ELL Corner Project:

Documents for Planning, Marketing, and Assessment

designed for Brighton High School, Boston, MA

Susanna Hall

IST613 - Library Planning, Marketing and Assessment, Oakleaf

School of Information Studies, Syracuse University

Spring, 2011
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 1

Planning: project team, needs assessment

ESL and SEI instructional strategies

Marketing: tutor selection and training

Assessment: participatory approach

2. PROJECT PLAN .................................................................................................... 14

Relationship to library strategic planning and mission

User needs assessment: internal and external

Relevant literature, goals and outcomes

Budget, responsible parties, pilot test, scalability

Assumptions and limitations, SWOT analysis, reflection

3. MARKETING PLAN ............................................................................................... 34

Relevant literature, marketing goals and outcomes, target audiences

Positioning statement, key messages, message delivery strategies

Mockups of selected marketing materials, reflection

4. ASSESSMENT PLAN ............................................................................................ 44

Goals and outcomes, relevant literature

Assessment plans for each outcome: 1-4

Recommended action plan and timeline (66)

Service impact rubric, reflection

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 78
 LITERATURE REVIEW

Planning, Marketing, and Assessment of Community Partnership and Peer-Tutoring

Services to English-Language Learners in a High School Library:
A Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

English-language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing student population in

U.S. public schools. In 2004–2005, approximately 5.1 million students, or 10.5 percent

of the U.S. student population, were ELLs (McBride, 2008). In 2006, the U.S.

Department of Education counted 5.4 million ELL students and predicted that this

number will increase to one of every four students by 2025. It is imperative that public

school librarians proactively develop collections and services that directly engage with

and provide access and resources to their ELL students.

Along with a host librarian at a public high school in Boston, MA, in which 28% of

students are ELLs [the district average (Boston Public Schools, 2011)], I am planning a

PMA project that will develop an ongoing, sustainable service to ELL students at the

school. The target population will likely be ELL students who are enrolled in Sheltered

English Instruction (SEI) classes, which provide the strongest supports for English

language learners--content instruction in both their home language and English as a

second language. This service, though still in the design stage, will include strong library

staff collaboration with SEI students and ELL/SEI teachers at the school. It may focus

on partnerships with and/or outreach to immigrant-serving and/or literacy-based

community organizations, and/or may potentially develop into a pilot peer-tutoring

program.

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 Most of the school library literature on the topic of ELLs focuses on (1) collection

development issues such as leveled texts, high interest-low level texts, website design,

and audiobook technology, and (2) on facility issues such as the creation of a

welcoming physical space through multilingual signage. Additionally, there is very little

information in this literature about the collaboration between school librarians and SEI/

ESL (English as a second language) teachers. Therefore, I have conducted this

literature review mainly within the broader fields of SEI/ESL education and public library

services to immigrants 1 and have limited my scope to peer-reviewed journal articles, a

few key research reports, and one book. The most relevant literature related to the

planning, marketing, and assessment of this type of service has come from an

unexpected corner of the library world--the community outreach and public health

publications of the Medical Library Association and the National Network of Libraries of

Medicine (Ottoson & Green, 2005; Warner, Olney, Wood, Hansen, & Bowden, 2005).

Together, these professional fields seem remarkably well-aligned; theories,

methodologies, findings, and recommendations in this literature are relatively consistent

across authors.

PLANNING

Project team development

Many librarians and library students are not formally trained in providing services

to English-language learners, so creating a project team through collaboration with ESL/

1 One cannot assume that all ELL students in a SEI program are recent immigrants, however, anecdotal
evidence suggests that students in Boston’s SEI program are likely to have more limited English language
proficiency than their ELL peers in general education classes, thus requiring the extra support available in
the SEI setting. A needs assessment of the target population will determine the extent to which local
immigrant resources may be appropriate to a project.

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SEI professionals and students is essential to the success of any initiative in which ELL

students will participate.

The comprehensive Med High Peer Tutor MedlinePlus Pilot Project (Warner, et.

al., 2005), which “used high school peer tutors as one method of introducing [the]

MedlinePlus [consumer health website] to the Hispanic community in the Rio Grande

Valley of south Texas,” had strong funding (from the National Library of Medicine) and a

large project team. The project team leaders were staff members (including a dedicated

evaluation specialist) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

(UTHSCSA) and a librarian from a UTHSCSA regional branch library. “Key participants”

included the head librarian at Med High and her staff. In this case, a university-based

research team partnered with an affiliate public librarian, who, in turn, interviewed high

school library staff and administrators before drafting initial pilot project objectives and

evaluation methods.

Not only did this project team benefit from rich collaboration between institutions,

but it was also able to successfully transfer aspects of project leadership to high school-

aged peer tutors and community participants. The report states, “Leadership for the

project came from the community. The participants set their own goals and

strategies. . . .Although the project leaders did not always find it easy, we believe that

permitting participants to design and carry out their own project is critical to developing

a sustainable outreach program” (Warner, et. al., 2005). The success of this leadership

model can be an inspiration for project team development on any scale.

On a smaller scale, for the Urban Libraries Council report “Welcome, Stranger:

Public LIbraries Build the Global Village,” research was led by Ashton and Milam (2008),

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who conducted online surveys with thirty-five ULC member public libraries and select

interviews with twelve library and community professionals in order to gather data “on

the ways in which urban public libraries are involved with the transition of immigrants

into American life.” A grant from the Institute for Museum & Library Service supported

their research. This report, and others like it, can provide important data to leaders of

more modest projects.

For a project that is designed and implemented at the school library level with no

funding and a limited scope, a project team will necessarily be small, and project design

data and recommendations will likely come from a combination of a literature review

and community needs assessment interviews and/or focus groups with “cultural liaison”

staff at the high school (ELL/SEI teachers, literacy coordinators, and/or family

engagement coordinators) and ELL students themselves. Depending on the focus of the

service, further data and recommendations may come from interviews with local

professionals working in immigrant organizations and ESL literacy and tutoring centers.

Community needs assessment and project design

Regardless of the size of the project team, project planning must begin with a

well-developed community needs assessment so that project design and organization

will lead to successful and sustainable implementation. The literature states some of the

specific needs of ELL students and gives clear recommendations for effective program/

project design.

Ashton and Milam (2008) report a number of needs common to new residents in

America and provide recommendations for public library services that can meet those

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needs. Immigrant families often have “survival needs” such as access to job-hunting,

health and nutrition, and citizenship preparation information. Parents of K-12 students

need support with school engagement, so public libraries should “[help] parents learn to

advocate for their children in school, adjust to bi-cultural teen behavior, and navigate

public and private education institutions.” Newcomers have civic engagement needs

that can benefit from opportunities for public discussion of the challenges that face them

in America. Students and parents can also benefit from one-on-one tutoring, technology

training, conversational English opportunities, and reading clubs that include “authors

familiar to immigrant groups.” These needs can also be met through school library

programs and partnerships. In fact, since “the best program organization is one that is

tailored to meet linguistic, academic, and affective needs of students,” public school

teachers, librarians, and staff are natural partners who are likely already working to

provide holistic services to this population.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ “Library Services for Immigrants:

A Report on Current Practices” (2010) notes the same needs as above, adding

examples of well-designed “bridge programs” that can help immigrants understand and

integrate into their communities: cultural activities and holiday events, free seminars by

immigration lawyers, roundtable discussions on immigrant issues, and “an agency book

club with peers from other community agencies to learn more about the immigrants in

the community.” This last suggestion may be especially relevant to school library staff

members who want to design services and projects for ELL students but may have a

limited understanding of their ELL students and families. An agency book club could

provide a regular, informal gathering for professionals across disciplines that could

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enrich their understanding of immigrant issues. As Ashton and Milam note, “When

libraries understand neighborhood-level information about new residents, their needs,

and the resources available to them, libraries can shape their services and form their

partnerships effectively” (2008).

Setting partnership priorities

The USCIS report (2010) discusses the communication, cultural, and resources

“gaps” that can be bridged through agency partnerships. Borrett and Milam, in the

“Welcome Stranger” toolkit (2008), provide an excellent list of questions that aim to help

library project planning teams “define productive partnerships”:

• Which partnership is the best match with our library? Why?

• Which partnership yields the highest impact on the immigrant population in our
library and community? Why?
• If we could only pick one partnership to expand, which one would it be? What
resources would be required to expand it? Would that partnership still be viable
in 5 years?
• What partnership do we not have, but wish we did? What resources would it
take to see it become a reality? What barriers keep it from becoming a reality?
What are the community barriers? What are the library barriers?
• What partnerships are valuable and effective now, but may diminish in
importance within the next 5 years? Why?
• What partnerships are a low priority now, but may be more important in the next
5 years? Why?

ESL Standards and SEI instructional strategies

Library project planning teams can also benefit by becoming familiar with the

curriculum standards created by ESL/ESOL professionals and the instructional

strategies they commonly employ. ESL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students was first

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published in 1997 by Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.

(TESOL)2. Naidoo (2005) aligns ESL and AASL (American Association of School

Librarians) standards so that “ESL teachers can assist the school library media

specialist in meeting the informational needs of ELL students while also providing

instructional strategies for teaching information-seeking skills to ELL students.” Some of

these standards include:

• Students will interact in, with, and through spoken and written English for
personal expression and enjoyment.
• Students will use learning strategies to extend their communicative
competence.
• Students will use appropriate language variety, register, and genre according to
audience, purpose, and setting.

Other researchers in the literature focus on effective instructional strategies in the SEI

classroom. For instance, teachers should:

• “Provide opportunities for students to talk within a variety of group settings, e.g.,
cooperative groups, buddy system, and small groups” (Echevarria, Graves, and
Vogt, 1996),
• “Encourage elaborated responses in teacher-student interaction, i.e., reciprocal
questioning: ‘Tell me more...’; ‘What made you think or say that?’; ‘Tell me what
you mean by that?’; ‘Okay, and so...?’; and ‘In other words...?‘ (Echevarria,
Graves, and Vogt, 1996),
• “Allow ELLs to use their first language (L1) in the classroom when appropriate,
as well as the use of L1 texts and resources that will serve to clarify academic
concepts in the second language (L2)” (Hansen-Thomas, 2008),
• “Consider language learners' home experiences as well as educational
background, first and second language and literacy proficiency, and cultural
and religious norms.” (Hansen-Thomas, 2008),
• “Use. . .role-playing” (Hansen-Thomas, 2008),
• “Use explicit teaching of learning strategies” (Hansen-Thomas, 2008),

2The most recent edition is PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards, published in 2006 by
TESOL, Inc.

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 • “Use nonverbal communication [such as] smiling, shaking hands, and using a
tone of voice that is comforting without being condescending” (Dawkins, 2008),
• Use thematic learning and connect content to students’ life experiences: “the
students decide what topics we will discuss; alternatively, I will propose a topic
that connects to experiences they have discussed” (Dawkins, 2008), and
• Increase vocabulary knowledge “by making connections with oral language,
multiple exposures to words in a variety of rich contexts, pre-instruction of word
meanings before reading, and active engagement of the learner in acquiring
and using vocabulary” (Corona & Armour, 2007).

Librarians who become aware of these standards and practices will be more able to

provide effective instruction and design effective services for their ELL students. Many

of these practices are just “good teaching” and are also used by general and special

educators.

MARKETING

Tutor selection and training

For library projects that include adult or peer tutors, the literature provides

recommendations for selection and training, and outreach methods during the early

implementation period of a project can be considered marketing. The Med High Peer

Tutor MedlinePlus Pilot Project (Warner, et. al., 2005) used “diffusions of innovations

(DI) theory” to identify and target school community members considered to be “early

adopters [of technology] (usually 16% of a given community or population).” This

methodology was well-suited to their objectives--to help Hispanic community members

understand and be able to navigate a consumer health website. Their initial pilot of the

program included four peer tutors, and with these, they used a “train the trainers

8
approach” that succeeded in part because MedlinePlus “attract[ed] the interest of the

school librarians and some high-achieving high school students” (the peer tutors were

also paid with grant money) (Warner, et. al., 2005). When teens expressed interest in

applying for the project, they underwent a rigorous interview process in which they had

to be nominated by teachers and approved by the school principal. Tutor training

sessions made use of case studies and role playing exercises, which “sometimes paired

a librarian and a peer tutor on a problem-solving exercise. The partnership between the

librarians and the peer tutors always guided the sessions, which were often led by the

peer tutors” (Warner, et. al., 2005). This case demonstrates the use of technology as a

draw that sparks the enthusiasm of school librarians and students alike, and its training

sessions are shaped largely by the needs of the trainees. It is also heartening to note

that even the most comprehensive and well-funded programs need to begin with small

pilot initiatives.

Dawkins (2008), who works as an ESL tutor and tutor trainer for library-based

literacy councils in rural western Pennsylvania, defines tutors as “cultural brokers” who

“help a newcomer to get around the community and learn certain acculturation

processes.” Unlike the MedHigh project, Dawkins was unable to attract potential tutors

with the promise of teaching a web-based technology. It is also unclear whether or not

her tutors were paid. Since her tutors were recruited with the objective to teaching

English as a second language, Dawkins often needed to allay the fears of future tutors

who felt they were not qualified to teach English. She had to market her program by

assuring tutoring applicants that they “already have many of the qualifications needed.”

“Experienced ESL tutors know that we do not have to have a flawless grasp of the finer

9
points of English grammar and usage--we need to guide our students in the ways of

everyday American language and culture” (Dawkins, 2008). Dawkins’ training sessions

focused on developing ESL teaching techniques and intercultural awareness and

sensitivity in her tutors. This case demonstrates the need for a project team (1) to plan

and market a program in a way that will attract strong interest and many tutoring

candidates, and (2) to be aware of potential barriers that may affect tutor confidence.

Finally, for a school that does not regularly train teens to be peer tutors to ELL students,

it is important to consider partnering with a library-based or community literacy council

that already offers low-cost (or free) training for literacy tutors.

ASSESSMENT

The most thorough article relating to assessment is Ottoson and Green’s

“Community Outreach: From Measuring the Difference to Making a Difference with

Health Information” (2005), which explores a participatory approach to program

planning and evaluation through the lens of medical libraries’ community-based

outreach programs. The authors note three components of evaluation theory:

1. Use: Evaluation is intended to be useful for stakeholders to make decisions.

A useful evaluation is credible, timely, and of adequate scope. Participatory
approaches to evaluating increase use of evaluation findings include
engaging end users early in planning the program itself and in deciding on the
outcomes of the evaluation.
2. What is being evaluated: Participatory approaches to evaluating outreach
include having end users, such as health practitioners in other community-
based organizations, identify what components of the outreach program are
most important to their work.
3. The process by which value is placed on outreach. What will count as
outreach success or failure? Who decides? Participatory approaches to

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 valuing include assuring end-user representation in the formulation of
evaluation questions and in the interpretation of evaluation results.

Ottoson and Green stress that the planning, marketing, and assessment process should

be collaborative from beginning to end. From the initial needs assessment stage

onward, stakeholders should help decide what outcomes are important to accomplish,

to that they can help determine what outcomes will be considered successful, relevant,

and valued by the community. This participatory approach, argue Ottoson and Green,

can best guarantee that the results of an evaluation will be used by members of the

participating community. Because “who is at the table and who is not” is a key

component of the perceived success and usefulness of a project, a participatory

approach to assessment should be actively developed by a project team from the start.

The Med High peer tutor project team did not use a participatory approach to

evaluation since it hired a professional project evaluator, but leaders admit that an

“important [success] factor was including a project evaluator on the planning team from

the outset” (Warner, et. al., 2005). This evaluator was constantly at work, evaluating

both the process and the outcomes of the project using a traditional battery of

quantitative and qualitative methods such as focus group interviews, individual

interviews, pre- and posttests of training sessions, surveys, and Web statistics (from the

MedlinePlus site).

This case demonstrates that sustainable programs can be developed even when

participants do not hold an integral place in assessment design. Instead, the

participatory roles of school librarians and students during the planning and

implementation of the Med High peer tutor project contributed heavily to its success.

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The authors report that “library staff had moved beyond their support function to

become leaders and active team members in the school curriculum as a result of their

participation in this project. The school librarians also have become more involved with

other librarians in the region.” (Warner, et. al., 2005). They also note that the project

“enhanced the role of school librarians as agents of change at Med High. The project

continues on a self-sustaining basis.”

CONCLUSION

The literature produced by public and medical library researchers, as well as SEI/

ESL educators and theorists, can be instrumental to the planning, marketing, and

assessment of school library projects that provide services to ELL adolescents

regardless of their English language proficiency or program placement (in SEI or

general education classes). Both public and medical libraries have strong and growing

traditions of providing literacy and community outreach services to this population, and

there is also a broad focus on adult, family, and community involvement--in addition to

student involvement--that is a refreshing change from the narrow focus of much of the

school library literature.

As my project planning moves forward, this literature will inform my decisions.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine website (http://nnlm.gov/evaluation/

guide/) offers useful Evaluation Guides that will enable me to include participatory

assessment design throughout my project. I also plan to investigate comparable

services at peer libraries within the Boston Public Library network and within the Boston

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Public Schools and to meet with professionals at the Boston Public Schools’ Office of

English Language Learners, Family Resource Centers, and local literacy centers.

Though planning, marketing, and assessing a project can feel complex and

overwhelming, it is important to start small with SMART outcomes (specific,

measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) and a reasonable scope. After all, “If

a library is just beginning to serve immigrants, taking some small, thoughtful steps

toward attracting and assisting immigrants is more likely to succeed than creating an

elaborate plan that may prove difficult to implement” (USCIS, 2010).

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 PROJECT PLAN

Introduction

Although 28% of the student body at Brighton High School in Boston, MA, is

classified as English Language Learners (ELLs), many of these students do not come to

the school library during their independent time (before school, during lunch, or after

school). The physical resources the library currently holds that would attract ELLs,

particularly books for independent reading, are not yet displayed in a space set aside for

ELL patrons. The human resources, particularly the readers’ advisory skills of the library

staff, are also not being utilized by this population. The library and ESL staff at Brighton

High School feel that the creation of a welcoming “ELL Corner” in the library, in addition

to improved library communication with staff and students about current ELL resources,

could improve the rate at which ELL students come to the library during independent

time, ask readers’ advisory questions, and take out books for independent reading.

This project, therefore, will pilot the creation of an ELL Corner in the school

library and will also recommend communication and marketing tools for the library staff

to use so that existing ELL-related resources are communicated effectively to staff and

students. The target population for this project will be the 14.1% of ELL students at

Brighton who are in bilingual education, otherwise known as Sheltered English

Instruction (SEI) (about 160 students) (Boston Public Schools, 2009). These SEI

students are segregated from their peers in general education classes since their

course work is taught in a blend of English and their native languages.

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 The project will add welcoming multilingual signage, reposition book shelves, and

relocate independent reading books (fiction and nonfiction) to a new ELL Corner. This

corner will not be isolated from the main area of the library for two reasons: (1) so that

the ELL students will have an opportunity to be more integrated with their general

education peers while in the library, and (2) because many of the books that will be

placed in the ELL Corner will also be books that circulate frequently amongst all patrons

(i.e. anime, graphic novels, high-interest/low-level series books).

The general end goals of this service are (1) for SEI students to feel welcomed

and confident in navigating the library and asking readers’ advisory questions, (2) for

SEI students to independently come to the library, find, and take out books for

independent reading, and (3) for SEI students to feel more integrated with the student

population at large. This service will initially be limited to independent/pleasure reading

because SEI teachers have reported that SEi students are academically exhausted

after a full day of classes.

Relationship to Library Strategic Planning

The library director at Brighton High School stresses that the library’s mission is

in support of the overall mission of Brighton High School: “Brighton High School is

committed to providing a personal and engaging high school experience, leading to life-

long academic and civic excellence. By creating an inclusive community and offering

challenging curricula, we empower our students to be successful in their post-secondary

education and beyond” (Brighton High School, 2010).

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 Dominic J. Bruno Library Media Center Mission: The mission of the library media

program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and

information.

This mission is accomplished:

• by providing intellectual and physical access to materials in all formats

• by providing instruction to foster competence and stimulate interest in

reading, viewing, and using information and ideas

• by working with other educators to design learning strategies to meet the

needs of individual students. (Brighton High School, 2010)

There are no strategic planning documents for the library at this time, but the ELL

Corner project can clearly be mapped back to the mission statements above. Brighton

High School aims to create an engaging and inclusive community that will “empower our

students to be successful in their post-secondary education and beyond.” In order for

ELL students to succeed in post-secondary education, they will need to become familiar

with their high school library and the resources it provides so that they will become

regular and confident users of their college library in the future. Their high school library

will need to provide an engaging and inclusive environment for them so that they can

develop this ownership of the space and its resources (human and physical).

In terms of the library mission statement, the ELL Corner will create greater

physical and intellectual access to materials for ELL students, and once these students

begin to come to the library on their own volition, opportunities for library staff to provide

“instruction to foster competence and stimulate interest in reading, viewing, and using

information and ideas” will abound. This project also builds in collaboration between

16
library staff and ESL classroom teachers that will lead to the design of ongoing

strategies that will meet the needs of this specific sub-population of the student body.

User Needs Assessment

Internal Stakeholders

Though SEI students are the end users of this project, a small group of key

internal stakeholders are crucial to the planning and implementation of the ELL Corner.

These include Ms. Kathleen Ross, Librarian, Ms. Laurelle Mathison, Library Assistant,

Ms. Martha Boycell and Ms. Bridget Driscoll, ESL teachers and department heads, and

Ms. Louisa McCarthy, Simmons College library intern. Other cultural liaison staff, such

as the Family Engagement Coordinator and/or the ESL guidance counselor may also

become key players if Ms. Ross considers family needs as she expands her collection,

or if/when this program expands to include evening family events.

Internal Assessments

It is demographically significant that over one in four students at Brighton High

School are classified as English Language Learners, and that 14.1% of the student

population is placed in SEI classes. Ms. Kathleen Ross, the librarian at Brighton High

School, has identified ELL students as being the most important stakeholders to target

in terms of program and collection development, since her library’s service portfolio

currently does not include services to this student population, and she very much wants

to get these students into the library on a regular basis (personal communication,

January 20, 2011). She doesn’t gather behavioral data on the SEI population, but

17
anecdotally, she perceives that most of them are occasional users of the library, i.e. they

have “used the library more than once in the past year, but less than once per

quarter” (Fisher & Pride, 2006, p 15-16). There has actually been a perceived decrease

of library use in this population over the past year, since SEI teachers who used to bring

their classes into the library on a semi-regular basis no longer come. Ms. Ross wonders

whether these students and teachers are mainly relying on their classroom libraries (the

main “competition” of the ELL Corner, along with BPL branch libraries) and/or whether

they may not understand what kinds of resources are available to them at the school

library. She wants to turn this trend around (personal communication, Jan. 20, 2011).

Ms. Ross has also gathered some statistics from the Headmaster and the Family

Engagement Coordinator at Brighton High (personal communication, January 20, 2011).

As of September, 2010, the non-English languages spoken and preferred by students

were self-reported to be: Spanish (175 students), Haitian Creole (27), Portuguese (19),

Cape Verdean (14), Other (10), Chinese (1), and Vietnamese (1). Also in September,

2010, the following home languages were identified by students as preferred languages

in which they would like to receive communication from the school to their homes:

Spanish (391 students), Haitian Creole (46), Cape Verdean (29), Portuguese (28),

Vietnamese (19), French (14), Somali (6), Russian (1), and Swiss (1). This data

indicates students who are not likely to speak English at home with their family

members and identifies the major non-English home languages present within the

student body. It does not indicate the English fluency level of the students or parents/

guardians, but of the language preferences of the adults at home. Perhaps more useful

for this project is the fact that “60% of ESL/ELL students at Brighton High have lived in

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America for 1-12 months,” which was also reported anecdotally by the Family

Engagement Coordinator. Many of the new immigrant students are placed in SEI

classes because they are new to learning English, so these students’ needs can also be

viewed as new/recent immigrant needs.

External Assessments

The literature review I produced for this project detailed some of the specific

needs of ELL students, particularly new or recent immigrants:

Ashton and Milam (2008) report a number of needs common to new

residents in America and provide recommendations for public library services that

can meet those needs. Immigrant families often have “survival needs” such as

access to job-hunting, health and nutrition, and citizenship preparation

information. Parents of K-12 students need support with school engagement, so

public libraries should “[help] parents learn to advocate for their children in

school, adjust to bi-cultural teen behavior, and navigate public and private

education institutions.” Newcomers have civic engagement needs that can

benefit from opportunities for public discussion of the challenges that face them

in America. Students and parents can also benefit from one-on-one tutoring,

technology training, conversational English opportunities, and reading clubs that

include “authors familiar to immigrant groups.” These needs can also be met

through school library programs and partnerships. In fact, since “the best

program organization is one that is tailored to meet linguistic, academic, and

affective needs of students,” public school teachers, librarians, and other cultural

19
 liaison staff are natural partners who are likely already working to provide holistic

services to this population.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ “Library Services for

Immigrants: A Report on Current Practices” (2010) notes the same needs as

above, adding examples of well-designed “bridge programs” that can help

immigrants understand and integrate into their communities: cultural activities

and holiday events, free seminars by immigration lawyers, and roundtable

discussions on immigrant issues.

These needs are very general, and may or may not apply to the SEI students at

Brighton High School. I recommend that the ELL Corner Project team spend time talking

with SEI students in order to ascertain which felt needs are most pressing to them,

specifically relating to this pilot project, which is mainly focused on independent reading.

It is possible that the SEI students at Brighton will voice reading needs related to

survival, civic engagement, school engagement, or immigrant issues. It is also possible

that they will want to read books by authors from their home countries, leveled books,

children’s book series, or anime. The team won’t know until they ask.

Following are some of the possible barriers that could present themselves as this

project moves forward:

• Potential inconvenience of the library’s location, which is on the first floor of the

school, whereas SEI classrooms are clustered on the second and third floors

• Potential language barriers between SEI students and library staff

• SEI students may not all have Boston Public Library (BPL) library cards

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 • SEI students who are reluctant readers, or who struggle with decoding and

comprehension due to concurrent learning disabilities, may struggle to access

materials, even with expert assistance

• SEI students may experience frustration if they are unable to find an interesting

book to take out after browsing and/or consulting with library staff for a short time

• There may be competition for after school hours programming (jobs, other after

school programs, family needs)

• If students are most comfortable reading books from their SEI classroom

libraries, it may be a challenge to get them to come and use the library’s

resources, even though the library collection may include a greater selection of

resources

• If SEI students feel stigma about their reading needs (i.e. their need to read more

basic and/or “children’s” texts), they may not want to browse such texts in the

library in the potential presence of their general education peers

Wonderful benefits and opportunities await the SEI students who are willing to

take the time and the risk to develop a relationship with the library staff and get to know

the library’s well-rounded collection of independent reading books. Beyond the books

that are available in their classroom libraries and at their school library, they will have

access to all of the books and materials of the Boston Public Library--about three crates

of books are delivered to Brighton High from the BPL every Wednesday, and about

50-60 students use this service every week to get books and DVDs that the school

library does not own. They will be able to practice their conversational English with

21
patient adults and talk about the kinds of books they want to read with library staff

members who know a lot about books that are popular right now with other students. It

may be difficult to step outside of the comfort zone of one’s own “sheltered” classroom,

but it is very important to get to know one’s school library and its resources because

when one graduates from high school and moves on to post-secondary education, one

will need to be able to navigate a college library as well. High school libraries provide a

safe space in which all students can learn how to talk with peers and adults about

reading and how to develop a love for reading, even if one is reading in a new language

and/or in a new culture.

The ELL Corner project is currently being initiated solely by library staff at

Brighton High, and it is more out of an awareness of a gap in service than it is a

response to an articulated student demand. The action plan below shows that the initial

roll-out of this service will include “open houses” to which classes of SEI students will be

brought by their teachers during class time (about 160 students total). Ms. Ross, the

Brighton High librarian, calls class visits “forced data” since the students are not

choosing to be in the library. However, as the project moves forward, students will

ideally begin to use the library during their independent time. At this time, the demand

for the service can be more accurately assessed and the data will feel more “true.”

External Stakeholders

The parents, guardians, and family members of Brighton’s SEI students are key

external stakeholders to this project, because their needs and desires may intersect

with or influence the reading needs and desires of the SEI students. The wider ELL

22
student community are also key external stakeholders, since they could also clearly

benefit form the creation of an ELL Corner, enhanced readers’ advisory services, and

closer collaboration between library staff and ESL teachers in their school.

Relevant Literature

My literature review also reviewed recommendations for the development of a

project plan like this one. Most notably, the careful development of a collaborative

project team was highlighted. The case study of the Med High Peer Tutor MedLine Plus

Project (Warner, et al., 2005) demonstrated that a project team can successfully transfer

aspects of project leadership to high school-aged participants. Their report states,

““Leadership for the project came from the community. The participants set their own

goals and strategies. . . .Although the project leaders did not always find it easy, we

believe that permitting participants to design and carry out their own project is critical to

developing a sustainable outreach program.” The literature also recommends a

participatory approach to program planning and assessment. Ottoson and Green’s

“Community Outreach: From Measuring the Difference to Making a Difference with

Health Information” (2005) stresses that the planning, marketing, and assessment

process should be collaborative from beginning to end:

From the initial needs assessment stage onward, stakeholders should help

decide what outcomes are important to accomplish, to that they can help

determine what outcomes will be considered successful, relevant, and valued by

the community. This participatory approach, argue Ottoson and Green, can best

guarantee that the results of an evaluation will be used by members of the

23
 participating community. Because “who is at the table and who is not” is a key

component of the perceived success and usefulness of a project, a participatory

approach to assessment should be actively developed by a project team from the

start.

For this reason, I have listed only initial outcomes in this project plan (below), in hopes

that SEI students will be asked to participate in the development of the ELL Corner

project. This would include a student review of the proposed outcomes and editing of

these outcomes as necessary so that they will be judged as “successful, relevant, and

valued” by the target population themselves upon assessment of the project. If

sustainability is a goal for an evolving project or service, end users should be

encouraged to participate from the very start.

Recommendations for Action

Goals

• Goal 1: The creation of an ELL Corner will improve the rate at which SEi students

come to the library during independent time and take out books for independent

reading.

• Goal 2: As a result of visiting the ELL Corner, SEI students at Brighton High will

perceive the library as a welcoming place where their reading questions can be

answered and books can be found.

• Goal 3: SEI students who visit the ELL Corner will become more confident in

navigating library resources, more socially integrated with the student population at

large, and will continue to develop a love of reading.

24
• Goal 4: improved communication between library staff and SEI teachers will ensure

that SEI students and teachers are kept well-informed of current collection materials

and new acquisitions.

Initial Outcomes 3

• 100% of SEI students (160) will attend an open house at the ELL Corner with their SEI

teachers before the end of June, 2011 so that they can begin to perceive the library as

a welcoming place.

• 100% of SEI students (160) will be trained by library staff on how to navigate and use

the ELL Corner before the end of June, 2011 so the students can begin to gain

awareness, confidence, and ownership in their new access to a wider selection of

independent reading materials than are available in their SEI classroom libraries.

• 25% of SEI students (40) will enter the library and browse within the ELL Corner on

their independent time before the end of June, 2011, which will demonstrate increased

confidence that the library can meet their reading needs.

• 25% of SEI students (40) will ask at least one readers’ advisory question of a library

staff member, which will result in improved confidence in the use of conversational

English and improved satisfaction with the readers’ advisory services at the library.

• 25% of SEI students (40) will check out an independent reading book (fiction or

nonfiction) from the library before the end of June, 2011, which will lead to improved

student engagement with independent reading.

3 Initial outcomes are defined as initial results or short-term benefits for the patrons. They are “milestones
int the life of a project” (Rubin, 2006, p 21 & 114). As such, initial results assume that a service or project
will expand beyond the pilot phase and then include more long-term outcomes.

25
Budget

Human resources (time and effort) are the main requirements for planning,

marketing, implementing, and assessing an ELL Corner at the Brighton High School

library. The only actual items to be purchased during this phase of the project will be

multilingual signage, which I estimate will cost $50. Budget items based on hours spent

x hourly salary are listed in the action plan and timeline below. The following estimates

are used:

• Librarian = $30/hr
• SEI Teachers = $30/hr
• Library Assistant = $20/hr
• Library Intern = unpaid
• SEI students = unpaid

Responsible Parties

Ms. Ross, the librarian at Brighton High School, will have the primary

responsibility for the creation of the ELL Corner. She will schedule all meetings with

project team members, delegate responsibilities to other project team members, and

oversee the roll-out and assessment of the project. Ms. Mathison, the library assistant,

will be the “second in command” and will assist with all aspects of the project. Both of

these leaders will be required to use their competencies in readers’ advisory service,

collection analysis, and decision-making regarding the rearranging of bookshelves and

re-shelving of fiction and non-fiction books appropriate for SEI independent reading. Ms.

Boycell and Ms. Driscoll, the SEI teachers on the project team, will be expected to

contribute their expertise as needed based on their knowledge of and relationships with

26
the SEI students at Brighton. Ms. McCarthy, the Simmons intern, will be primarily

responsible for obtaining and posting multilingual posters in the ELL Corner, and will

also assist with the physical building of the corner, including moving and reorganizing

bookshelves and books. She may also participate in the decision-making process

regarding which books from the collection will be included in the ELL Corner. All library-

based team members will be responsible for gathering and assessing data on library

usage by SEI students as the project is rolled out. Time commitments for these tasks

are detailed below.

Action Plan & Timeline

This service is at the introductory stage of its life cycle, at the initial pilot phase of

its life (Fisher & Pride, 2006, p 37). Assuming that more time will be taken to assess the

needs of SEI students and perhaps even add one or two SEI students to the project

team, time will need to be built in for objectives to be reviewed and edited as needed.

The following action plan chart builds these and other steps into a two month timeline,

with project development occurring in May, implementation during the first three weeks

of June, and assessment during the fourth week in June. (I do not yet know how many

separate SEI classes there are at Brighton, so my estimates on the number of open

houses may be inaccurate.)

[NB: This chart has been removed from the project plan because all of its items are

included in the assessment plan action plan chart. This was an earlier, incomplete

27
version, and inclusion here would be confusing. The final budget at this point was

calculated to be $2,130 in salaried staff hours and $50 in supplies.]

Pilot-Test

If the goals, objectives, and action steps listed above are overly ambitious and do

not feel attainable or measurable in the two-month timeframe they have been given

here, it may be better to scale back the project roll-out into a more limited pilot program

that includes smaller numbers of students served.

Conversely, if items have been omitted that could have been included above--i.e.

setting up dedicated computers in the ELL Corner that have software and/or

downloadable reading material installed--the project can easily be expanded to meet the

capabilities and ambitions of members of the project team.

Scalability

The ELL Corner project as articulated here is based on a variety of factors that

will either coalesce and move forward with few hitches or hit bumps in the road and

potentially derail themselves. If the service is enthusiastically well-received by the end

of the school year, library staff, teachers, and students should be sufficiently energized

to change and expand upon the project for the 2011-2012 school year. The new year

could bring a lunchtime or after school ELL reading or conversation club, new budget

money with which to purchase new titles for the library’s ELL independent reading

collection, and/or new ELL student leadership and creative ideas. This service model

28
can be modified and expanded to reach all ELL students in the school, and/or even

provide services specific to cultural and language sub-groups within the student body.

On the other hand, if parts of the project do not coalesce and if buy-in and usage

data are low among any of the stakeholder groups, the project will have to be adapted

to respond to the barriers that are presenting themselves. The librarian and her project

team will need to step back to examine the problems that are occurring and may need

to reformulate the goals, outcomes, action steps, collaboration roles and

responsibilities, assessments, and timeline of the pilot phase of the project.

Assumptions & Limitations

This plan rests on a number of assumptions about the existence, willingness, and

support of leaders, library assistants, interns, teacher collaborators, and students. It

assumes that the librarian and her assistant will be able to carve out the time necessary

to bring the project to fruition--a big assumption based on the heavy flow of students

and classes into the library on a daily basis (and the constant threat of removal of the

library assistant’s job). It also assumes that SEI teachers will be willing to schedule

meeting times for collaboration and will be willing and able to give up an hour of class

time to bring their students to the open house events. It also assumes the presence of

an unpaid graduate intern until the end of May.

The limitations of this plan are noted in the SWOT Analysis diagram below.

29
SWOT Analysis
internal attributes of the library
Strengths
Strong existing collection of
independent reading texts
appropriate to SEI students
Strong readers’ advisory
skills in library staff
Willingness of library and SEI
staff to collaborate
High use of library by
students in general; high
circulation stats for
independent reading
Access to the entire
collection of the Boston
Public Library catalog; books
on hold delivered weekly.
HELPFUL
to achieving
the project’s Opportunities
objectives
Rich conversations about
reading and books between
SEI students, library staff,
and SEI teachers
Relationship building
between staff and students;
identification of avid readers
(early adopters) within the
SEI student population
Improved ability to develop
collection based on greater
knowledge of reading habits
and needs of SEI students
Lots of opportunity to expand
service offerings--perhaps
creating conversation or book
groups in future.
external attributes of the environment
Weaknesses
SEI students have not yet been
directly consulted regarding
their reading needs & desires
Library staff have limited non-
English conversational skills
Library staff know little about
fluency levels of SEI students
LIbrary materials are publicly
displayed and circulated, as
opposed to SEI classroom
materials, which can be
circulated more privately
Library staff may be unable to
provide individualized services
during busy times of the day
HARMFUL
to achieving
Threats the project’s
objectives
SEI teachers may be (1) better
trained to provide Readers’
Advisory services to SEI
students depending on fluency
levels and (2) better positioned
to provide individualized
attention during class time
Direct competition from SEI
classroom libraries and Boston
Public Library branches in
students’ neighborhoods
Independent time (before
school, during lunch, and after
school) may be dedicated to
other pursuits
30
 Reflection

Further observations, reflections, and questions:

• I wonder how ongoing programs are sustained at Brighton in general. A major barrier

to any form of collaboration at Brighton is the fact that academic departments only

meet about two-three times per year. I imagine that teachers are quite isolated and

unsupported as a result, and a consistent set of values and/or teaching approach may

not be evident amongst the staff o the ESL department. This school structure is an

impediment to any kind of collaborative effort between staff members.

• As this project is developed, more data is needed: # of SEI classes, exact # of SEI

students, and specific countries of origin, particularly for Spanish speaking students.

This data will influence “lesson” and instructional planning, open house scheduling,

and ongoing collection development.

• I think it would be helpful to interview SEi students about their reading habits while

standing next to their classroom libraries, so specific books can be pulled out and

discussed.

• I may have underestimated the influence of language barriers on the project

development and implementation process. The need for a peer translator may

emerge, so that SEI teachers are not overly depended on to fill this role.

• I also may have underestimated the challenges the library staff will face when they

attempt to separate out books for the ELL Corner. Many of these books have a wide

readership with reluctant readers and other readers who struggle because of learning

or cognitive disabilities.

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• It’s really difficult to make time for in-depth conversations about reading--I struggled to

do this even as a literacy teacher because mandated curriculum always “got in the

way.” One must have a strong sense of purpose and a high interest in the reading

behaviors and literacy development of adolescents in order to prioritize these

fascinating and exciting conversations and incorporate them into one’s planning.

• This project is well-matched to the strengths of the library staff at Brighton. I have

been very impressed by the readers’ advisory work done here--with both high interest

fiction and non-fiction texts--and the circulation statistics are awe-inspiring. Between

September and December of 2010, this library circulated over 3,000 materials. In my

fieldwork there, I saw students constantly browsing the return bins and the

independent reading shelves. This library culture will be extended for the benefit of

SEI students as this project develops.

• The non-English languages of origin that are most common at Brighton High School--

Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean--are also four of the most

common in the district as a whole (with the addition of Chinese, Vietnamese, and

Somali). I want to work hard as a school librarian to become more familiar with these

cultures, languages, and literary traditions, since I plan to work within the Boston

Public Schools for the remainder of my career.

• I have nagging reservations about designing such a time-limited project here. In our

course textbooks, longer (1-2 year) plans are more the norm, and projects such as this

one are wrapped into strategic planning processes. This would be a helpful framework

for Brighton High School library since they do not yet have a strategic plan in place.

32
 The desire for an ongoing, sustainable program is there, but I worry that planning a

May and June series of events may not be enough to truly ensure sustainability.

• I love that Brighton High School has a Family Engagement Coordinator and an ESL

guidance counselor on staff. Amazing resources that should be tapped.

33
 MARKETING PLAN

Introduction

The ELL Corner Project at Brighton High School aims to improve the rate at

which ELL students, particularly students in SEI classes, come to the library outside of

class time, ask readers’ advisory questions, and take out books for independent

reading. A variety of marketing tools will be employed for this project. First, when the

ELL Corner is created and initially rolled out in June, 2011, open houses will be held for

all SEI classes in the building. These open houses will use traditional marketing

techniques such as flyers, table tents, announcements in SEI classrooms. Additionally, I

propose that 1-3 SEI or former SEI students (avid readers and/or current library users)

be recruited and trained as peer facilitators of these open houses. Ms. Ross, the

Brighton High Librarian, already provides unique library orientations for ELL students

each September, which provides a strong experience base for the open houses.

However, the use of peer-facilitators for the open houses can help ensure better

outcomes and greater sustainability for the project.

Ongoing marketing efforts, scheduled in intervals during the school year, will also

need to be put into place so that ELL staff and students are regularly made aware of

existing and newly acquired resources at their library. Ms. Ross does not yet regularly

communicate with ELL teachers or students about ELL-specific library resources. This is

a marketing gap that this project can help to close by suggesting ongoing

communication strategies that will help sustain this service.

34
 Relevant Literature

The literature review includes two sources that inform the ELL Corner marketing

plan. In fact, though this project has shifted from an outreach/partnership focus to an in-

house library service in the past months, the participatory and peer tutoring foci in the

literature has continued to inspire my thinking.

The first source is the Med High Peer Tutor MedlinePlus Pilot Project (Warner, et.

al., 2005), which identified and targeted students who were “early adopters” of

technology and then used a “train the trainers approach” to prepare them to be peer

tutors. When teens expressed interest in applying for the project, they underwent a

rigorous interview process. Subsequent tutor training sessions were “often led by the

peer tutors,” but were always guided by the “partnership between the librarians and the

peer tutors” (Warner, et. al., 2005). This model inspires me to add a peer-facilitation

element to the open house component of the ELL Corner project plan. The “early

adopters” in this case would be SEI (or formerly SEI) Brighton High students who are

avid readers and/or current users of the library. They would be identified, selected, and

trained by the librarian to be co-facilitators of the open house sessions introducing the

ELL Corner. Their experiences and input would be sought and incorporated into the

open house presentation. This practice would expand the timeline for the roll-out of the

project, but I believe it would pay off in the end with deeper student engagement with

the ELL Corner and the library in general.

The efficacy of this kind of partnership between library staff and students is

supported by a second source from the literature, Susan Dawkins (2008), who trains

ESL tutors for library-based literacy councils in rural western Pennsylvania. Dawkins

35
defines tutors as “cultural brokers” who “help [newcomers] to get around the community

and learn certain acculturation processes.” Peer facilitators would act as cultural brokers

in this case, and they could help erase some of the barriers identified in the project

plan--namely, potential language and cultural barriers between SEI students and library

staff, a familiarity with SEI classroom libraries and knowledge of the ways in which the

library collection can meet different reading needs, and the ability to model a comfort

level with the library that will be more powerful than if the library staff were sole models.

Ideally, the 1-3 peer facilitators would be identified and selected with consideration for

their native language. For instance, having three peer facilitators who represent three of

the main home language groups of the SEI population at large (Spanish, Haitian Creole,

Cape Verdean, Portuguese, or Vietnamese) would increase the ability of these cultural

brokers to make the ELL Corner and the library in general an accessible, engaging, and

welcoming place.

Marketing Goals and Outcomes

Goal 1: SEI students will be engaged and motivated by open house sessions.

Outcomes: Library staff will identify and select 1-3 SEI student “peer facilitators” who

will co-plan and facilitate open house sessions.

100% of SEI students will be able to list positive benefits of the ELL

Corner after participating in co-facilitated open house sessions.

Goal 2: Library staff will market open houses through in-class announcements and

flyers/table tents.

36
Outcome: 100% of SEI students and teachers will know when they will attend an

open house and what to expect during the open house session.

Goal 3: Library staff will regularly update SEI students and teachers through email

announcements and classroom flyers about ELL-related library resources

and new acquisitions on a term-by-term basis during the school year.

Outcome: 100% of SEI students and teachers will read these emails and/or view

these flyers at the start or end of each academic term.

Target Audiences

There are three key internal target audiences for the marketing of the ELL Corner

project:

1. the approximately 160 SEI students at Brighton High School

2. the 4-8 SEI teachers at Brighton High School

3. 1-3 SEI or formerly SEI students targeted for recruitment and training as co-

facilitators of the open house sessions.

Marketing messages will be received by internal target audiences as follows:

1. The 1-3 peer facilitators will be identified through conversations with their SEI

teachers. The library staff will ask SEI teachers to identify avid readers, talk with

them during class, and send them to the library for details about this opportunity.

2. Open House flyers and table tents will be placed in every SEI classroom, and

announcements will be made in-class by SEI teachers.

37
 3. ELL-related resources and acquisitions announcements will be communicated

via email (to SEI teachers) and flyers/table tents placed in all SEI classrooms

each term.

There are four external target audiences for the marketing of the ELL corner

project, who will receive marketing messages as follows:4

1. The principal of Brighton High will be notified in person by the head librarian

about the ELL Corner project and its open house and peer facilitator aspects.

Support for the project will be requested at this meeting. The principal will be be

given an email and flyer notification about the open houses and will be invited to

attend an open house at his/her convenience.

2. The parents or guardians of the 1-3 peer facilitators will be contacted by phone

by the head librarian (or other staff members who speak the students’ home

languages) to discuss the peer facilitation role. A permission slip will also be sent

home with the students explaining in writing the role and expectations of the peer

facilitators and requesting parent/guardian permission.

3. The Family Engagement Coordinator and the ESL guidance counselor will be

informed by the librarian about which students are acting as peer facilitators.

They will also receive Open House flyers and table tents and be personally

invited via email to attend an Open House session at their convenience.

4There is currently no Library Advisory Board at Brighton High. If there is a Board of Directors for the
school, they should be included as an external target audience.

38
 4. The entire faculty of Brighton HIgh, who all teach ELL students, will be sent

quarterly library email announcements about ELL-related resources and

acquisitions beginning in fall, 2011.

Positioning Statement

The Brighton High School library provides a wide variety of specialized

independent reading books and and readers’ advisory services for SEI and ELL

students. The library boasts a welcoming ELL Corner where exciting and engaging

books await you. The library staff are experts in reading--we will help you find a perfect

book or resource for your independent reading needs. Additionally, you have access to

the entire catalog of the Boston Public Library, with books and DVDs being delivered to

the school library every Wednesday. Come to us for all of your independent reading

needs, and become comfortable and confident in your school library at the same time.

Once you have read every book in your classroom library, come to us for more! There’s

no need to go to your local BPL branch when your books are delivered directly to school

for you!

Key Messages

Here are key messages for each of the internal target audiences listed above:

1. For the SEI students at Brighton High School:

English Language Learners: find a perfect book at your school library!

2. For the SEI teachers at Brighton High School:

Your students can find a perfect book at their school library.

39
 3. For the SEI student peer facilitators:

Help us spread the word--we have perfect books for English Language Learners!

Message Delivery Strategies

Marketing tools

The marketing tools used to promote the ELL Corner are as follows:

• word of mouth: library staff will contact SEI teachers to identify peer facilitators,

• displays: faced out books and multilingual signage in the ELL Corner of the

library (atmospherics of the ELL Corner itself),

• open house sessions: to introduce the ELL Corner and readers’ advisory

services at the library,

• announcements: in-class announcements by SEI teachers about the open

house sessions and agenda,

• flyers/table tents: to announce the open houses sessions and agenda, and

• emails: to principal and all faculty quarterly to announce ELL resources and new

acquisitions

Action Plan, Timeline, Responsible Parties, and Budget

The action plan below integrates the existing tasks from the project plan document

with new marketing tasks developed in this document. The marketing tasks are

highlighted in yellow. Because I am proposing the addition of a peer facilitator

component, I am creating this timeline with the assumption that life cycle of the ELL

Corner service will be extended--May and June, 2011 are now set aside for planning,

40
staff and student training, and the physical setup of the ELL Corner, while the roll out of

the service is now scheduled for September, 2011, at the start of the new school year.

This is merely a suggested action plan; it is intended to be flexible and

responsive to the needs and aspirations of the Brighton High library staff. As in the

previous action plan, budget items are based on hours spent multiplied by hourly salary.

The following estimates are used:

• Librarian = $30/hr

• SEI Teachers = $30/hr

• Library Assistant = $20/hr

• Library Intern = unpaid

• SEI students as peer facilitators = unpaid

The Brighton High School library has no budget to pay for this service; the entire

project will come out of existing staff salaries and existing resources. The $50 for

multilingual signage will likely come out of pocket, and color photocopies will be limited

and done on the library printer. If an extra $500 were to appear, it would likely be used

to pay peer facilitators a stipend, provide food at the open houses, purchase a few new

ELL-related books, and buy a celebratory luncheon for the project team.

[NB: Again, only the final action plan is being included in this final document. It

represents a merging and re-ordering of all of the elements/tasks from the earlier action

plans.]

41
Mockups of Selected Marketing Materials

The flyers, posters, and/or table tents announcing the ELL Corner and its open

houses will be designed by peer facilitators with help as needed from the assistant

librarian. I will not include a formal mockup here, although I would suggest that these

flyers include a border made up of the flags from the many countries represented in the

ELL/SEI student body. Based on the student demographics described in the project plan

document (and my familiarity with the student population of the Boston Public Schools),

these countries would include: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, El Salvador,

Honduras, Haiti, Cape Verde, Brazil, Vietnam, China, Barbados, Cuba, Trinidad/Tobago,

Guatemala, Guyana, and Somalia. Consistently sized, high quality digital images of the

“flags of the world” are provided for free download on the CIA World Factbook website

(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/flagsoftheworld.html).

These could be easily resized and formatted into a page border using Microsoft Word,

Publisher, or Photoshop. The key message “English Language Learners: find a perfect

book at your school library!” could be used as a header, and the basic agenda of the

open house sessions could be included in simple language in bullet point form.

Reflection

The marketing aspects of the ELL corner have expanded the scope and timeline

of the project significantly, particularly the inclusion of the peer facilitator aspect. I am

uncertain whether this new component will be adopted by the host library, since it will

require many more hours of staff time and effort, and, depending on the English

language fluency of the peer facilitators, staff translators may need to be present at the

42
interview and training sessions, which could present a significant accessibility and

scheduling barrier. I hope the host librarians will consider adding this component, since I

believe it is an excellent way to ensure better outcomes and sustainability for the

project. It helps to build a deeply inclusive, participatory, and collaborative library culture

that has not yet existed during project or service planning, and I believe that these are

values the host librarians would want to embed into their workplace.

Questions remain about the evolving life-cycle (timeline) of this project. I

anticipate that my assessment plan will add even more items to the action plan, and the

whole project may begin to feel daunting to the host librarians. The outcomes may need

to be revised if staff buy-in is low; to keep the outcomes “SMART,” they will need to

remain achievable and realistic.

Finally, I have been reflecting on a bullet point listed on the title page of the

Barber and Wallace handout (2005), a quote from Brinckerhoff (1997): “Market driven

libraries . . .don’t fear the competition.” For the ELL Corner, I have identified the

competition as the SEI classroom libraries and the local Boston Public Library branches

that SEI students may use. But these are not competitors to be “afraid” of; they are

competitors to be embraced. Yes, marketing requires one to position one’s collection

and services over and above others, but I see the ELL Corner service as one that

supplements and expands upon the SEI classroom library resources and makes it more

convenient for SEI students to access materials from the Boston Public Library

collection. After all, we are all working towards the same goal--improved literacy and

improved immersion in and enjoyment of the world of reading.

43
 ASSESSMENT PLAN

Introduction

This assessment plan provides methods and tasks for assessing each of the four

outcomes originally stated in the project plan document. Since I have scaled back the

scope of the project from serving all of the SEI students and teachers at Brighton High

School to serving about 40 SEI students and 2-3 teachers (2-3 classes), these

assessment methods have been made more manageable and achievable than they

would have been if the project had remained as large as was originally proposed. I have

also replaced the “open house” terminology with the more fitting “orientation” to signal

that this is now a smaller, pilot program that will be tested out on some SEI students

before being expanded to serving all SEI and ELL students at the school. The proposed

action plan that begins on page 23 of this document includes all steps of the ELL Corner

Project--planning, marketing, and assessment--and the assessment tasks certainly

increase the already-demanding workload of the library staff at Brighton. However, my

goal is to propose a project that is ambitious and thorough in its design and framework,

so that the library staff (along with peer facilitators chosen for this project’s planning and

implementation) can revise and refine it to more realistically meet their needs and

capabilities. This plan can result in clear value and benefit to SEI students and teachers

at Brighton High, and will hopefully be motivating, rather than exhausting, for all

involved.

Goals

These goals are the same as stated in the project plan.

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• Goal 1: The creation of an ELL Corner and a specialized orientation to it will improve

the rate at which SEI students come to the library during independent time and take

out books for independent reading.

• Goal 2: As a result of being oriented to the ELL Corner, SEI students at Brighton High

will perceive the library as a welcoming place where independent books can be found

and their reading questions can be answered.

• Goal 3: SEI students who visit the ELL Corner will become more confident in

navigating library resources, more socially integrated with the student population at

large, and will continue to develop a love of reading.

• Goal 4: Improved communication between library staff and SEI teachers will ensure

that SEI students and teachers are kept well-informed of current and newly acquired

ELL-related collection materials.

Initial Outcomes

I have scaled these back from the project plan outcomes after consulting with my

host librarian. These outcomes now reflect that the project will be a pilot program

targeting two or three SEI classes (about 40 students) rather than all SEI students

(about 160 students) at the school. The chosen SEI classes will be made up of students

who are juniors or seniors in September, 2011. This will make it more likely that the

students have already used the library at some point of their time at Brighton High, and

fewer SEI students will likely enter these classes as new students in September (this

will result in more accurate pre- and post-assessment data). Ideally, the 1-3 peer

45
facilitators will be members of these classes and returning students; this way, library

staff and SEI teachers can more easily identify avid readers (or “early adopters” in terms

of current library use) from these classes to become peer facilitators because they will

have relationships with them from the current and past school years. Also, the peer

facilitators will already have relationships with members of their classes, which will help

ensure smoother communication between peers and more success for the project.

1. 25% of SEI students (40) will attend an orientation and be trained by library staff and

peer-facilitators on how to use the ELL Corner before September 30, 2011 so the

students can feel welcome in the library and begin to gain awareness, confidence,

and ownership of specific independent reading materials at the library.

2. 12.5% of SEI students (20) will ask at least one readers’ advisory question of a

library staff member during their orientation and/or before October 31, 2011, which

will demonstrate an increased knowledge of and comfort with readers’ advisory

services at the library.

3. 25% of SEI students (40) will check out at least one independent reading book

(fiction or nonfiction) from the library after their orientation and before the end of

October 31, 2011, demonstrating an independent visit to the library and an improved

engagement with independent reading.

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4. 100% of SEI students and teachers will receive clear, targeted communication

(written and oral announcements) about current and/or new ELL-related collection

materials by December 1, 2011.

The above outcomes are written both chronologically and in the order in which

they will be assessed. Since the orientations to the ELL Corner will take place in

September, 2011, they will be assessed first. The asking of readers’ advisory questions

and the checking out of materials will occur between September and October 31, 2011,

so these behavioral measures will be assessed next. Finally, by December 1, 2011, the

communications to all SEI students and teachers will go out, therefore making these the

last measures to be assessed.

Relevant Literature

The participatory approach to program planning and assessment design I am

advocating is directly inspired by Ottoson and Green’s “Community Outreach: From

Measuring the Difference to Making a Difference with Health Information” (2005), which

uses evaluation theory to stress that the planning, marketing, and assessment process

should be collaborative from beginning to end. The authors note three components of

evaluation theory:

1. Use: Evaluation is intended to be useful for stakeholders to make decisions. A useful

evaluation is credible, timely, and of adequate scope. Participatory approaches to

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 evaluating increase use of evaluation findings include engaging end users early in

planning the program itself and in deciding on the outcomes of the evaluation.

2. What is being evaluated: Participatory approaches to evaluating outreach include

having end users. . . identify what components of the outreach program are most

important to their work.

3. The process by which value is placed on outreach. What will count as outreach

success or failure? Who decides? Participatory approaches to valuing include

assuring end-user representation in the formulation of evaluation questions and in

the interpretation of evaluation results.

In accordance with these components, I recommend that library staff identify,

interview, and select 1-3 peer facilitators in June, 2011, so that they can be included in

reviewing the initial goals and outcomes of this project and contribute to their revision if

they do not meet needs, do not feel important, or will not result in meaningful findings.

In terms of migrating current titles over to the ELL Corner, peer facilitator

interviews should include questions about their reading preferences and needs, and

those of their peers. This will help library staff make informed decisions about the types

of books to include on the ELL shelves--from leveled books, children’s book series, and

manga to cultural and immigrant issues.

In terms of assessment design, having peer facilitators (as end-users of the

service) co-create assessment measures (like survey questions) and assist with the

analysis of findings and subsequent decision-making can help the entire assessment

48
cycle feel more valid and meaningful to all stakeholders. This requires that peer-

facilitators be seen as full project team members, and are not only involved in designing

and facilitating ELL Corner orientation sessions, but are fully involved in the entire

process.

Assessment Plan for Outcome One

Outcome One – 25% of SEI students (40) will attend an orientation and be trained by

library staff and peer-facilitators on how to use the ELL Corner before September 30,

2011 so the students can feel welcome in the library and begin to gain awareness,

confidence, and ownership of specific independent reading materials at the library.

Target Audience – 40 SEI juniors and seniors are the target audience for this outcome,

which is appropriate since they are the end users of the ELL Corner. Also, since they will

attend these orientations as a class, their SEI teachers are also a secondary target

audience for this outcome.

Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection – It will be important in June to choose and

communicate with the 2-3 SEI teachers whose classes will be scheduled to attend

orientations, so class time in September will be willingly set aside for the orientation.

The library staff can thus ensure the first outcome, that 40 students will attend this

orientation. It will also be necessary for the SEI teachers to give permission to the peer

facilitator(s) in their class to perhaps be excused from an class in early September in

order to help plan and/or rehearse the orientation “lesson.” Class lists will be obtained

by the library staff during the first week in September, and library staff will take

49
attendance at each orientation. If students are absent, then an extra orientation may

need to be scheduled to complete this outcome.

A brief pre-assessment survey will be given to all students at the start of the

orientation. It will measure their recent/current school library use and their opinions on

the library atmosphere (do you feel welcome? how do you feel about speaking with the

library staff about books?) and resources (do you know what kinds of books are

available to you as an ELL? how confident are you that you can find a perfect book for

independent reading?). Peer facilitators will be asked to co-create this survey, and the

survey may need to be made available in several languages (Google Translate 5 should

suffice here, if a native speaker is also available to fix the few phrases that will be

awkward or incorrect as a result of mechanical translation). A post-assessment survey

with the same questions will then be administered during class time in the first week of

November in order to measure students’ changes in perception. The data from these

surveys will accurately measure the criteria of this outcome; they will provide much-

needed information about this target population and lead to improved programming for

SEI and ELL students in the future.

Recommendations for Pilot Assessment – I recommend that these surveys be co-

developed and translated by library staff along with peer facilitators in June, 2011, and

the peer facilitators themselves should take the pre-assessment survey, so that the

library staff can become aware of any barriers they may not have thought of previously

and revise the surveys accordingly.

5Unfortunately, Google Translate does not yet include Cape Verdean or Somali translations, but all other
common native languages spoken in Boston Public Schools are available.

50
Alternative Methods & Tools – A post-assessment focus group of 8-12 SEI students

may be helpful in addition to the post-assessment surveys in terms of fleshing out some

of the responses orally (if oral communication is not too much of a barrier because of a

lack of English fluency), and if the focus group interview is recorded, testimonials to the

efficacy of the service may be transcribed later and used in assessment reporting with

student permission.

Analysis of Evidence (Data Plan) – The attendance assessment is relatively simple to

measure, and the surveys need only be about five questions long. The library staff

(Librarian and Assistant Librarian) should organize, facilitate, and analyze the survey

and focus group data. Because these are small in scope, they should be reasonable

tasks. If possible, the peer facilitators should take part in the focus group in the same

role as the SEI students, but afterwards, it might be helpful for library staff to share their

initial results / analysis with the peer facilitators for feedback.

How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met – Likely the surveys will ask

respondents to rank their perceptions/experiences on a scale of 1-5. If the numbers go

up from the pre- to the post- assessment, the outcome will be met. Positive results,

particularly large gains in perception on all questions, will demonstrate the best

outcomes.

Result Scenarios & Decision Making Indicators – The attendance outcome will most

likely be met, since class visits are teacher and library staff-initiated, and absences from

school on the day of the orientation would likely be the only possible barrier here. The

survey and/or focus group assessments will likely show some gains in perceptions of

51
the library, since many students will be introduced to the library in new ways and they

will hopefully have a positive experience as this project rolls out. Positive results can

help librarians and teachers feel more motivated to continue this kind of work in the

future, improving it based on the data gathered. Perhaps the librarian would consider

developing other specialized library orientations for different target groups, such as

students in special education classes or students interested in Latin American or LGBT

resources. If initial assessment results from the surveys are inconclusive or negative, it

will be important to hold a focus group that can get at the barriers students experienced,

so the program can be improved in the future. The SEI teachers involved should also be

interviewed about difficulties they experienced during the process.

Recommendations for Reporting – Attendance data and dates/numbers of orientation

sessions should be reported in bullet point formal along with a summary of the

orientation “lesson” content/format and the roles of peer facilitators. The survey data

can be presented in one line graph, and any focus group data can be presented in a

brief narrative, with pull quotes for testimonials if available. This data should be

gathered into a single report that is presented to the SEI teachers and the school

administration, ideally during a presentation meeting. If the program is very successful,

it would be beneficial for the whole staff to hear about it in an all-staff meeting or

professional development session (however, this is not likely, since all-staff meetings

and teacher-led PD are rarely held at this school). A copy of the report should also be

given to each peer facilitator, and assistance should be offered to help them understand

the data and to add their peer facilitation work to their resume.

52
Responsible Parties – The Librarian and Assistant librarian have the bulk of the

responsibility for this assessment work, although the peer facilitators are also involved

during every step of the process.

Timeline for this outcome –

May, 2011, wk 3: prepare pre-assessment survey

peer-facilitators review survey questions and take survey

June, 2011, wk 1: ask SEI teachers to set aside one class in September for an
orientation session, for permission for peer facilitator(s) to miss
one additional class, and to give a post-assessment survey during
class during the first week of November.

June, 2011, wk 2: type up and translate surveys as necessary

Sept, 2011, wks 1&2: obtain class lists for SEI classes attending orientation

schedule orientation sessions

Sept, 2011, wks 3&4 hold orientation sessions, give pre-assessment surveys

Nov, 2011, wk 1 give post-assessment surveys in class

hold focus groups if able

By Dec 1, 2011 gather, compile, chart, and analyze survey data and focus group
data. Show data to peer facilitators for feedback.

By Jan 1, 2012 write ELL Project Plan report and present to SEI teachers and
administrators; give peer facilitators copies of final report and
assist them in adding this experience to their
resume.

Assessment Plan for Outcome Two

Outcome – 12.5% of SEI students (20) will ask at least one readers’ advisory question

of a library staff member during their orientation and/or before October 31, 2011, which

53
will demonstrate an increased knowledge of and comfort with readers’ advisory services

at the library.

Target Audience – 40 SEI juniors and seniors are the target audience for this outcome,

which is appropriate since they are the end users of the ELL Corner.

Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection – All students at Brighton High wear their

official ID cards on lanyards around their necks; these ID cards have a barcode on them

that is used to check out library books. When the SEI students attend an ELL Corner

orientation in September, 2011, they will be given a small sticker to affix to the back of

their ID card--this sticker will help measure the second and third outcomes from the day

of each student’s orientation until October 31st. These students will be asked to show

this sticker to a library staff member every time they come to the library to (1) ask a

readers’ advisory question, and/or (2) take out a book (see objective three). This can be

done discreetly, so the student does not have to announce that they are part of an ELL

project. When a library staff member sees one of these stickers, they will ask the

student’s name and write their initials next to the appropriate transaction on a form that

will be kept at the circulation desk:

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Because I anticipate that a majority of these students will lack the internal motivation to

visit the library on their own time--never mind ask a question of a staff member or take

out a book (because of shyness, inexperience, a reluctance to read, or a language

barrier)--I propose that an incentive be added so that this outcome can be met (and

hopefully exceeded). I recommend that students be told during their orientation that for

every time they either ask a readers’ advisory question or take out a book/material from

the library until October 31st, their name will be entered into a raffle. This means that if a

student asks two questions (on two separate visits) and takes out one book, their name

will be entered three times into the raffle, thus increasing their chances of winning a

prize. The prize could be a $25 iTunes gift card, the purchase of a book of their choice,

or a gift certificate to a local mall or movie theater. During the first week of November,

the library staff will hold this raffle and the winner will be announced to all SEI classes

who attended orientations. Perhaps a certificate could be made for the winner as well,

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using a template in Microsoft Word or Powerpoint. Hopefully, this outcome will be met

with the assistance of this incentive.

Recommendations for Pilot Assessment – Since the scope of the outcomes has

been narrowed, it’s reasonable for this part of the assessment to be done in “full

deployment” mode from the start.

Alternative Methods & Tools – The ID card can easily measure circulation

transactions, but not readers’ advisory questions. The sticker and raffle idea is in

response to my anticipation that library staff, after meeting these 40 students (many for

the first time) at orientation, will not be able to identify them quickly and accurately if

they enter the library on their own before school, during lunch, or after school, which are

all very busy times at the library. The library staff already field about 30-50 readers’

advisory questions on a daily basis, and the large student population means that the

staff often have conversations about books with students they barely know, including

ELL students who are not in SEI classes. I wanted to create a method that would be

subtle and unobtrusive that could still accurately measure this outcome.

A list with 40 names on it is manageable, but if this project is expanded in the

future to include hundreds of students, this method will not work. If that happens, maybe

there could be an effort to track ALL readers’ advisory questions by having a clipboard

on which staff members write down the 6-digit ID number of every student who asks a

readers’ advisory question, and then data (name, grade, ELL/SEI status) could be

retrieved once the ID number is entered into a database? This seems really onerous,

though. Could there be an automated way to somehow gather this data through the

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swiping of the ID card (i.e. “Swipe your card here if a librarian helped you find a book

today”)? Alternative methods are hard to imagine for this particular outcome.

Analysis of Evidence (Data Plan) – The library staff (Librarian and Assistant Librarian)

should create the Readers’ Advisory and Circulation Form and collect and analyze this

data. Because the numbers are small, these should be reasonable tasks.

How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met – If If the data shows that all

40 SEI students who attend an orientation ask at least one readers’ advisory question

between the day of their orientation and October 31st, this outcome will be met.

Result Scenarios & Decision Making Indicators – I predict that this outcome will be

met. If the incentive is desirable for most of these 40 students, I predict that it alone will

bring students into the library. Others will come out of curiosity and/or a renewed

interest in or comfort with the library as a result of the orientation session. If October 1st

or 7th arrives and numbers are still low, perhaps the peer facilitators could be relied on

again to give reminder announcements to the relevant SEI classes. I recommend that

the library staff discuss and decide what constitutes a readers’ advisory question that

“counts” so that this data will be reliable. For instance, “Can you help me find a book

about X?” might count, whereas “Where do you keep the ELL books?” would not count.

These examples should be given to students during the orientation sessions.

Recommendations for Reporting – This data can easily be compiled into one bullet

pointed sentence within the report detailed above.

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Responsible Parties – The library staff (Librarian and Assistant Librarian) should

create the Readers’ Advisory & Circulation Form and collect and analyze this data.

Timeline for this outcome –

Sept, 2011, wk 1: obtain class lists for SEI classes attending orientation

type student names into a Readers’ Advisory & Circulation Form

(Fig. 1)

Sept, 2011, wks 3&4 hold orientation sessions, affix stickers, explain process and raffle

Sept, 2011, wk 3 - Oct 31, 2011: gather data on RA & Circ Form

Nov, 2011, wk 1 Hold raffle, announce winner, give out prize

By Dec 1, 2011 compile and analyze data from the RA & Circ Form

By Jan 1, 2012 write ELL Project Plan report and present to SEI teachers and
administrators

Assessment Plan for Outcome Three

Outcome – 25% of SEI students (40) will check out at least one independent reading

book (fiction or nonfiction) from the library after their orientation and before the end of

October 31, 2011, demonstrating an independent visit to the library and an improved

engagement with independent reading.

Target Audience – 40 SEI juniors and seniors are the target audience for this outcome,

which is appropriate since they are the end users of the ELL Corner.

Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection – Since the numbers are small, the easiest

way to measure this outcome will be to use the manual method of the Readers’ Advisory

and Circulation Form (Fig. 1, above).

58
Recommendations for Pilot Assessment – Since the scope of the outcomes has

been narrowed, it’s reasonable for this part of the assessment to be done in “full

deployment” mode from the start.

Alternative Methods & Tools – If the Readers’ Advisory and Circulation Form fails, it

may also be possible to generate a circulation report using the Horizon automated

system. I am unsure about the details of generating such a report--it is possible that this

would not be an efficient use of time if the report only generates circulation totals along

with a long list of student names and IDs that would then have to be manually matched

to a separate list of project participants. I do not believe that the student data is detailed

enough in Horizon to include grade levels or other identifying factors such as ELL or SEI

status.

Analysis of Evidence (Data Plan) – The library staff (Librarian and Assistant Librarian)

should create the Readers’ Advisory and Circulation Form and collect and analyze this

data. Because the numbers are small, these should be reasonable tasks.

How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met – If the data shows that all 40

SEI students who attended an orientation have checked out at least one independent

reading book (fiction or nonfiction) from the library after their orientation and before the

end of October 31, 2011, this outcome will be met. Note: I would guess that 99% of

books/DVDs circulated at the Brighton High School library are independent reading

materials. From my fieldwork hours, my perception is that it is very rare that a student

checks out a book for an academic assignment. My methods here reflect the

59
assumption that all circulation data is independent reading data. If this is incorrect, this

method may need to be revised.

Result Scenarios & Decision Making Indicators – I predict that this outcome will be

met. The Brighton High School Library has a strong selection of independent reading

books, and hundreds of high interest books and DVDs circulate through weekly

deliveries from the Boston Public Library. I have faith that when the SEI students see

the strong and varied collection of manga, graphic novels, hi/low books, travel books,

etc. that will be gathered in the ELL Corner, they will have a desire to check them out.

The challenge here will be the outcome’s requirement that only books/materials

checked out after the orientation session will “count” towards this data. [Of course,

students will be encouraged to take out books at the end of the orientation session, but

they will not “count” towards the data, since the purpose here is to assess independent

(non-class) visits to the library.] This is why the incentive of the raffle prize is crucial to

the success of this outcome. Circulation data from Horizon may be helpful to ascertain

what kinds of books are being circulated most often by this sub-group of students, but

again, the reports may not be detailed enough to use without extensive manual sorting.

Yet even anecdotal evidence will help the library staff to get a feeling for the kinds of

books that are circulating amongst SEI students, and this data can help the staff make

more accurate collection development decisions in the future.

Recommendations for Reporting – This data can easily be compiled into one bullet

pointed sentence within the report detailed above.

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Responsible Parties – The library staff (Librarian and Assistant Librarian) should

create the Readers’ Advisory & Circulation Form and collect and analyze this data.

Timeline for this outcome – See timeline for outcome two, above.

Assessment Plan for Outcome Four

Outcome – 100% of SEI students and teachers will receive clear, targeted

communication (written and oral announcements) about current and/or new ELL-related

collection materials by December 1, 2011.

Target Audience – 160 SEI students and their 8-10 teachers are the target audience

for this outcome. This is an appropriate audience for this outcome because it is an

opportunity for the library staff to pilot what will hopefully become an ongoing practice of

regular communication with students and staff at Brighton High School about specific

resources found at the library.

Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection – A first method to use here is a brief email

survey of the 8-10 teachers using SurveyMonkey, whose free account allows for

surveys with up to 10 questions and 100 responses. If the SEI teachers receive an

“Library Newsletter” announcing ELL resources on December 1st, then a survey should

be sent via email about a week later, giving teachers a week to respond. This survey

could ask whether or not they received the newsletter, whether or not they had had the

opportunity to read the newsletter, and to what extent they had found the resources

listed in the newsletter helpful. The final two questions could be open-ended, giving the

teachers an opportunity to express any other comments or questions regarding SEI/

61
ELL resources at the library, and to write in titles of books or resources they would like

to see added to the collection.

A second method to use, with the SEI students, would be to create a small series

of bookmarks, flyers, or table tents introducing new books/materials of interest with

images and a few exciting pull quotes from 1-3 new titles. These materials would be

distributed in SEI classrooms by December 1, 2011. Circulation statistics on these few

titles could then be examined on February 1 to see whether any SEI students had

checked them out. This would require manually checking SEI student names or ID

numbers against a circulation report from Horizon.

Recommendations for Pilot Assessment – Since the scope of the outcomes has

been narrowed, it’s reasonable for this part of the assessment to be done in “full

deployment” mode from the start.

Alternative Methods & Tools – It is difficult to measure a user’s interaction with

promotional materials or newsletters, since it is hard to know whether users actually

read, take in, and respond to the content of the communication. Some companies add

incentives to their product announcements, and Twitter has become a great place for

companies to write, “Be the 21st person to come into the store today and receive a

free. . .” Within an educational organization, however, this method is uncommon. Ideally,

because the “advertiser” is a teacher in one’s own building, teachers will pay attention to

resources that are available to themselves and their students. Yet teachers’ non-urgent

emails often go unread, and even the most well-meaning teachers may delete an email

like this because it is non-essential to their day-to-day functioning. A five question

62
survey is the best way to start, and if teacher responses are low (more deleted emails),

then perhaps a small incentive could be offered (i.e. $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card), though

for a library with no budget, this is not very feasible. Informal assessment may be more

fruitful--during one week, a library staff member could approach about 4 of the SEI

teachers one-on-one during their prep periods and briefly ask whether they received the

email, what they thought of it, and if they have any suggestions of titles to add to the

collection.

Assessment of student behaviors in reaction to library announcements is simpler

because it can be measured through circulation statistics of the particular books

highlighted on the flyers or table tents. If the promoted books are not circulating

amongst SEI students after the first two months, perhaps the librarian could go into a

few SEI classrooms and give a book talk on the books to boost circulation. I suppose

that certain books could be held for SEI students specifically (giving them “first access”

to new titles), though this may go against the ethics of full access for all students to

library materials.

Analysis of Evidence (Data Plan) – The library staff (Librarian and Assistant Librarian)

should create, email, and evaluate the teacher survey and manually check the

circulation reports for advertised titles against SEI student names and ID numbers.

Because the numbers are small for this pilot initiative, these are reasonable tasks.

How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met – Since the outcome states

that “100% of SEI students and teachers will receive clear, targeted communication,”

then the outcome will be met solely if the teacher surveys indicate receipt of the email

63
and if the flyers and/or table tents are posted in the SEI classrooms for students to see.

Adding additional survey questions (beyond “did you get the email?”) and checking

circulation data on the books in question are actually data collection measures that

exceed the outcome.

Result Scenarios & Decision Making Indicators – Ideally, new titles should generate

excitement in teachers and students--teachers may see in the titles a new possibility for

lesson planning, and students may get excited about a new story. However, based on

my experience of teaching in a public high school, It is most likely that there will be an

incomplete or tepid response by teachers to the email newsletter and the survey

request, since teachers are often extremely busy and inundated with informational

emails and survey requests. Sometimes the value of sending a quarterly or per-

semester email announcement is simply in opening the doors to regular communication

between staff members in a school, and active responses to a newsletter are not

necessarily required, so a tepid response at first should not be discouraging. I would

recommend that the library staff keep plugging away at adding great new titles to their

collection (or finding amazing new titles available through the Boston Public Library

system) and announcing them on a regular basis. It is simply good practice, and will

surely yield positive results in time.

Recommendations for Reporting – Any positive data that results from this outcome

should be recorded as a bullet point item in the report detailed above.

Responsible Parties – The library staff (Librarian and Assistant Librarian) should

create the Readers’ Advisory & Circulation Form and collect and analyze this data.

64
Timeline for this outcome –

By Dec 1, 2011 send first email newsletter to all SEI teachers announcing current
and/or new ELL-related collection materials

By Dec 1, 2011 place flyers/table tents/bookmarks announcing current and/or new

ELL-related collection materials in all SEI classrooms

Dec 7, 2011 send SurveyMonkey survey via email to all SEI teachers

Dec 14, 2011 close teacher survey, gather and analyze data

By Jan 1, 2012 include teacher survey data in the ELL Project Plan report

Feb 1, 2012 examine circulation statistics to see whether SEI students are
checking out the books “advertised” on the flyers/table tents.

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marketing tasks highlighted in yellow assessment tasks highlighted in green

Proposed Action Plan for ELL Corner Project at Brighton High School Library: May, 2011 - Feb, 2012

estimated
responsible competencies budget
timeline task time commitment
parties required based on
salary

meet with administrator to get librarian advocacy skills 30 mins $15

support for project and peer
facilitator component

identify potential peer facilitators SEI teachers knowledge of 2-3 teachers, 30 $45
(3 maximum candidates), send to (avid readers), SEI students minutes each
library librarian
(current users)
May,
2011, prepare sheet with peer facilitator librarian and collaboration, 1 hour together $60
wks 1&2 roles and responsibilities for assistant Word + 30 mins
interviews; prepare permission librarian permission slip
slip creation by
assistant

meet with potential peer librarian and may require 2 hours $50
facilitators, select assistant additional staff
librarian to translate

send permission slips home to assistant may require 3 hours $60

peer facilitator parents/guardians librarian (with translation and/
May,
possible or phone calls
2011,
multilingual home in native
wks 1&2
staff languages
assistance)

66
marketing tasks highlighted in yellow assessment tasks highlighted in green

estimated
responsible competencies budget
timeline task time commitment
parties required based on
salary

interview peer facilitators to librarian, may require 3 hours librarian,1 $170

ascertain reading needs (peer assistant additional staff hour for 2 SEI
facilitators in consulting role) librarian, peer to translate teachers, 1 hour
facilitators for library assistant

peer facilitator review and editing librarian, peer may require 1 hour $30
May,
of project’s initial outcomes (peer facilitators additional staff
wk 3
facilitators in consulting role) to translate

prepare pre-assessment survey librarian, may require 1 hour $50

for students; peer-facilitators assistant additional staff
review survey questions and take librarian, peer to translate
survey facilitators

May, research and obtain multilingual library intern Web searching, 2-3 hours $0
all month signage ordering $50 for
posters

May, choose physical space to be librarian, library vision of 1 hour $50

wk 4 “remodeled” into ELL Corner assistant atmospherics

begin reviewing current librarian, knowledge of 1 hour $50

collection, make initial decisions assistant collection
about books to be relocated to librarian, library
ELL Corner intern

67
marketing tasks highlighted in yellow assessment tasks highlighted in green

estimated
responsible competencies budget
timeline task time commitment
parties required based on
salary

meet with SEI teachers to review librarian, collaboration 1 hour $110

and seek advice regarding assistant skills
May,
readers’ advisory techniques to librarian, 2 SEI
wk 4
use with SEI students (how to teachers
stimulate interest in reading).

discuss potential barriers to the librarian and honesty, 1 hour $50

success of the project; assistant brainstorming
brainstorm ways to overcome librarian
these

ask SEI teachers to set aside librarian collaboration 1 hour $30

one class in September for an skills
orientation session, for
permission for peer facilitator(s)
to miss one additional class, and
June, to give a post-assessment survey
wk 1 during class during the first week
of November.

begin emptying and rearranging librarian, physical labor 3 hours $150

bookshelves assistant
librarian

identify fiction and non-fiction librarian, knowledge of 2 hours $100

June,
independent reading books to be assistant collection
wk 1
relocated to ELL Corner librarian

68
marketing tasks highlighted in yellow assessment tasks highlighted in green

estimated
responsible competencies budget
timeline task time commitment
parties required based on
salary

continue rearranging librarian, physical labor, 3 hours $150

bookshelves, relocating books to assistant vision of
new shelves, facing out & librarian atmospherics
June, displaying books, hanging
wk 2 multilingual signage

type up and translate student librarian use of Google 1 hour $30

surveys as necessary Translate

hold peer facilitator meeting to librarian, lesson planning 2 hours for $100
develop orientation sessions assistant skills, may librarian and
(agenda, content, and materials) librarian, peer require assistant librarian
facilitators additional staff
June, to translate
wk 3
peer facilitators design posters / assistant Word skills, 1 hour assistant $20
flyers / table tents librarian, peer may require librarian, 2 hrs
facilitators additional staff students
to translate

June, review orientation plan with librarian, SEI collaboration 1 hour librarian, 20 $80
wk 4 involved SEI teachers, ask for teachers skills minutes for 3
advice/feedback teachers

Sept, obtain class lists for SEI classes librarian, SEI collaboration 1 hour $30
wk 1 attending orientation teachers skills

69
marketing tasks highlighted in yellow assessment tasks highlighted in green

estimated
responsible competencies budget
timeline task time commitment
parties required based on
salary

type student names into a library assistant using tables in 1 hour $20
Readers’ Advisory & Circulation Word or Excel
Form

schedule orientation sessions for librarian, SEI collaboration 1.5 hours $45
40 SEI students (2-3 classes) teachers skills librarian
Sept,
wk 1 print posters / flyers / table tents assistant Word skills, 1 hour $20
to announce orientation, librarian color printer $25 copies
purchase small stickers capability and stickers

distribute orientation posters / assistant knowledge of 30 mins $10

flyers / table tents to all SEI librarian, peer SEI classroom
classrooms facilitators locations

rehearse orientation session with librarian, may require 1 hour librarian $50
peer facilitators assistant additional staff and assistant
librarian, peer to translate librarian
facilitators

Sept, SEI teachers announce SEI teachers n/a approx 10 $30

wk 2 orientation to their classes teachers at 6 mins
ea.

Principal given email and flyer librarian advocacy skills 10 mins $3

notification and invited to attend
an orientation

70
marketing tasks highlighted in yellow assessment tasks highlighted in green

estimated
responsible competencies budget
timeline task time commitment
parties required based on
salary

Family Engagement Coordinator assistant advocacy skills 10 mins $2

Sept, and ESL guidance counselor librarian
wk 2 emailed and invited to
orientations

first week of orientations held librarian, instructional, 3 hours for $240

with SEI classes (each assistant collaboration, & librarian and
orientation is one hour long) librarian, peer presentation assistant librarian;
facilitators, SEI skills; may 1 hour each for ~3
teachers with require teachers
their classes additional staff
Sept, to translate
wk 3
give pre-assessment surveys librarian, classroom above included
during orientations assistant management above
librarian skills

affix stickers to student IDs, librarian, classroom above included

explain RA and circulation assistant management above
(assessment) process and raffle librarian skills

Sept, gather data on Readers’ Advisory librarian, ability to gather 3 hours $150
wk 3- & Circulation Form assistant daily data in
Oct 31 librarian busy
environment

71
marketing tasks highlighted in yellow assessment tasks highlighted in green

estimated
responsible competencies budget
timeline task time commitment
parties required based on
salary

second week of orientations held librarian, instructional, 3 hours for $240

with SEI classes assistant collaboration, & librarian and
librarian, peer presentation assistant librarian;
Sept,
facilitators, SEI skills; may 1 hour each for ~3
wk 4
teachers with require teachers
their classes additional staff
to translate

give post-assessment surveys librarian (distrib classroom 30 mins $30

during SEI classes surveys), SEI management
teachers (give skills
surveys)

Nov, hold focus groups with select SEI librarian, ability to 1 hour $50
wk 1 students if able assistant structure and
librarian run focus group

hold raffle, announce winner, give librarian, write names on 30 mins $50
out prize assistant papers, put in
librarian bowl

by compile and analyze data from librarian, ability to 1 hour $50

Dec 1 the Readers’ Advisory & assistant compile and
Circulation Form librarian analyze data

72
marketing tasks highlighted in yellow assessment tasks highlighted in green

estimated
responsible competencies budget
timeline task time commitment
parties required based on
salary

gather, compile, chart, and librarian, ability to 2 hours $100

analyze student survey data and assistant compile and
focus group data. Show data to librarian analyze data
peer facilitators for feedback.

send first email newsletter to all librarian knowledge of 2 hours $60

by SEI teachers announcing current collection,
Dec 1 and/or new ELL-related collection communication
materials skills

place flyers/table tents/ librarian, knowledge of 30 mins $35

bookmarks announcing current assistant SEI classroom
and/or new ELL-related collection librarian locations
materials in all SEI classrooms

Dec 7, develop and send SurveyMonkey librarian knowledge of 1 hour $30

2011 survey via email to all SEI SurveyMonkey
teachers and email

Dec 14, close teacher survey, gather and librarian knowledge of 1 hour $30
2011 analyze data SurveyMonkey
and email

write ELL Project Plan report librarian and report writing, 4 hours $200
by Jan 1, including all data gathered and assistant summarizing
2012 present to SEI teachers and librarian data, analyzing
administrators data

73
marketing tasks highlighted in yellow assessment tasks highlighted in green

estimated
responsible competencies budget
timeline task time commitment
parties required based on
salary

by Jan 1, give peer facilitators copies of librarian photocopying, 1 hour $30

2012 final report and assist them in resume writing
adding this experience to their
resume.

Feb 1, examine circulation statistics to librarian familiarity with 1 hour $30

2012 see whether SEI students are generating and
checking out the books interpreting
“advertised” on the flyers/table Horizon reports
tents from Dec 1

Estimated Final budget = $2935 in salaried staff hours;

$75 in supplies (multilingual signage, color photocopies, small stickers)

NB: If additional staff members are required to assist with translation at trainings and events, this budget could

increase significantly.

ELL Corner books and resources may need to be re-catalogued and/or labelled with “ELL” spine labels. This

adds a potentially time-intensive step to the project.

74
 Service Impact Rubric

I propose that the rubric below, which includes criteria that revisit the overall

goals of the ELL Corner Project Plan, be completed independently by the librarian and

the assistant librarian in June, 2012, about six months after the bulk of the ELL Corner

project is completed. This will provide them with a quick, structured way to look back on

the overall experience of implementing the ELL Corner project and note whether there

have been positive trends over the past six post-project months. After completing the

rubric and considering the questions at the end, the librarian and assistant librarian can

compare and discuss their responses and make decisions about next steps in the

ongoing work of meeting the needs of SEI and ELL students at Brighton High.

needs more work / great work / exemplary work /

criteria
goal not met goal met goal exceeded

the 40 SEI students the 40 SEI students are

SEI students come to SEI students are not who attended regularly coming to the
the library during coming to the library on orientations are coming library and are bringing
independent time their own to the library on their friends
own

SEI students are not SEI students are SEI students are
SEI students check out
checking out checking out regularly checking out
books for independent
independent reading independent reading independent reading
reading
books books books

SEI student active and

SEI students perceive SEI students are not SEI students appear to
happy presence in the
the library as a coming to the library on be relaxed and happy
library has increased
welcoming place their own while visiting the library
significantly

SEI students are SEI students are

SEI students know they SEI students are not
sometimes seen regularly seen browsing
can find independent coming to the library to
browsing the ELL/ the ELL/ independent
reading books at the browse or check out
independent reading reading shelves at the
library books
shelves at the library library

SEI students know they SEI students are SEI students are
SEI students are not
can ask reading beginning to ask regularly asking
asking readers’
questions of the library readers’ advisory readers’ advisory
advisory questions.
staff questions. questions.

75
 needs more work / great work / exemplary work /
criteria
goal not met goal met goal exceeded

SEI students are not SEI students are

browsing or using the
SEI students are familiar enough with the SEI students browse in
ELL Corner, or seem
confident in navigating ELL Corner to locate the ELL Corner with
unsure about how to
the ELL Corner most materials on their confidence
find independent own.
reading materials

SEI students are more SEI students do not SEI students interact a SEI students interact
socially integrated with interact with other little bit with other regularly with other
the student population students while in the students while in the students while in the
at large as a result of library library library
time spent in the library

SEI students are

SEI students are not
the library is helping
checking out books or
SEI students to develop
talking about books
a love of reading
with library staff
SEI students are
sometimes checking
regularly checking out
out books and talking
books and talking about
about them with library
them with library staff
staff

The communication
Communication has and collaboration done
improved between for this project felt like a
library staff and SEI burden to the library
teachers staff and/or SEI
teachers.
Library staff and SEI Library staff and SEI
teachers show some teachers feel energized
interest in continuing to by their collaboration
collaborate and and want to continue
communicate about communicating
resources. regularly

• Was the ELL Project Corner project successful overall?

• What were our biggest successes?
• What were our biggest struggles / barriers to success?
• Were the project’s goals, outcomes, and scope achievable, motivating, and relevant
to the needs of SEI students and our own day-to-day workload?
• How would we like to move forward to continue working with SEI and ELL students at
Brighton through our library collection and services?

Reflection

It is always a centering and fulfilling (through grueling) exercise for me to design

authentic assessments whose data will measure clearly stated objectives. I am used to

doing this as a classroom teacher while designing course syllabi and nine-week

thematic teaching units. The process gives me a clarity of vision for my work and

confidence that I will effectively and thoroughly assess my students’ learning and

76
improve their academic and intellectual confidence through my teaching. I likewise feel

confident that I have designed a project here that I would be willing to undertake myself

as a high school librarian.

I am satisfied that the timeline for this project has expanded beyond May and

June, 2011, to encompass six months (May, 2011 - February, 2012). I feel that if library

staff are willing and able to do a few hours of project-related tasks each week over a six

month period---rather than intensive project-related work for two months---there is a

better chance that a sustainable and cyclic culture of programming and assessment will

develop. I will keep this in mind for my own work as a library teacher.

I am looking forward to learning more about how the SEI students at Brighton

High will utilize the library as a result of this work, and how they will perceive the

library’s collection as a resource beyond their SEI classroom libraries. I am excited

about the peer facilitator component of the project as well, and I think it is a compelling

element that could result in strong and energizing student/staff relationships.

Currently, English language learners make up 28% of the student body at

Brighton High School; next year, the principal has reported that this number will jump to

42% (personal communication, Kathleen Ross, 4/04/11). This trend is evident in school

districts across the country. If school librarians learn how to listen and pay attention to

these students’ needs through program planning, marketing, and assessment, then

school libraries will continue to be welcoming and accessible places for students of all

languages and cultures well into the 21st century.

77
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