A Discussion About Crossing Borders: “Dewey” Level School Library Collections? Heather Daly & Moira Ekdahl, BCTLA Craig Seasholes, WLMA

Finding allies in the resistance movement:

There is a thin line between leveling books and leveling children L.M. Calkins, cited in Dzaldov and Peterson Reading Teacher. Nov 2005

Children usually select a book because they are interested in the topic. Therefore, whether the book reflects their reading ability may be secondary, since interest can motivate a child to read a book that may be difficult. David Booth. Guiding the Reading Process. ON: Pembroke. p The Harry Potter Reading Phenomenon: It was about interest and motivation...

The Reading Guru: Stephen Krashen Milestones in understanding the power of reading: Daniel Fader’s Hooked on Books (1960s) The Book Flood Projects: Elley and Manghubai 1983, Fiji: second language learners in grades 4 and , Singapore: larger number, younger age

Krashen’s Milestones, cont’d: Trelease, 2006: “home run books” – the books that make a difference in a child’s reading life

BCTLA POSITION STATEMENT: BOOK LEVELING AND SCHOOL LIBRARY COLLECTIONS BCTLA Annual General Meeting, April 2009 The practice of leveling books, used to support guided reading instruction in classrooms, is not consistent with the values of teacher-librarians and should not be applied in part or in whole to school library collections. Children have opportunities in well-developed school library programs to acquire, develop, and use important lifelong skills that will enable them to select independently their own reading materials.

Leveled collections, whether located in school or classroom libraries, inhibit the use of authentic strategies for selection and directly contradict the message of pursuing reading for the interest and passion it inspires...

Students have access to school libraries and to teacher-librarians to learn and practice the skills for finding the “just- right” book to read. School library programs build in opportunities for child or young adult readers to engage in the complex task of finding a book that they can understand, that holds personal interest for them, that speaks to their life experiences or cultural identities or gendered reading preferences, or that extends a topic being studied in class or one catching their attention as something that simply needs to be explored more deeply. Teacher-librarians, as specialist teachers, work with these sets of understandings about book selection, as well as particular knowledge about individual students gained through relationships built over time, and with the students themselves to help them come independently to the right reading level and the right book.

“We do not suggest that you level the books for your children to choose from in your classroom library. The levels are a teacher's tool, not a child's label. The children can be taught how to choose a book they can read and understand, but you do not want them thinking about themselves as being at a particular level... ”

" Don’t label and arrange library books by reading levels (a common practice in some schools that use Accelerated Reader) so that students can observe their classmates’ reading levels."

…The Company seeks to establish its products as the de facto standard for facilitating growth in reading ability, and ultimately in other essential academic skill areas in grades K-12. The key elements of this strategy consist of adding new customer schools, intensifying and expanding the use of the Company's products in existing customer schools, offering new products in other areas of the curriculum, expanding the Company's international marketing and sales, and expanding the Company's strategic marketing alliances... - from1997 SEC documents for Accelerated Reader parent company Advantage Learning Systems

Wiki: Presentation: Heather Daly Moira Ekdahl Craig Seasholes WLMA.org Survey