Jennifer Schwelik, MEd, TRAILS Project Manager, KSU Jennifer Flaherty, MLS, Beachwood High School Librarian Paula Baco, MLS, Trumbull County Career Center TRAILS: TRAILS: Helping Students Plot Successful Paths to Information Literacy INFOhio Videoconference December 16, 2009

1.What is TRAILS 2.Getting Started with TRAILS 3.Developing an information literacy plan Providing an Introduction

TRAILS is: Tool to measure information literacy competencies Assessments based on 6 th and 9 th grade standards available Assessments based on 3 rd and 12 th grade standards available September 2010 Freely available on the Web A project of Kent State University Libraries & Media Services and part of the Institute for Library & Information Literacy Education (ILILE). Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the U.S. Department of Education and the Jennings Foundation. What is TRAILS?

Goal: To develop a tool to assist library media specialists in measuring the information literacy competencies of students. Specific objectives: –Standards-based –Available on the Web at no cost –Easy to administer –Insure privacy –Report outcomes by student and by class TRAILS

TRAILS Development Process 1. Standards reviewed for information literacy: –Ohio Academic Content Standards: Identified all Ohio standards, benchmarks, indicators that relate to information literacy at the 6 th /9 th grade level. –AASL Information Power: Reviewed standards and indicators. –AASL Standards for 21 st Century Learners: Available September 2010.

Information Literacy Categories 2. Standards categorized into five measurable information literacy categories: Develop topic Identify potential sources Develop, use, and revise search strategies Evaluate sources and information Recognize how to use information responsibly, ethically, and legally

Developing Assessment Items 3. Priority competencies determined. Within each category the information literacy skills common across the standards were identified and prioritized. 4. Objectives developed. Student learning objectives were developed to address the priority competency areas. 5. Items written. Items were then written to address the objectives for each category.

Testing Items 6. Items field tested by library media specialists and then revised. –Are the items understandable as written? –Are they measuring what was intended? TRAILS-9: Field testing of items by volunteer library media specialists working with a small number of 9 th grade students. TRAILS-6: Sample assessments being administered to 6 th grade students in over 130 schools nationwide during October TRAILS-12: Sample assessments being administered to 12 th grade students. Call for schools to field test December Field testing Winter TRAILS-3: Sample assessments being administered to 3 rd grade students. Call for schools to field test during Winter Field testing Spring 2010.

Available Assessments TRAILS-9: Two 30-item general assessments covering all five of the information literacy categories. Two sets of 10-item assessments for each of the five categories. TRAILS-6: Two 25-item general assessments covering all five of the information literacy categories.

Revising Items 6. TRAILS-6 and TRAILS-9 items and tests reviewed and revised as test results are studied. –Are the items understandable as written? –Are they measuring what was intended? TRAILS-9 and TRAILS-6: Review of all items and readjustment of tests during Winter Revised tests available September TRAILS-6: Considering development of smaller targeted tests for TRAILS-6, similar to what exists in TRAILS-9..

Some TRAILS Features Create an Account Create a Session View Assessment Administration Details Manage a Session Class Report Student Report Benchmarks

1.Create an Account 2.Create a Session 3.View Assessment 4.Manage a Session Getting Started

Create an Account NOTE: To activate account, you must respond to the confirmation .

Create a Session

Manage a Session

View Assessment Each item includes AASL Standard OAC Standard TRAILS Objective Red text is the correct answer.

1.Using TRAILS to develop a plan 2.A Case Study 3.Tools to Build a Plan Developing an Information Literacy Plan

How TRAILS has been used to integrate information literacy Collaboration with classroom teachers for a specific class With a particular grade level To target librarian instruction To share results with administration As part of an overall school improvement plan As a professional development opportunity For personal development With clickers as instructional tool

How TRAILS has been used to integrate information literacy

“I am an Illinois high school media specialist and have been using TRAILS with my ninth grade students. Thank you for your work. TRAILS provides an objective evaluation of information skills that would otherwise be difficult to achieve by sole practitioners.” [Illinois] “I have been using a couple of the #2 assessments with Seniors taking a Research Paper class. They have been extremely helpful to reinforce specific information literacy skills for which they have received instruction.” [Minnesota] “We are using Trails 9 to gather baseline assessments. I'm setting up logins by grade level but we are not tracking each student by name. Our goal is to find out where our students currently stand with competencies.” [New York] Users Report

Bench- mark Data TRIALS9

TRAILS: Tool for Real-Time Assessment of Information Literacy Contact Information

Jennifer Schwelik, MEd, TRAILS Project Manager, KSU Jennifer Flaherty, MLS, Beachwood High School Librarian Paula Baco, MLS, Trumbull Career and Technical Center Presentors