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NSLA News - January 2018: New AASL Standards Frameworks

1/18/2018

Does anyone else’s finger hurt from jamming the refresh button innumerable times waiting for the new AASL standards to make their online debut? Anyone else buy the app for $12.99 because the FREE PDF DOWNLOAD just wasn’t there yet? Just me? Okay.

The new AASL standards website, http://standards.aasl.org/, features browsing by role (school librarian, administration, parents/guardians, and classroom teachers). This is definitely something I can direct my colleagues to and be proud of, but…. Secretly…. My favorite part is the school librarian site. Features on this abound. Self-advocacy tools, instructions on how to read the new standards, learner videos, and more show that the AASL has gone to great length to make sure the standards and their meanings are accessible by all. Based on six shared foundations, these insightful standards show just how school libraries affect learners.

Shared Foundations Icons (2017). Online Image. Retrieved on November 15, 2017 from http://standards.aasl.org/project/foundations/

So what do these mean? In the simplest terms, the framework can be described as

INQUIRE: This is where our patrons’ curiosity, critical thinking, and inquiry gets to run wild.
INCLUDE: Bringing the heart into learning and inquiry, our patrons develop balanced perspectives, global awareness, empathy, and tolerance.
COLLABORATE: Building effective learning relationships with their peers both in person and digitally, our patrons will develop the skills needed to rock at collaborative learning.
CURATE: Masters of their own fate, our patrons learn how to gather reliable information for themselves and others, examine information, and become critical consumers.
EXPLORE: Armed with the previous four foundations, our patrons are now ready to take on more challenging topics, tackle misconceptions, and continue growing.
ENGAGE: Utilizing safe, legal, and ethical creation and sharing of knowledge, our patrons share their learning and inspire others to be more awesome.

Rather than a step-by-step process like Bloom’s Taxonomy, the new Standards Framework for the Learner is more fluid in nature. Our patrons will drift from column to column. It is designed to never end; instead, the cycle of fostering life-long learners and responsible members of a global society continues.

You can download your own copy of the Framework here.

The NSLA Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts have additional information about the standards. Share with us how you are integrating the standards framework!

Mandy Peterson, board member

NSLA News - December 2017: New AASL Standards

1/17/2018

The New Standards for Library are finally here. The new National School Library Standards were introduced at the AASL Conference in Phoenix. The National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians and School Libraries replaces the former AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner, Standards in Action and Empowering Learners.

The National School Library Standards will help school librarians develop plans to meet the needs of today’s learners with standards that will update and improve library lessons to reflect the current learning environment and best professional practices for an effective school library.

As stated in the “National School Library Standards”, the new standards include:

Common Beliefs statement reflects current learning environments and professional practices for effective school libraries.
The standards framework features five shared components- Shared foundations, Key Commitments, Domains, Competencies and Alignments, all which are designed to reflect each other.
It includes a sections dedicated to assessment and evaluation, and provides examples on how to develop your own tools to align your school and district models align with the new AASL standards.
It provides scenarios for various types of school library professionals and demonstrates techniques and practices for implementing.
Included in the book is a glossary of terms, useful verbs, and a list of evident as well as other appendices.

The American Association of School Librarians standards include foundations and key commitments have six shared foundations: Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage. Each of the shared foundations are broken into three to five competencies for each learning category or domain, which include, Think, Create, Share and Grow. The Competencies are measurable statements that describe the knowledge and skills that are necessary for learners and school librarians.

At the AASL Conference in Phoenix, Affiliate Assembly members participated in a two day workshop about the standards. Included in the conference were many sessions about implementing the standards, as well as ideas to present the new standards to our local organizations. NSLA is in the process of planning ways to inform and involve members in the implementation of the New National School Library Standards.

Betty Meyer, AASL Liaison

NSLA News - January 2018: New AASL Standards Frameworks

NSLA News - December 2017: New AASL Standards

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