Sharon Kowalsky

IST613 – Library Planning, Marketing, and Assessment

April 18, 2010

Assessment Plan

Project: Creating a Student Book Review Program

1. Introduction

The MinisinkValleyMiddle School’s book review program is designed to enhance the library’s influence on the school community as a whole by promoting library usage throughout the school community, encouraging independent student learning, and teaching students to use and become familiar with various technologies. Determining how effective the program is in attaining the goals set out by the library staff is extraordinarily important both in determining the program’s level of success as well as whether or not to continue to offer such a program in the future. The assessment of such outcomes will also help the library to establish itself as an essential element of the school’s community and the students’ education.

These assessment tools will not only help the library to improve the book review program, but will also help to illustrate the necessity of the library as a whole within the school community. Those students involved with the club itself will undoubtedly be most affected by the program, however, the school community as a whole has the potential for truly feeling the affects from a strong literacy program. The following assessment plan will help to determine just how far the influence of the library and the book review program can reach within the school community.

1.1/1.2 Goals of the new service with their respective outcomes

Goal # 1 – Promote free reading outside of classroom assignments.

  • Students involved in the program will show an increased interest in free reading.

Goal #2 – Improve student ability to discuss and think critically about literature.

  • Students involved in the program will create original content to review the books they have read.
  • 75% of students involved in the library’s book review program will show more confidence in their ability to talk about literature.

Goal #3 – Teach students how to accurately and responsibly use Web 2.0 technology.

  • Students involved will show improvement in their understanding of how to use Web 2.0 tools.
  • Students involved in the program will be able to independently create, edit, and publish original content.

Goal #4 – Improve student attitudes towards free reading.

  • Circulation numbers as a whole in the library will increase from those of the previous school year.
  • 75% of books that are reviewed by students will have an increase in circulation numbers from those of the previous school year.

Goal #5 – Promote the library as a viable entity in the school community.

  • Students in the school community will use the library more often.

1.2 Outcomes of the new service in order of priority

  • Outcome 1: Students involved in the program will show an increased interest in free reading.
  • Outcome 2:Students involved in the program will create original content to review the books they have read.
  • Outcome 3: 75% of students involved in the library’s book review program will show more confidence in their ability to think critically and talk about literature.
  • Outcome 4: Students involved will show improvement in their understanding of how to use Web 2.0 tools.
  • Outcome 5: Circulation numbers as a whole in the library will increase from those of the previous school year.
  • Outcome 6: 75% of books that are reviewed by students will have an increase in circulation numbers from those of the previous school year.
  • Outcome 7: Students involved in the program will be able to independently create, edit, and publish original content.
  • Outcome 8: Students in the school community will use the library more often.

Assessment Plan for Outcomes

The following tables illustrate how each outcome for the book review program will be assessed. The Minisink Valley Middle School Library staff will determine which are most feasible and allow for the most information to be collected given the timeframe and staff’s ability to devote attention to this program. These methods and suggested percentages may be adjusted after the preliminary run of the program to have increased success in future academic years.

2. Assessment Plan for Outcome 1

Students involved in the program will show an increased interest in free reading..
Target Audience for Assessment / The target audience consists of student participants in the program.
Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection / Library circulation report – the school utilizes Destiny software to catalog all materials as well as electronically track any borrowed materials. Using a predesigned report in the system, the library can determine if an individual student has borrowed more materials as compared to those of the previous school year.
Alternative Methods & Tools / Observation – the library staff will note the frequency that participating students use the library and check out books.
How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met / The library circulation reports can be printed and compared on a student-by-student basis to determine if there is an increase, decrease, or no change in student circulation numbers. These numbers can be compared to the observation notes.
Responsible Parties / The library media specialist, Maggie Barrish, should be responsible for planning assessments and reporting the results. All library personnel are responsible for gathering data.
Timeline for assessment / At the beginning of the school year, reports may be generated to establish the previous year’s circulation numbers for the individual students. At the end of the program, a second report may be pulled to compare the current school year’s statistics to those of last year. Observation should be ongoing throughout the year.
Recommendations for Reporting / The statistics from the reports, in order to protect student identity, may be collaborated into a simple bar graph that denotes each student anonymously and shows two years’ worth of circulation statistics side by side for a clear evaluation.
These results may be shared with administration, board of education, teachers, and parents as well as the students. This can help generate excitement for the continuation of the program.

3. Assessment Plan for Outcome 2

Students involved in the program will create original content to review the books they have read.
Target Audience for Assessment / The target audience consists of student participants in the program.
Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection / The primary method of assessment for this outcome is observation. The librarian will take note of those students whose recorded or written reviews she has approved for publication.
Alternative Methods & Tools / No alternatives.
How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met / After meeting with the book review club, the librarian will note which students attended and which had reviews for her approval. The outcome has been met if at least 75% of those students in attendance have brought a review for approval.
Responsible Parties / The librarian is responsible for accurately determining if students are able and willing to create original content.
Timeline for assessment / The club will meet on a monthly basis, giving adequate time for students to read and begin to create a review. Each month, the librarian will assess the students’ attendance and whether or not they have prepared content.
Recommendations for Reporting / Included in a progress report on the program as a whole, the number of students who have created book reviews versus the total number of students involved in the club can be listed on a month-by-month basis.
These results may be shared with administration, board of education, teachers, and parents as well as the students. This can help generate excitement for the continuation of the program.

4. Assessment Plan for Outcome 3

75% of students involved in the library’s book review program will show more confidence in their ability to think critically and talk about literature.
Target Audience for Assessment / The target audience consists of student participants in the program.
Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection / Surveys will be administered to English teachers at the beginning of the year (to establish a baseline) and towards the end of the academic year to assess specific students and changes in their skill levels. These surveys will be brief (no more than 5 questions) and will be administered via email to ensure maximum convenience for teachers. The surveys will ask instructors to rate the students on a scale of 1-5 on critical thinking skills, analytical skills, and communication skills.
Alternative Methods & Tools / Observation may be used during monthly club meetings to determine how individual students are progressing. All observation to this end will be free of formal interaction with the students, but focus primarily on the interaction when discussing the books read.
How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met / Ratings from teacher surveys will be compared with results from the beginning of the year to determine if there were positive, negative, or no changes. The outcome has been met if at least 75% of participants in the program show an increase in skill ratings from teachers and through observation in the library.
Responsible Parties / The librarian is responsible for collating and reporting on all data from teachers as well as accurately recording observances of students on a monthly basis.
Timeline for assessment / After the first meeting (during the first marking period) the librarian will issue a preliminary survey to those teachers who have students involved in the program. During the first meeting, the librarian will establish a baseline for her own observations as it relates to students’ skill levels. The librarian will note monthly changes in skills through observation. At the end of the academic year, she will issue the second survey to teachers and compare results.
Recommendations for Reporting / To ensure student identity, the information from teachers may be synthesized into a simple table that denotes “student 1, student 2, etc.” as well as their skill scores at the beginning of the year and the end of the year. These scores along with any comments the librarian would like to add from observations may be included in a report that may be shared with administration, board of education, teachers, and parents as well as the students. This can help generate excitement for the continuation of the program.

5. Assessment Plan for Outcome 4

Students involved will show improvement in their understanding of how to use Web 2.0 tools.
Target Audience for Assessment / The target audience consists of student participants in the program.
Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection / Questionnaires will be distributed during the first meeting to determine how comfortable and how much students know about using the technology required to record, edit, and publish podcasts. Additionally, a second questionnaire will be issued at the end of the academic year with the same questions to determine if there are any changes.
Alternative Methods & Tools / Observation, especially neutral observation lacking formal interaction with the students, will give the librarian an opportunity to see students using technology and adequately assess their skills.
How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met / The outcome has been met if more than 75% of students answer questions on the second questionnaire more favorably than they did the first questionnaire. Also, if students are observed correctly using the technology without additional support or help, the outcome has been met.
Responsible Parties / The librarian is solely responsible for issuing and analyzing the questionnaires as well as observing student skill during the course of the academic year.
Timeline for assessment / At the beginning of the school year, the librarian will issue the first questionnaire during the first club meeting. Regular observations will take place throughout the course of the year. Then, at the end of the year, she will issue the second questionnaire and synthesize the results.
Recommendations for Reporting / To ensure student identity, the information from the questionnaire may be synthesized into a simple table that denotes “student 1, student 2, etc.” as well as their answers at the beginning of the year and the end of the year. These questionnaires, along with any comments the librarian would like to add from observations may be included in a report that may be shared with administration, board of education, teachers, and parents as well as the students. This can help generate excitement for the continuation of the program.

6. Assessment Plan for Outcome 5

Circulations numbers as a whole in the library will increase from those of the previous year.
Target Audience for Assessment / The target audience consists of students currently enrolled at MinisinkValleyMiddle School, both users and non-users.
Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection / Library circulation report – the school utilizes Destiny software to catalog all materials as well as electronically track any borrowed materials. Using a predesigned report in the system, the library can determine the circulation statistics of the library’s entire collection from this year and compare it to a report that shows the circulation statistics from last year.
Alternative Methods & Tools / Observation – the library staff will note the frequency that students use the library and check out books.
How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met / The library circulation reports can be printed and compared on a yearly basis to determine if there is an increase, decrease, or no change in student circulation numbers. These numbers can be compared to the observation notes.
Responsible Parties / The library media specialist should be responsible for planning assessments and reporting the results. All library personnel are responsible for gathering data.
Timeline for assessment / At the beginning of the school year, reports may be generated to establish the previous year’s circulation numbers. At the end of the program, a second report may be pulled to compare the current school year’s statistics to those of last year. Observation should be ongoing throughout the year.
Recommendations for Reporting / The statistics from the reports may be collaborated into a simple line graph that denotes how many items have circulated by genre. Each year would have a different line.
These results may be shared with administration, board of education, teachers, and parents as well as the students. This can help generate excitement for the continuation of the program and help illustrate the library’s purpose in the school.

7. Assessment Plan for Outcome 6

75% of books that are reviewed by students will have an increase in circulation numbers from those of the previous school year.
Target Audience for Assessment / The target audience consists of students currently enrolled at MinisinkValleyMiddle School, both users and non-users.
Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection / Library circulation report – the school utilizes Destiny software to catalog all materials as well as electronically track any borrowed materials. Using a predesigned report in the system, the library can determine the circulation statistics of a given date range. Running one report to determine last year’s circulation statistics and another for this year’s will give the librarian full access to circulation numbers.
Alternative Methods & Tools / Observation – the library staff will note the frequency that students use the library and check out books.
How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met / The library circulation reports can be printed and compared on a yearly basis to determine if there is an increase, decrease, or no change in student circulation numbers. These numbers can be compared to the observation notes.
The outcome has been met if 75% of the books reviewed by students see an increase in circulation.
Responsible Parties / The library media specialist, should be responsible for planning assessments and reporting the results. All library personnel are responsible for gathering data.
Timeline for assessment / At the beginning of the school year, reports may be generated to establish the previous year’s circulation numbers. At the end of the program, a second report may be pulled to compare the current school year’s statistics to those of last year. Observation should be ongoing throughout the year.
Recommendations for Reporting / The statistics from the reports may be collaborated into a simple bar graph that denotes which titles circulated how many times per year. Each year would be a different color but yearly results may be compared side by side.
These results may be shared with administration, board of education, teachers, and parents as well as the students. This can help generate excitement for the continuation of the program.

8. Assessment Plan for Outcome 7

Students involved in the program will be able to independently create, edit, and publish original content.
Target Audience for Assessment / The target audience consists of student participants in the program.
Methods & Tools for Evidence Collection / Questionnaires (see Outcome 4) will be distributed during the first meeting to determine how comfortable and how much students know about using the technology required to record, edit, and publish podcasts. Additionally, a second questionnaire will be issued at the end of the academic year with the same questions to determine if there are any changes.
Alternative Methods & Tools / Observation, especially neutral observation lacking formal interaction with the students, will give the librarian an opportunity to see students using technology and adequately assess their skills.
How Assessors Will Know the Outcome Has Been Met / The outcome has been met if more than 75% of students answer questions on the second questionnaire more favorably than they did the first questionnaire. Also, if students are observed correctly using the technology without additional support or help, the outcome has been met.
Responsible Parties / The librarian is solely responsible for issuing and analyzing the questionnaires as well as observing student skill during the course of the academic year.
Timeline for assessment / At the beginning of the school year, the librarian will issue the first questionnaire during the first club meeting. Regular observations will take place throughout the course of the year. Then, at the end of the year, she will issue the second questionnaire and synthesize the results.
Recommendations for Reporting / To ensure student identity, the information from the questionnaire may be synthesized into a simple table that denotes “student 1, student 2, etc.” as well as their answers at the beginning of the year and the end of the year. These questionnaires, along with any comments the librarian would like to add from observations may be included in a report that may be shared with administration, board of education, teachers, and parents as well as the students. This can help generate excitement for the continuation of the program.

9. Assessment Plan for Outcome 8