Working smarter: being strategic about assessment and accountability

The worth of any school program is based on its contribution to student achievement. How do teacher-librarians contribute to this overall goal? What evidence do we have of the learning that results from our teaching? How do we use the results to inform our school communities and influence improvements? This article provides discussion points related to these issues and scenarios to provoke reflection and action. No matter which community we live in, we are bound to hear educators deliberating on topics such as quality assurance, data driven decision making, and curriculum restructuring. Whether these discussions involve parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, or community leaders, two issues consistently emerge: the demand for accountability and the imperative for continuous improvement. Teachers and administrators’ views of the role of assessment have changed dramatically over the last two decades. Spurred on by a national focus on assessment reform, they have come to understand that assessment is both a tool for accountability and a blueprint for instruction (Fitzpatrick, 2000; Asp, 1998). The hard fact is that resources will always be limited in schools, and the programs showing the most “value” are the ones that will receive the funding. Fitzpatrick (2000) defines value as the degree to which the program’s impact on the school goals is positive, describable, and visible. That is, decision makers look for and react favorably to information that shows the worth of instructional programs. We are well aware that student achievement is a critical component in educational improvement and school reform. Administrators are ultimately concerned with what and how well students learn. School personnel who cannot demonstrate a contribution to student learning are marginalized or even eliminated (Neuman, 2000). The question is whether or not teacher-librarians are active partners in this school wide view of assessment. Over ten years ago, Bob Berkowitz (1993) posed a critical challenge to the profession: What is convincing evidence that our students are competent to enter the information age? What do library programs really do for our students? These questions have taken on a new urgency in the face of continuing cuts in school library budgets and increasing reductions in library staffing across the nation. David Loertscher and Ross Todd (2003) maintain that school library programs must tell the story of how effective libraries make a difference in the learning outcomes of students. Todd (2003) describes evidence-based practice as “day-to-day professional work that is directed toward demonstrating the tangible impact and outcomes of sound decision making and implementation of organizational goals and objectives” (7). Following Loertscher’s and Todd’s train of thinking, my point is this: while we are working harder and teaching harder than ever, we need to seriously consider ways to