent of students are served through gifted education classes. o Eight percent of students are served through special education. o Ten percent of students are served in remedial classes. Testing Scores o During the 2004-2005 school year, 90% of students passed the 9th Grade Literature and Composition End-of-Course-Test. Eighty-one percent of students passed the Physical Science EOCT. Nearly 50% of students were enrolled in an Algebra I class. Of these Algebra students, 83% passed the Algebra I EOCT. Both Algebra I and Physical Science scores increased for the 2005-2006 school year. Eighty-eight percent of Algebra I students passed the EOCT and 86% of
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Science students passed the EOCT. Only 83% of students passed the English EOCT. The decrease was mostly due in part to the test covering GPS standards for the first time instead of the QCC standards. This change makes it difficult to compare the school’s test results for English. Technology Infrastructure in Place o All classrooms are connected from 1 MDF and 2 IDF closets with 1 GB fiber and 100 MB per second to all the desktops via an ethernet network. The Ninth Grade Academy is connected to the White County Network Operation Center located at the Middle School via 1GB per second multimode fiber. o The school system provides 9.2 MB per second (6 T1 lines) Internet to the school. The internet is filtered and protected by three firewalls. A video streaming server is provided for quick downloads of over 14,000 videos that can be used for instructional purposes. In addition, all teachers are equipped with a laptop and each classroom is equipped with a ceiling mounted LCD projector and ceiling mounted speakers. Media Center Description and Resources o There are currently fourteen computers in the media center for students to use for research and word processing purposes. Another thirty computers are located in the computer lab. Teachers may schedule their classes for the computer lab on a flexible scheduling basis. The school also has several digital cameras, video cameras, and scanners. The school has one media specialist and one paraprofessional who oversee the media center and the computer lab. Information Resource Technology in Place o The school owns two sets of classroom performance systems. These systems are lap-top compatible and allow students to respond to questions through individual remote controls. The school also has the Kurzweil program. This program allows special needs students to have novels, texts, and tests read to them through computer head phones. Computer based intervention programs are available in many subjects. These programs include E2020, Plato, and Nova Net. Galileo is also available for student and faculty use. Click to Return to Table of Contents
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Media Center Philosophy The White County Ninth Grade Academy (WCNGA) media center is a center for lifelong learning and student achievement. The media center provides its students, teachers, and administrators with access to all resources, a safe and secure environment, the latest technological advances possible, adequate collections and resources, and flexibility to the use of those resources. The media center is also a partner with teachers to improve student achievement and encourage a “culture of collaboration throughout the school” (Information Power, 1998, p. 51). Media Center Mission Statement The White County Ninth Grade Academy media center’s mission is to be a partner in education to students and teachers alike in the pursuit of life-long learning. Media Center Slogan Read! Learn! Achieve! Click to Return to Table of Contents
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Media Center Service Overview •
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Scheduling o Hours of operation: 7:50AM - 4:00 PM o Flexible scheduling – Teachers sign up for the library and computer lab on calendars located at the media center’s circulation desk. Circulation Policy – o Students are not limited to a certain amount of books for checkout. Books are checked out for two-week periods. If a student has a late book, they may not check out another book until the late item is returned. Students will be charged for lost or damaged materials. There are no late fees. o Teachers may check out books and equipment for any length of time. There are no limitations; however, as a professional courtesy, they are encouraged to return books and equipment when they are no longer needed. o There is currently no parent check-out policy. If parental interest becomes apparent, a policy will be put into place. Ethical and Legal Principles – o Ethics and legal principles are covered in a two-hour student media center orientation. Topics covered include: intellectual property rights (copyright), ethical use of information, plagiarism, and proper MLA citations (including introduction to the citation machine on the web). o All students are expected to follow appropriate practices. o Any student found to be neglecting proper practices will face disciplinary consequences including but not limited to a grade of zero on the involved assignment and possible suspension. o During pre-planning, the media specialist covers copyright laws with teachers and all teachers sign a copyright memo. Student Services o Reading Circle The NGA Reading Circle meets every Wednesday after school until 5 PM. It is open to all students who love to read and wish to share opinions and thoughts on specific books. The club reads an average of five books a year. These books are chosen by the club members at the beginning of the year. o Reader’s Advisory The media center staff is always available to help students find books that match their needs or interests. o Computers and Printing Fourteen computers and several printers are available throughout the day for student use. Students are allowed to print out three pages per day for free. Each additional page is 10c each. o Reading Help Mrs. Mary Adams is available most afternoons to assist students with reading. She will read stories out loud or listen to students and offer help and reading strategies. Please see Mrs. Adams to make an appointment for this service.
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o Kurzweil Program The Kurzweil program is available on all media center and computer lab computers. This program is designed for students with reading and attention disabilities. The students are given headphones and the computer then reads and displays the text. Teacher and Staff Services o Collaborative lesson planning o Book pulling services for research projects o Lamination o Computer lab scheduling o Technology trouble shooting Known Weaknesses o The only recognized weakness at this time would be a facilities weakness, the “L” shape of the library. The shape makes it difficult for students to be supervised at all times unless a teacher or media center professional is placed at just the right location at all times. o A recent Follet analysis showed no critical weaknesses in the collection itself. All areas were balanced for the school’s specific needs. Click to Return to Table of Contents
Media Center Facilities Description • The overall climate is quiet, yet invigorating. • The environment is conducive to learning. • Facilities welcome students and encourage inquiry into many different subject areas. • Adequate space is available for individuals, small groups, and whole classes. • One media specialist and one paraprofessional oversee operations. • Two OPAC computers are available for student and staff use. • High-speed wireless internet connection is throughout the school. • Several digital cameras, video cameras, and scanners are available. • Two sets of classroom performance systems are available. • Kurzweil program are available for special needs students. • Several intervention programs are available including Nova Net, E2020, and Odyssey. • No barriers currently exist between learners and equitable access to resources and services. • Facilities meet all program needs at this time. • Virtual Elements o Galileo and other resource data bases are available in the media center and for students at home. o Media center web site includes several resource links for students to use at home. These include Galileo and an MLA and APA citation machine. • Needed Facility Improvements o New carpeting is needed as the current carpet is quite old and worn.
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o The “L” shape of the library needs to be changed. The shape makes it difficult for students to be supervised at all times unless a teacher or media center professional is placed at just the right location at all times. o New computers will be needed very soon. While the current computers are operational, they are outdated and sometimes too slow. o More shelves will be needed if the collection continues to grow at the current rate. Space and shelf placement may be an issue. Periodic Facility Evaluation o Facility issues will be discussed annually at one of the media committee meetings. o The committee will brainstorm possible solutions and a time-line for improvements to be completed. Facility Map
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2 Audio/Visual Room
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Media Specialist’s Office
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1 Main Entrance
10 Newspapers
2 Side Entrance
11 Vertical Files
3 OPAC Computers
12 Magazines
4 Circulation Desk
13 Nonfiction
5 Book Return
14 Reading Corner
6 Student Computers
15 Reference
7 Printer
16 Readers’ Guides to Periodical Literature
8 Dictionary and Atlas
17 Die Cuts and Butcher Block Paper
9 Fiction
Click to Return to Table of Contents Budget Sources • The school board is given a certain amount of money for each student from the Department of Education each year. • The school principal is then allocated a sum of money to be divided within certain areas of his school. • The principal’s sum for the 2006 school year is $110,331. • This equals $369 for each of the 299 students. • The principal gathers each department’s individual budgets to see if it fits within his main budget. • To date, he has not had a problem meeting any department’s requests. • The current library budget is $16,000. It was also $16,000 for the 2005 school year. • The media center must spend all of this money before February 28 or the principal will then take possession of the remaining money for his purposes. • The principal must spend all of his budget money by March 31 of each school year.
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The school opened in 2004 and the media center was given $106,000 at that time. $16,000 came from the above mentioned process and $90,000 came from SPLOST funds. The media center has not done any fundraising within the last three years; however, fundraising efforts are part of the long-range plan to provide for needs above the yearly $16,000 budget as the need arises. Funding is adequate for all needs at this time. Click to Return to Table of Contents
Media Committee • Members are appointed by the media specialist with help from the principal. Most members volunteer for the purpose or have shown previous involvement with the school and media center. • Members include two teachers, two parents, two community representatives, the principal, the media specialist, the media center paraprofessional, and a student representative. • The committee meets 2-3 times a year and other times as needed. • The committee discusses controversial decisions. • The media specialist discusses the one, three, and five year goals of the media center. • Before meetings, the media specialist sends out teacher surveys to ask about specific areas of need and concern. Teacher needs, concerns, and suggestions concerning the media center are then discussed. Click to Return to Table of Contents
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Media Center Personnel • Media Specialist Job Description (WHS Library, 2006) o Plans, directs, implements, and evaluates the library program o Establishes behavioral standards for students in the media center o Assists students in becoming effective and discriminating users of library resources o Helps students develop habits of independent reference work and skills in the use of reference material in relation to planned assignments o Organizes library material, equipment, and facilities for effective and efficient utilization and circulation o Plans, equips, and maintains attractive facilities o Keeps the collection current within the constraints of the annual budget by purchasing quality print and non print materials o Establishes an attractive and easily accessible media center that is conducive to learning o Maintains the library catalog o Effectively utilizes clerical, volunteer, student and/or other personnel to provide quality library service to users o Maintains appropriate records of library materials o Processes materials simply and efficiently o Through a working knowledge of books and authors in the collection, assists students with reading selections o Is aware of and supports the curriculum through collection development o Provides leadership in all aspects of the school media program o Develops a research and library skills program relating to the needs of the students o Guides students in finding and using a wide variety of materials o Attempts to instill in students the ability to be self learners by promoting the spirit of inquiry and teaching effective fact-finding skills o Plans with teachers, when appropriate, for meaningful and effective grade appropriate reference work and/or literature appreciation activities for their students o Actively plans with teachers and groups of teachers to integrate library services and multimedia materials with the instructional program o Evaluates and selects materials needed to meet both the curricular and individual needs of students, teachers, and administrators who will be using the media center o Determines the needs of teachers and students as a basis for the selection of new materials and equipment o Does a periodic inventory of library collection as well as library AV equipment and library computers o Supervises the withdrawal of outdated and worn out materials o Demonstrates positive techniques to promote students self image o Interacts positively with other staff members o Provides a positive role model for students (e.g., follows school policies and procedures, appropriate, language, courteous, sensitive to individual differences)
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o Makes appropriate adjustments to change and handles conflict and frustration constructively o Coordinates and cooperates with other school libraries as well as with public libraries o Helps staff make full use of the services and resources of the media center o Maintains an appearance appropriate for professional assignment o Shows professional growth by continuing with education, attending conferences and workshops, keeping current on new technology developments, reading professional literature, etc. o Reads literature for appropriate grade level o Heads media committee o Meets assigned building and district responsibilities o Works to complete building goals and district exit outcomes o Allocates and manages expenditures of assigned budget funds on the basis of curricular and replacement needs o Develops and promotes media center programs, its routines, usage scheduling, and procedures o Develops a collection that supports the curriculum o Organizes and supervises the ordering, checking, processing, and maintaining of media center materials o Assists staff and students with technology o Maintains a working knowledge of software o Provides basic instruction to staff or students for equipment use o Assists staff with computer and/or AV equipment problems o Helps staff and students become comfortable with technology by being available to assist them •
Media Center Paraprofessional (Garthwait, 2006) o Supporting the leader, planner, and manager role of the LMS o Follows the media specialist’s direction to maintain a unified library media program centered on student needs and the instructional goals of the school o Collects student and staff suggestions for improvement of the program o Maintains the library facility as a clean, pleasant, well-organized environment o Keeps the statistics and accounts up-to-date for purchase orders, budgeting, grant writing, fund raising needs, and yearly reports o Meets regularly with the media specialist for planning and direction o Monitors the appropriate use of the library facility o Prepares library public relations materials (press releases, press articles, library newsletters, brochures, bulleting board, book marks, WebPages, etc.) o Provides suggestions to the media center’s long range goals o Presents the library in a positive role during teacher’s meetings, answering the phone, talking with students, and handling complaints o Participates in recruiting and training of the student and volunteer staff o Attends meetings, workshops, and conferences to continually update the expertise necessary to function effectively in the Media Assistant role o Reviews professional journals
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o Assists the media specialist in teaching the effective use of information individually, in student groups or classes, after-school programs, or staff inservice o Assists in promoting reading by running book fairs and related book promotion events, doing book talks, reading to students, preparing book reviews, and assisting staff and students in choosing reading materials o Supports students and staff in the appropriate use of technology to meet their information needs o Maintains information and answers questions about copyright, confidentiality, privacy, and intellectual freedom o Prepares orders for new materials and equipment o Prepares new materials and equipment for use o Maintains organization of materials, with appropriate re-shelving and regular shelf-reading o Identifies materials and equipment in need of repair, performs repairs as needed o Provides for deletion and removal of weeded materials and equipment o Assists media specialist on library related field trips o Checks out and in materials following library procedures o Tracks overdue materials o Assists all users in identifying, locating and interpreting information o Maintains a posted schedule of library facility usage o Monitors computers for effective use o Assists the media specialist in managing regular inventories of the materials •
Media Center Student Aids & Volunteers o Student aides and volunteers are not needed at this time and therefore not used; however, a plan is in place to add student aides and volunteers as the need increases. Click to Return to Table of Contents
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Long Range Goals with Rationale Goal #1:
Improve stakeholders’ (teachers, administrators, students, and community members) perceptions of the media center and the media specialist as a partner in student achievement and a school leader. Rationale: Library media specialists should work with teachers to “plan, conduct, and evaluate learning activities that incorporate information literacy…(and create) a culture of collaboration” (Information Power, 1998, pgs. 50 51). Media specialists should also take “the lead in educational reform by showing the connections between information-based learning and the skills students need in the twenty-first century” (Information Power, 1998, p. 52).
Goal #2: Improve information literacy throughout the school. Rationale: “Information literacy – the ability to find and use information – is the keystone of lifelong learning. Creating a foundation for lifelong learning is at the heart of the school library media program…The library media program combines effective learning and teaching strategies and activities with information access skills” (Information Power, 1998, p. 1). Goal #3: Increase human resources to expand the learning community. Rationale: “A successful, high-quality program requires a competent, professional staff who can provide program administration leadership in collaborative instructional and administrative planning, in integrating information literacy into students’ and others’ learning activities, and in the uses of informational and instructional technology.” (Information Power, 1998, p. 103). “The learning community involves a wide range of human and resource connections within and beyond the school” (Information Power, 1998, p. 122). Goal #4: Promote reading throughout the school and community. Rationale: “The library media program encourages and engages students in reading” (Information Power, 1998, p. 66). The library media specialist should “design, develop, and implement programs that encourage reading for enjoyment and for information” (Information Power, 1998, p. 67). The media specialist should be an advocate inside and outside the school for reading and for literacy in print, graphic, and electronic formats (In formation Power, 1998, p. 67).
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Goal #5:
Continuously expand, improve, and promote the media center collection across all formats. Rationale: “Access to the full range of information resources and services through the library media program is fundamental to learning” (Information Power, 1998, p. 65). The media center program should “evaluate, acquire, provide, and promote information resources to meet the learning needs of all learners” (Information Power, 1998, p. 66).
Goal #6:
Uphold the media program as an integral part of the curriculum school wide and necessary for student achievement across all subjects. Rationale: “The library media program is essential to learning and teaching and must be fully integrated into the curriculum to promote students’ achievement of learning goals” (Information Power, 1998, p. 60). The library media specialist should be a “curricular leader and a full participant on the instructional team” (Information Power, 1998, p. 4). “The library media specialist should work on subject and grade level teams and committees at the building, district, and state levels to develop curriculum” (Information Power, 1998, p. 61). Click to Return to Table of Contents
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Short Range Goals (Objectives) with Strategies 1. Develop a media center newsletter and webpage. a. Supports Goal #1 (Perceptions), Goal #3 (Human Resources), Goal #5 (Collection), & Goal #6 (Curriculum) i. Create a media center student/parent newsletter to be distributed quarterly to highlight 1. services 2. available resources for students and teachers 3. new titles 4. media center volunteer opportunities ii. Create a media center web page that will be updated monthly to highlight 1. services 2. teacher curriculum resources 3. new titles 4. media center volunteer opportunities iii. Include a response form in the newsletter and on the media center webpage for new collection material suggestions from teachers, students, parents, and community members. 2. Improve the collections in all subject areas by a minimum of five new resources per subject each year. a. Supports Goal #1 (Perceptions), Goal #5 (Collection) & Goal#6 (Curriculum) i. Meet with at least one teacher per subject area per year for recommendations. ii. Attend at least one department meeting per subject area each semester to request suggestions and discuss curricular needs. iii. Keep a list of new titles and software to be purchased when funds become available. iv. Remind teachers to send their requests routinely so orders may be placed as needed. 3. Yearly review of current curriculum goals for main academic areas, including Georgia Performance Standards and End-of-Course exams. a. Supports Goal #1 (Perceptions) & Goal#6 (Curriculum) i. Print and review the Georgia Performance Standards for each academic area. ii. Print and review sample End-of-Course tests for each applicable academic area. iii. Meet with department heads and administrators monthly to learn more about the standards and curriculum needs of each department. 4. Work with at least ten teachers in each of two subject areas per year in mapping their curriculum and offer suggestions for additional resources and technologies to improve lessons.
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a. Supports Goal #1 (Perceptions), Goal #2 (Information Literacy), Goal #5 (Collection) & Goal#6 (Curriculum) i. Meet with at least one teacher in the subject area per month to discuss their curriculum and lessons. ii. Input lesson information into a curriculum map and complete two subject area maps per year. iii. Attend at least one subject/department meeting per month to discuss with teachers ways to incorporate information literacy into their lessons to improve student achievement. iv. Based on curriculum mapping findings: 1. Recommend to teachers various media center resources in various formats that meet their specific curriculum needs. a. Post these recommendations to the media center webpage teacher resources section. 2. Develop a minimum of one media center lesson per subject area per year that supports the course content. 5. Remain current in the latest educational theories, print and non-print resources, and technological advances by belonging to relevant professional organizations (AASL, GLMA, etc.), attending at least one conference per year, and subscribing to at least four professional journals. a. Supports Goal #1 (Perceptions), Goal #5 (Collection) & Goal#6 (Curriculum) i. Review continuing education and conference opportunities available for the coming year. ii. After attending the conference, present new discoveries to teachers and administrators at department meetings. iii. Review journals and conference information for new materials to improve media center collection across all formats. iv. Network within professional organizations and at conferences with other media specialists and media experts for new collection material ideas across all formats. v. Post new ideas and resources available in faculty newsletter and media center webpage. 6. Maintain active participation on at least two school and/or district committees per year. a. Supports Goal #1 (Perceptions) & Goal #6(Curriculum) i. Volunteer for two school and/or district committees that could benefit from media center resources/support. ii. Attend all committee meetings. iii. Contribute to all committee tasks. iv. Remind committee members of different media services/resources available to support the committee’s goals. 7. Weekly collaborate with teachers in each department and administrators to promote the media center collection and provide “access to resources that meet learning and information needs” (Information Power, 1998, p. 86).
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a. Supports Goal #1 (Perceptions), Goal #2 (Information Literacy), Goal #5 (Collection) & Goal #6 (Curriculum) i. Schedule meetings with individual teachers to discuss available resources and technologies. Meet with at least one teacher per week from each department until all have been presented the information. ii. Conduct lessons on various information literacy topics, such as video streaming, using Galileo, etc., to teachers on a convenient basis. iii. Present one new lesson per quarter at faculty meetings. iv. Provide teachers with a list of available lessons that can be presented to students. 8. Design lessons that help students find, evaluate, and use information appropriately, including ethical practices (copyright, plagiarism). Conduct a minimum 180 lesson sessions per year (5 per week) with various classes and student groups. a. Supports Goal #2 (Information Literacy) i. Conduct lessons on retrieving information to classes as needed for their assignments. ii. Conduct lessons on the reliable of information found in print and non-print sources and how to document information gathered from those sources. iii. Conduct lessons with teachers and students on the ethical issues presented in research, such as copyright, plagiarism, correct citations, etc, iv. Have teachers sign a copyright law memo after completion of lesson. v. Conduct a minimum of five lessons per week depending on teachers’ and students’ needs. 9. Recruit a team of parent and community volunteers on a yearly basis to assist with media center fundraising, projects, programs, and more. a. Supports Goal #3 (Human Resources) i. Send parents and other community leaders a survey at the beginning of the school year about what support they could offer the media center, such as their time to volunteer, financial support, or expertise in other areas. ii. Develop a list of tasks that parents and community volunteers could help with in the media center. iii. Recruit a team of at least 25 parents/community members as volunteers to be called upon as needed. iv. Organize volunteers according to days available and services offered. v. Survey volunteers at the end of each semester for suggestions and/or improvements. 10. Recruit a student worker or a team of student workers each school year to assist with media center tasks. a. Supports Goal #3 (Human Resources) i. Develop a “job description” for the media center student worker position, outlining all tasks of the position. ii. Discuss with teachers at the beginning of the school year the need for a student volunteer and gather teacher nominations for the position.
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iii. Interview nominees and discuss job responsibilities with nominees. iv. Get parent permission for the student to work in the media center during available times throughout the day and after school. v. Survey the student or students at the end of each semester for suggestions and/or improvements. 11. Promote Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) time within all courses. a. Supports Goal #4 (Reading) i. Present at a faculty meeting the benefits of sustained silent reading and how to implement the activity in individual classrooms. 1. Include suggestions for SSR texts in every subject area. 2. Remind teachers that SSR text can be the actual textbook for the course. ii. Follow up with individual teachers about their SSR efforts and offer advice for problems. iii. Remind all teachers to model reading activities in their courses. 12. Develop a Reading Circle to encourage leisure reading. a. Supports Goal #4 (Reading) i. Develop Reading Circle Plan for implementation. ii. Publicize Reading Circle for students and teachers to join. iii. Allow student choice for book selections. iv. Meet bi-monthly with Reading Circle. 13. Implement fundraisers to raise funds for media center collection and promote reading at school and throughout the community. a. Supports Goal #4 (Reading) & Goal #5 (Collection) i. Review reading fundraisers for profitability and effectiveness. 1. Implement Magazine Fundraiser a. Encourage students to sell magazine subscriptions to raise funds for new media center items. b. Encourage reading through magazine subscriptions purchases. 2. Implement Read-a-Thon Fundraiser a. Get students to get sponsors for every 1,000 words they read during an all-day Read-a-Thon. 14. Make the media center environment more conducive to learning. a. Supports Goal #1 (Perceptions) i. Add a mirror to improve line-of-sight to all parts of the media center, regardless of the media center’s L-shape. Click to Return to Table of Contents
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Budget Plan Goal #1 (Perception): Budget Amount - 20% of annual budget Rationale for budget – Principle 1 of Program Administration in Information Power states that “the library media program supports the mission, goals, objectives, and continuous improvement of the school” (1998, p. 101). The goal of becoming a partner with teachers in curriculum design and student learning is a proactive step in achieving the school’s mission and fulfilling the philosophy of the media center and should be a substantial percentage of the overall budget. Budged funds for this portion will develop public relations tools and materials. Goal #2 (Information Literacy): Budgeted Amount - 10% Rationale for budget – “A successful, high-quality program requires a competent, professional staff who can provide program administration leadership in collaborative instructional and administrative planning, in integrating information literacy into students’ and others’ learning activities, and in the uses of informational and instructional technology” (Information Power, 1998, p. 103). Also, “information literacy standards for student learning are integral to the content and objectives of the school’s curriculum” (p. 58). Information literacy is a main component of the role of the media center, and the importance of this responsibility is reflected in the budgeted amount. Budget funds for this portion will develop information literacy lessons and purchase information resources. Goal #3 (Human Resources): Budgeted Amount - 5% Rationale for budget – The media specialist has many responsibilities, including collaborating with teachers to design activities that actively engage students. To best meet this responsibility, the media specialist should “monitor appropriate technical, clerical, and volunteer staff to maintain the efficient operation of the program” (Information Power, 1998, p 105). Having sufficient staff and volunteers allows the media specialist available to perform main responsibilities. Funds for this portion of the budget will go to recruiting volunteers and developing a volunteer/aide program. At this time the media center does not seek to add any additional paid staff. Goal #4 (Reading): Budgeted Amount - 10% Rationale for budget – “Strong and imaginative activities that promote reading” have always been an integral part of the library media program (Information Power, 1998, p. 66). The media specialist should be an “advocate inside and outside of the school for reading” (p. 67). The portion of this budget section will go to create inexpensive, but wide reaching reading promotion activities.
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Goal #5 (Collection): Budgeted Amount - 45% Rationale for budget – The media program should “maintain a collection that is diverse in format and content to support the learning needs of students and other members of the learning community with a wide spectrum of abilities, backgrounds, needs, and learning styles” (Information Power, 1998, p. 68). Constantly updating of the collection is necessary to meet the needs of the media program’s stakeholders. Because of the considerable cost of updating and adding materials, this section is a considerable portion of the budget, including not only purchasing new materials from various formats, put promoting the collection to see that these materials are used. Goal #6 (Curriculum): Budgeted Amount - 10% Rationale for budget – The media specialist should “collaborate regularly with teachers and other members of the learning community to develop curricular content that integrates informationliteracy skills, to plan instructional activities, and to identify resources that support and enhance the curriculum” (Information Power, 1998, p. 64). The portion of the budget for this section will go to creating instructional devices/lessons that support the curriculum across all subjects. Click to Return to Table of Contents
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Planning and Evaluation Plan Goal #1 (Perceptions): To be effective, this goal is an ongoing, yearly focus of the media center. Progress is evaluated through completed curriculum maps for each discipline, collection updates, knowledge of current discipline standards, and attendance at conferences and memberships in professional organizations. Progress will also be evaluated based on the “hits” to the new library media center webpage and response to the student/parent newsletter. • Year 1 - Two major disciplines, English and social studies, will be completely mapped by the end of the school year along with current standards. The collections for the two disciplines will be inventoried and updated as needed. Professional memberships will be maintained and continuing education courses will be taken as needed to meet this goal. The media specialist will also monitor number of visits to web page and distribute four newsletters per year. A mirror will also be purchased and installed to improve line-ofsight in the media center. • Year 2 – The other two academic disciplines, math and science, will be mapped by the end of the school year along with current standards. The collections for math and science will be inventoried and updated as needed. Professional memberships will be maintained and continuing education courses will be taken as needed to meet this goal. The media specialist will also monitor number of visits to web page and distribute four newsletters per year. • Year 3 – Other disciplines, such as art, music, physical education, etc., will be mapped by the end of the school year along with current standards. The collections for these disciplines will be inventoried and updated as needed. Professional memberships will be maintained and continuing education courses will be taken as needed to meet this goal. The media specialist will also monitor number of visits to web page and distribute four newsletters per year. • Year 4 – The process begins again to meet the current needs of the teachers and students. Goal #2 (Information Literacy): This goal is an ongoing, yearly focus of the media center. Progress is evaluated through records of the lessons presented, feedback from the teachers and students, and meeting with departments to present available resources. Progress is evaluated each semester. • Beginning of School Year (1st Semester) – Meet with each department and discuss resources available. Survey teachers as to their use of media resources. Present lessons to students as needed throughout the semester. Following each lesson, present exit surveys for students and teachers on the effectiveness of the lessons and suggestions for improvements. • End of School Year (2nd Semester) – Continue lessons, with improvements and modifications, as needed. Continue collecting exit surveys and suggestions for improvements. Survey teachers as to their use of media resources to compare to beginning of the year.
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Goal #3 (Human Resources): Due to the transitional nature of volunteers, new volunteers may need to be recruited each year. Student workers will also be available based on their schedules, activities, and class status. Evaluation will be performed on a yearly basis. • Monthly – Update webpage on a monthly basis with new ideas, services, and resources. • Quarterly – Newsletter will be sent to parents and volunteers each quarter. • Each Semester – Survey volunteers and student workers about their experiences in the media center and request suggestions for the next semester. • End of Year – Survey parents and community leaders about their experiences in volunteering and request suggestions for the following year. Goal #4 (Reading): This goal will be a continual focus of the library media program. At the Ninth Grade Academy every year the school has a complete turn over of students. This gives our media program a unique ability to impact a new group of students each year. The goal is for the media program to affect not only the students but the community also. • Reading Circle o Beginning of the year (August) – Promote Reading Circle to students and staff. o Bi-monthly – Meet with Reading Circle Evaluate by Reading Circle Participation: Does circle participate increase or decrease as the year progresses? • November – Conduct school wide Magazine Fundraiser to promote reading in the community. o Evaluate by total number of subscriptions purchased. • March - Conduct Read-a-Thon fundraiser to promote student reading. o Evaluate by total number of words read by students. Goal #5 (Collection): It is vital that the media center collection is constantly expanded, improved, and promoted. In order to best meet the needs of all types of learners the media center must provide materials in multiple formats. New literacy materials are constantly being released. Keeping the media center materials current is a continual process. • Expand/Improve: o Beginning of the Year: Have all students visit the media center for an orientation session. Conduct a survey of student of suggestions for media center materials to be purchased. o Review journals for new materials. o Network with other media specialists and teachers for suggestions. o Make a wish list of all materials in order of priority. o Use school supplied budget of $16,000 to purchase top priority materials. Evaluate: What percentage of the “wish list” items was purchased? o Use money from fundraisers (Magazine & Read-a-Thon) to purchase next priority “wish list” items. Evaluate: What percentage of the wish list items was purchased with fundraiser funds?
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Promote o Conduct promotional activities with teachers and students to educate them about materials available in the media center. Evaluate: • Teachers: From year to year by what percentage does the total number of materials “checked-out” by teachers increase or decrease? • Students: At the end of each month determine by what percentage does the total number of materials “checked-out” by students increase or decrease?
Goal #6 (Curriculum): To be effective, this goal is an ongoing, yearly focus of the media center. Progress is evaluated through completed curriculum maps for each discipline and resulting collaborative curricular projects between classroom teachers and the media center. • Year 1 - Two major disciplines, English and social studies, will be completely mapped by the end of the school year along with current standards. The collections for the two disciplines will be inventoried and updated as needed. o Evaluate: At least three major units in English and three major units in social studies will use a collaborative project with the media center. • Year 2 – The other two academic disciplines, math and science, will be mapped by the end of the school year along with current standards. The collections for math and science will be inventoried and updated as needed. o Evaluate: Repeat English and social studies units from previous year and add at least three major units in math and three major units in science that use a collaborative project with the media center. • Year 3 – Other disciplines, such as art, music, physical education, etc., will be mapped by the end of the school year along with current standards. The collections for these disciplines will be inventoried and updated as needed. o Evaluate: In addition to the twelve collaborative projects developed in previous years, at least six more collaborative projects will be developed and implemented in these other disciplines. • Year 4 – The process begins again to meet the current needs of the teachers and students. o Evaluate: Discuss changes to existing collaborative units with teachers. What percentage of units can be used again with minor changes? Click to Return to Table of Contents
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Individual Reflections Terri Byers Reflection As I began this project I thought, “This will be easy.” Then I started working with my group and compiling information…and compiling information…and compiling more information. I quickly realized what an extensive project this was and how overwhelming it might have been alone! Thank goodness I did not have to go it alone. Our group (Shelby Day, Jennifer Parker, and myself) worked well together all semester and divided tasks as evenly as possible to distribute the work fairly. Shelby did most of the data compilation since the school we were basing our project on is the school where she teaches. Jennifer is our formatting expert and pulls everything together beautifully. My responsibilities included the philosophy, mission statement, and three of our six long-range goals (Jennifer did the other three goals). The long-range goals I selected were fairly easy to write and provide support for from Information Power. The main problem I had was when I got to the objectives and strategies for these goals. I confused the strategies and objectives at times, and I had to go back through them and determine if they were measurable and how. I re-sent them many times to Jennifer for feedback! This project definitely helped me have a better understanding of the media center, its role in the school and community, and the importance of having a plan of action supported by principles and curriculum. Being the English department chair this year helped me understand the importance of connecting my budget requests to curriculum and student achievement because I had to support the English budget request in the same manner. I know I will use this assignment as a guide many times when I finally get into a media center because of the wealth of information and examples it contains! Click to Return to Table of Contents
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Shelby Day Reflection I have been extremely lucky to have such wonderful group members. We work very well together and hold our work quality to the same high standards. When beginning a project together we develop a plan of attack. This plan consists of us dividing up the different responsibilities of the project. We then set a deadline for ourselves and get to work. The school at which I am employed is our model school. I did a lot of the information gathering, while Terri and Jennifer looked at the data and came up with short term and long term goals to fit our needs. They then described these goals and came up with a budget plan for each of the goals. Jennifer went a step further and put all of our work together into one document. She is our group wonder woman! She is also good at catching things we miss on the rubric and assignment description. We are then able to go back and correct these before turning in our final product. Terri is our APA guru. She checks our references and makes sure that everything is correctly documented. I have learned a great deal from this assignment. I believe it will be very helpful to me when I am employed as a school library media specialist. As a teacher, I have the hardest time coming up with evaluation goals each year. I will not have that problem as a media specialist because we have designed our plan with four ready-to-use goals. I am also very impressed with the school description. It is amazing what you can learn by looking at such data. As a school library media specialist, this information can help you identify certain cultural and academic needs. In all, this project will help all three of us develop a similar plan for the schools at which we will eventually be employed. Not only will it help me in the future, it was also nice to work with two such great people. Click to Return to Table of Contents
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Jennifer Parker Reflection As always when working with Terri and Shelby the group process was very efficient and effective. I would have to say that we have got our process down to a refined “art” now. We start by discussing the assignment in detail, including our “rough” ideas about what should be done for each section, then we “divide and conquer” the tasks, and finally we complete our parts and send emails to each other with revisions/suggestions. I contributed to the PDEP assignment the executive summary, the objectives, budget plan, evaluation, and rationale for goals 4-6. I also compiled everyone’s parts together into the final document (although Terri did the final proofread). I learned a lot about the planning process. The most important thing is that you have to know where you are at to know where you want to go. I think that all of Shelby’s work gathering the information about the media center’s existing condition was vital for the planning process. I also learned how important it is to give yourself measurable objectives or benchmarks for determining your progress. I really liked that for your goals you could think “big” and then with your objectives you figured out how to get to that big goal step-by-step. Click to Return to Table of Contents
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References American Association of School Librarians. (1998). Information power: Building partnerships for learning. Chicago: American Library Association. Garthwait, Gail (2006, September 3). Support staff job description. Retrieved November 1, 2006, from Maine Association of School Libraries Web site: http://www.maslibraries.org/about/SupportStaff.html Green, Rodney (2003). Ninth Grade Academy. Retrieved November 1, 2006, from White County Ninth Grade Academy Web site: http://www.white.k12.ga.us/academy/index.html Schuenke, T. & Van De Carr, J. (April 16, 2002). Library philosophy statements. Retrieved November 12, 2006, from http://www.parkridgelibrary.org/jointmission.html. WHS Library, (2006, October 3). Wamego High School's Library Media Center. Retrieved November 1, 2006, from Position Description: Library Media Specialist Web site: http://www.usd320.k12.ks.us/whs/lmc/lmsjob.html Click to Return to Table of Contents
