EXISTING ONLINE INFORMATION LITERACY ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS

By Dr. Lesley Farmer (lfarmer@csulb.edu) from a forthcoming book on Information literacy and assessment (Scarecrow Press, 2006)

Research Processing Models

• Washington Library Media Association’s essential skills for information literacy provides benchmarks at the 4th, 7^th, and 10^th grades (http://www.wlma.org/Instruction/benchmarks.htm).
• Wisconsin’s model academic standards melds information and technology literacies throughout the curriculum, and benchmarks targeted performances at 4^th, 8^th, and 12^th grades (http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/DPI_Standards/matrix.htm).
• The Kansas State Department of Education aligned its information literacy standards to the American Association of School Librarians’, and developed benchmark indicators for each standard (http://www.ksde.org/outcomes/libstd52001.pdf).
• Mankato (Minnesota) area schools have developed grade-level targeted performance standards for information and technology skills (http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/infocurr/benchmarks.pdf).
• TRAILS (Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills) is a federally-funded project to create a standards-based, free tool for LMSs and HS teachers to assess students’ info lit skills (http://www.trails-9.org)

Access / Location Skills

• Copeland (2005) has guidelines for posing and assessing questions (http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/0394ch05.pdf).
• Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy developed an interactive key word assessment (http://21cif.imsa.edu/tutorials/challenge/Q2Q/KeywordChallenge.swf).
• Moore (1997) listed significant elements for educators to observe in children’s problem solving efforts (http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla63/63moop.htm).
• Shambles lists several useful tools for assessing information and communications technology competency (http://www.tepaonline.net/pages/staff/AssessIT/).
• Evaluating the quality of information (http://www.virtualchase.com/quality/index.html)

Content Evaluation Skills

• Use evaluation rubrics to analyze a source (e.g., Kathy Schrock’s extensive list at http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html)
• applying critical thinking skills to program solving (http://www.asanet.org/galleries/APAP/Assessment%20Final%20Copy%202005.pdf ).
• Chico (California) Unified School District uses an authentic task to assess students’ ability to evaluate web sites (http://dewey.chs.chico.k12.ca.us/info-lit.html).

Communication Skills

• Socratic circles, where students discuss their insights on their reading, model intellectual dialogue. The National Teaching and Learning Forum provides a rubric for assessing several facets of participation: http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/suppmat/1306a.htm.
• Arizona State University’s Foundation of Communication Assessment and Evaluation has developed a simple instrument for oral, written, and visual communication (http://www.west.asu.edu/call/tipsheets/tipsheets.htm).
• Schools of California Online Resources for Education (SCORE), which uses California content standards, has developed a simple collaboration rubric (http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/collaborub.html).

Metacognition Skills

• Biggs 2001 revised study process questionnaire gives valid information about a student’s level of motivation and use of study strategies (teaching.polyu.edu.hk/datafiles/R75a.doc).
• Learning and Teaching Scotland supplies two self-assessments for capturing learner perceptions and for collecting evidence of attainment (http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/focusoninquiry.pdf).

Collaboration Skills

• The International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education (http://www.iasce.net/resources.shtml) offers resources from the leading researchers in the field.
• The Center for the Study of Learning and Performance at Concordia University has a very useful set of assessment tools for students and teachers (http://doe.concordia.ca/cslp/RS-Instruments.php).
• San Diego (California) County of Education developed a simple rubric to assess student collaboration (http://www.sdoe.k12.ca.us/socre/actbank/collabororub.html).
• Las Cruces (New Mexico) and Kyrene de las Brisas Elementary (Arizona) public schools targeted their collaboration rubric to elementary students (http://www.zianet.com/cjcox/edutech4learning/cincorubric.html and http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/litpack/collaboration_rubric.htm).
• Arizona State University’s simple teaming instrument measures group performance over time (http://www.eas.asu.edu/~fcae/Insturments/Teaming%20Instrument/teaminginstrument.htm).

Appreciation Skills

· Kansas State Department of Education has developed a rubric that addresses basic appreciation elements across the creative arts (http://www.ksde.org/outcomes/rubricfinal.pdf).

· Bartel has a rubric that assesses discussion and writing on art and esthetics. With just a few changes in terms, it can be used for creative expressions in any format (http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/rubric3.html).

· The Saskatchewan Department of Education has several good suggestions for reading experiences (http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/mla/read.html).

· The Australian Children’s Television Foundation lists indicators of TV and film appreciation (http://www.actf.com.au/learning_centre/school_resources/teaching_kits/btv/units/btv_lp.htm).

ASSESSMENT AT DIFFERENT SYSTEM LEVELS

Library Level

• The Department for Education and Skills and the School Libraries Working Group (UK) developed two series of scenarios that teacher librarians can use to assess their programs, one for primary and one for secondary settings (http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/resourcematerials/schoollibraries/?3300545056b4385-a1d7191d-3302-4529-8db5-17eb5900db37).
• The Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations developed a questionnaire to assess school libraries (http://www.qfhsa.org/pdf/library_questionnaire_nov04.pdf).
• Berea College Hutchins Library uses a number of useful forms to assess bibliographic instruction program (http://faculty.berea.edu/henthorns/bieval/).
• Bertland maintains links evaluation forms for school library programs and teacher librarians (http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/evaluate.html#forms).

Classroom Level

• The Indiana State Department of Education’s learning communities handbook includes a self-assessment tool (appendix 5) to determine to what extent a course needs library instruction; although targeted for college faculty, most of the questions can be easily adapted for secondary school settings (http://www.indstate.edu/fyp/handbook.PDF).
• Alberta (Canada) Learning’s 2004 publication Focus on Inquiry guides teachers on incorporating technology for inquiry-based learning, and meld information literacy; 12appendices include useful assessment tools for both teachers and students (http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/focusoninquiry.pdf).
• New Zealand’s Ministry of Education constructed a literacy assessment rubric targeted to classroom teachers (http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/atol_online/self_review_e.php).
• Probably the most telling evidence is sample student work. Redwood HS’s research handbook serves as a consumable guide in this respect (http://rhsweb.org/library/researchguidelong.htm). Their rubric is useful: (http://rhsweb.org/library/research_rubric.htm).
• From New Zealand comes another simple rubric to assess information processing skills (http://www.in2edu.com/downloads/infolit/inforubirc.PDF).
• The Australian Library and Information Association has developed an information literacy toolkit, which includes an ICT literacy matrix of student learning (http://www.alia.org.au/advocacy/literacy.kit.pdf).
• Joyce Valenza’s research “checkbric” can be used by students and adults alike (http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/checbric.html). Her research project rubric aligns with standard research process models (http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/resrub.html).
• The Kansas Research Collaborative Network’s science report rubric (http://rhsweb.org/library/rubric_secexp.htm) and Ferris State University’s science report rubric point out the critical features of technical writing (http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/colleges/artsands/Biology/ResearchScience/TWRubric.cfm).

Site Level

• The New South Wales (Australia) Department of Commerce Office of Information Technology offers guideline for conducting an information audit, which can provide a framework for an information literacy assessment plan (http://www.oit.nsw.gov.au/Guidelines/4.3.12.g-IM-Audit.asp).
• The Association of College and Research Libraries (of the American Library Association) has designed an information literacy IQ (Institutional Quotient) test and scoring guide to determine an institution’s readiness for integrating information literacy into the curriculum; the emphasis is on system-wide conditions and steps towards capacity building (http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/professionalactivity/iil/immersion/infolitiqtest.htm).
• New Zealand’s Ministry of Education developed a literacy leadership tool for elementary schools that includes a planning vision, literacy review tool, and school action plan (http://www.tki.org.nz/r/literacy_numeracy/lit_lead_tools_1_8_e.php)
• Colorado’s Department of Education now mandates districts technology and information literacy plans, and provides forms and guidelines to help staff in this process (http://www.cde.state.co.us/edtech/plng-etil.asp)
• The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory offers a self-assessment tool for school leaders to examine technology and transformation, which may be adapted for information literacy issues (http://www.ncrel.org/cscd/pubs/lead51/51assess.htm)
• California’s Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership provides several templates and guidelines for site and district technology plans, which include information literacy aspects (http://www.portical.org/contents2.html?mode=TT).
• The U.S. National Center for Education Statistics developed a questionnaire that examines information literacy instructional programs (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/SASS/pdf/0304/sass_ls1a.pdf).

ONLINE INFORMATION LITERACY TUTORIALS

Metasites

http://www.csulb.edu/~lfarmer/infolitwebstyle.htm

http://informationliteracy.org/default.php

http://www.school-libraries.org/resources/literacy.html

http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/rblonline/informationliteracy/infolitlinks.htm

http://www.iasl-slo.org/infoskills.html

http://www.caul.edu.au/info-literacy/links.html

http://www.infolit.org/

http://www.fiu.edu/~library/ili/iliweb.html

http://bulldogs.tlu.edu/mdibble/doril/

http://www.libraryinstruction.com/infolit.html

http://www.lib.washington.edu/uwill/tutorial.html

http://ww.daybreakeducation.com.au/lit/infolit.html

ACRL – including tutorials (http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/informationliteracy.htm)

AASL (www.ala.org/aasl/learning/)

Specific Tutorials Not Listed Above

Focus on Inquiry: A Teacher's Guide to Implementing Inquiry-based Learning (http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/connection//k_12/curriculum/bySubject/focusoninquiry.pdf)

Kentwell’s Interactive Guide to the Research Process (http://www.mhs.vic.edu.au/home/library/infoproc/index.htm)

Dodd’s Building Information Literacy (http://www.edu.pe.ca/bil/bil.asp?ch1.s5.gdtx)

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT ONLINE RESEARCH INVESTIGATIONS (http://www.bham.wednet.edu/studentgal/onlineresearch/newonline/online.htm)

California State University, Long Beach (http://nike.cecs.csulb.edu/~surf/)

York College, PA (http://www.ycp.edu/library/ifl/etext/ethome.html)

NCSU (http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/lobo2/)

Queensland Univ. of Tech. (http://pilot.library.qut.edu.au/)

NoodleTools (http://www.noodletools.com/)

Big6 (http://www.big6.com/)

21^st century literacies (http://www.kn.sbc.com/wired/21stcent/information.html)

Web research guide (http://www.classzone.com/books/research_guide/page_build.cfm?state=none&CFID=10834320&CFTOKEN=4baebcb-00066781-ea17-14a6-bb6f-831b0f1f0000)

Pearson (http://www.researchnavigator.com/index.asp)