Memo

To: Frederico L. Rowe, Principal From: Sylvia Pierce, Media Specialist and Gabrielle Guyton-Edmiston, Media Specialist Candidate Date: February 27, 2014

Re: Media Program Self-Evaluation

I, Ms. Guyton, am a school library media specialist candidate at Georgia Southern University and am writing this memo on behalf of Mrs. Pierce and myself. Yesterday we collaborated to complete the Georgia Department of Education 2013 Library Media Program Self-Evaluation Rubric. Of the nineteen areas of assessment, we rated nine exemplary, seven proficient, and three basic. They are as follows: Exemplary -Collaborative planning includes both the Library Media Specialist and teachers to ensure use of library media center resources that support on-going classroom instruction and implementation of state curriculum and the GPS and CCGPS. -The library media center resources encourage and support reading, viewing, and listening. -There shall be a plan for flexibly scheduled library media center access for students and teachers in groups or as individuals simultaneously throughout each instructional day. Accessibility shall refer to the facility, the staff, and the resources and shall be based on instructional need. -Streaming video is used throughout the school to support the curriculum. Interactive whiteboards and computers are used for teaching and learning throughout the school. A central electronic media distribution system is also available. -Print and non-print resources and access to online information are basic to a library media program. A school network is effective for delivering media resources to the classroom and beyond. Multiple computers are available for student access to online resources that enhance instruction. -All library media resources are managed for maximum efficient use. The library media center has an electronic online public access catalog (OPAC). Funds for acquisition of computers are utilized to implement the goals/objectives set forth in the State Technology Plan 2007-2012 or the System Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. -The local system superintendent shall appoint a system media contact person (SMCP) to serve as a liaison to the department. -Administrative staff support at both the school and district levels is essential for the development of a strong media program. -Staff development opportunities are available both for the library media staff to enhance their own professional knowledge and for the library media staff to provide information and technology literacy skills to other teachers and administrative staff. Professional resources and services for all faculty members are provided in the library media center for the learning community. Proficient st -Information Literacy Standards are integrated into content instruction. AASL Standards for the 21 Century Learner are integrated into content instruction. -Professional library media staff are engaged in active teaching role/s.

-Services are provided to students who have diverse learning abilities, styles, and needs. -School library media center square footage requirements based on FTE. -Each local school board of education shall adopt a library media policy that provides for the establishment of a media committee at the system level at each school. A library media committee makes recommendations and decisions relating to planning, operation, evaluation, and improvement of the library media program. This committee shall annually evaluate library media services and develop a multi-year media plan for budge services and priorities. -Local Board approved library media policy is current. This policy requires development of procedures for the school system and for selecting materials locally, handling requests for reconsideration of materials, considering gifts of instructional resources, using nonschool owned materials, and complying with copyright law. -Each local school system shall spend 100 percent of the funds designated for library media center costs. Basic -Student achievement is routinely assessed. -If less than base size: A school system shall provide no less than half-time services of a Library Media Specialist for each school less than base size and shall provide adult supervision in the library media center for the entire instructional day. -One of the national educational technology goal states: Effective and engaging software and on -line resources will be an integral part of every schools curriculum. The GALILEO Virtual Library provides Georgia students and teachers access to exceptional on-line resources at no cost to the local school district. As you can see, the strengths of the media center are in collaboration, technology, system and school support, and student access to information. Teachers willingly and frequently collaborate with Mrs. Pierce for the benefit of all students. The technology in the media center and the whole school is exemplary, especially the placement of Promethean boards in all classrooms, the media center, and the computer lab. Mr. Warren as well as school administrators provide tremendous support for the library media programs. Perhaps most importantly, students have easy access to print and non-print through media center resources and the Internet, including video streaming. We will focus our action steps on the basic categories and one proficient category. The areas that need the most improvement are limiting the roles of the LMS outside the media center, collaborating with teachers on assessment, instruction and promotion of GALILEO, and the need for a separate library media center committee. We believe the following action steps will move all of the categories to exemplary as we strive to have the best possible library media program. Category 1: Student Achievement and Instruction Student achievement is routinely assessed. This category is rated as basic because the classroom teacher is responsible for assessing student achievement. In order for the teacher and LMS to use a variety of collaborative tools to assess, additions need to be made the Collaborative Planning Form. First, a section for who assess (teacher, LMS, or both) needs to be added to the form. Then a section for assessment type needs to be added to the form. These choices should include written presentation rubric, oral presentation rubric, electronic presentation rubric, student self-evaluation, quiz/test, and other. Teacher and the LMS should ensure that a variety of assessments are used throughout the year. Category 2: Staffing

If less than base size: A school system shall provide no less than half-time services of a Library Media Specialist for each school less than base size and shall provide adult supervision in the library media center for the entire instructional day. The school exceeds this by employing a full time LMS. However, for a proficient or exemplary rating, the LMS must not be shared at any other time with other areas in the school nor does he/she provide services outside the library media center. Mrs. Pierce currently has a plethora of responsibilities outside of her duties as the LMS. She is the secondary testing coordinator, Title I contact, communications ambassador, financial specialist for the general budget, in charge of the schools inventory, acts as administ rative support for the design team, is on the leadership team, and is the schools field trip coordinator. In order for Mrs. Pierce to be accessible in the media center for a majority of the instructional day, it is recommended that her extra duties be scaled back. The suggested areas to reassign responsibility are for her roles as secondary testing coordinator, Title I contact, financial specialist for the general budget, and field trip coordinator. The delegation of these roles to other staff members will allow her remaining roles to fit in with her role as the media specialist and limit her time fulfilling duties outside the media center. Category 3: Facilities, Access, and Resources One of the national educational technology goals states: Effective and engaging software and on-line resources will be an integral part of every schools curriculum. The GALILEO Virtual Library provides Georgia students and teachers access to exceptional on-line resources at no cost to the local school district. The rating of basic here is based on the fact that students are given instructions on how to access GALILEO at the beginning of the year. Beyond that, there is no instruction or promotion of GALILEO. With the turnover rate at the school, it is especially important for GALILEO to be taught and promoted continuously so that new students can also use the system effectively. In order to increase this rating, we suggest that a monthly GALILEO mini-lesson is taught before regular library lessons. These mini-lessons will be videotaped to share with colleagues. Additionally, Mrs. Pierce will increase use of GALILEO by leading staff development trainings at the beginning of each semester. She will also feature GALILEO online courses and lessons in her weekly curriculum updates. Category 4: Administrative Support Each local school board of education shall adopt a library media policy that provides for the establishment of a media committee at the system level at each school. A library media committee makes recommendations and decisions relating to planning, operation, evaluation, and improvement of the library media program. This committee shall annually evaluate library media services and develop a multi-year media plan for budge services and priorities. The main step in moving this rating from proficient to exemplary is to create a library media advisory committee that is separate from the leadership team. This committee will include Mrs. Pierce, a representative from each grade level, at least one th th administrator, two parents, and two student representatives from 4 and/or 5 grades. This committee will meet monthly after school. They will hold an end of year annual meeting to evaluate, review, and update library media policy. We hope you take these action items into consideration, and we look forward to discussing them with you. Thank you.