Book+Proposal+Chapter


 * Note: The one below was the one submitted. Thanks to everyone's feedback! --Leanne **


 * C ****hapter Proposal: The Formation Process and Planned Work of the New York City Department of Education School Library System-City University of New York College Readiness Library Study Group **

Introduction:

President Obama recently spoke of a “Sputnik” moment in education whereby the United States must increase student achievement to compete with countries that have outperformed us on international measures. Many states have taken on this challenge by adopting the Common Core Standards and making college readiness a key benchmark of student achievement in their Race to the Top Grant Applications. The New York City Department of Education is no exception. Recently, the DOE announced plans to introduce College Readiness Metrics on the 2011 High School Progress Report at the same time as New York State’s Race to the Top Grant’s Assurance Area plans to “adopt internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace" (//Network and Inquiry Teams in RTTT Implementation //). These assessments will align with the Common Core Standards.

In this chapter, we will address why The New York City School Library System (NYCSLS) decided to form a group focused on how high school and college library collaboration can help ensure students become college and career ready. We will detail the work our group hopes to accomplish: to first identify and measure the inquiry and critical thinking skills students need to be successful in college and the workplace, and then, to form partnerships to guarantee skill integration into content areas through the use of “best practice” implementation and assessment.

Background:

Barbara Stripling, the Director of the NYCSLS, contacted Curtis L. Kendrick, CUNY’s University Dean for Libraries and Information Resources, to start the establishment of this study group. Initial participants included fellow CUNY and DOE librarians with the plan to expand invitations to CUNY professors and DOE subject area teachers. Over several meetings, the group decided to look at surveys, research, lesson plans, student work, outcomes and assessments to identify and assess the specific cognitive and affective skills, strategies and expectations that define college and career readiness. Upon completion of this work, the group plans to create a toolkit that will help different constituents (teachers/professors, students, Administrators, and librarians) integrate the identified skills and assessments into content-area assignments and projects. The group will also publicize findings in academic journals and/or at conferences and workshops, as well as design an interactive online version of the toolkits.

The toolkit will define benchmark skills, provide examples and tips on how to infuse these skills into the curriculum, and provide suggestions on how to evaluate student progress and mastery. For example, the teacher toolkit will demonstrate how to design an inquiry-based research assignment requiring students to deconstruct an author’s argument and write their own evidenced-based opinion. The student toolkit will provide tools to measure their progress through self-reflection and online evaluations. The Administrator toolkit will include professional development suggestions and methods for synthesizing and interpreting college-readiness assessment data to identify areas that require attention. The librarian toolkit will contain examples to guide in the full adaptation of information literacy into their school’s curricula and ideas on how to team up with their college counterparts.

Key issues the group will focus on:  · How can education systems collaborate across the K-16 spectrum to ensure students have the skills they need at each traditional education threshold? · <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">What skills are included in the broad definitions of reading and information literacy (i.e. critical thinking and meta-cognition), and what are the appropriate benchmarks for progress in achievement? · <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">What are the roles and responsibilities of students, teachers/professors, librarians, administrators and parents in the development of these skills? · <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">What is appropriate content for each toolkit to help integrate the skills into the core curriculum? · <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">How will the group effectively promote and disseminate the toolkit and provide implementation assistance?