SLOs for School

Librarians July 17, 2012

Beth Puckett &

Jen McLaughlin

What do you know?

“There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.”

~Donald Rumsfeld

On an Index Card

Share what you hope to

walk away with after

today’s session?

By the end of this session,

you will have a better

understanding of… What an SLO is

The required elements of an SLO

The benefits of writing an SLO

The timeline for completing an SLO

Who is responsible for what: State, District,

School, Individual

Where you can go for support

Materials and resources

Folders

School Library System website

http://www.monroe.edu/

Let’s show our school

community how School

Library Media Specialists

make a difference to student

learning!

Goals of SLOs

What students need to know and be able to do at the end of the

year

SLOs place student learning at the center of the conversation

SLOs are critical part of all great educator’s practice

SLOs are an opportunity to document the impact educators make

with students

SLOs provide principals with critical information that can be used to

manage performance, differentiate and target professional

development, and focus supports for teachers

The SLO process encourages collaboration within school buildings

“SLO process drives

collaboration which

drives better

practices.”

~Mary Ratzer

Vocabulary

SLO- Student Learning Objective

APPR- Annual Professional Performance

Review

We’ll add more to the list as we go!

Getting to 100 Points

Who Does What? (Purple)

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

From NYSED SLO GUIDANCE MAY 2012

WHAT IS DECIDED BY THE STATE VERSUS

DISTRICT LEVEL AND/OR SCHOOL/TEACHER

LEVELS FOR COMPARABLE GROWTH

MEASURES?

The State determines the following for comparable growth measures:

The overall SLO framework, including required elements.

Requirements in the context of Regulations:

Requirements for which teachers must set SLOs and which teachers must have State-provided growth measures.

Requirements for which assessments must be used, and which are allowable options, under the Regulations.

Requirements around scoring: The scoring ranges and categories for the measures of

student growth subcomponent.

Rules for scoring SLOs that include a State-provided growth measure.

Rules for scoring multiple SLOs.

Provides training to Network Teams and Network Team Equivalents on SLOs prior to 2012-13 school year.

Districts (in the context of State Regulations and

frameworks) determine the following:

Assess and identify their unique priorities and needs.

Identify who in the District will have State-provided growth measures and who must have SLOs as “comparable growth measures” as per the State’s rules.

District-wide rules for how specific SLOs will get set.

Expectations for scoring SLOs and for determining teacher ratings for the growth component, within State rules.

District-wide processes for setting, reviewing, and assessing SLOs in schools.

Create processes to ensure that any assessments are not scored by teachers and principals with a vested interest in the outcome of the assessment they score, and address assessment security issues.

Establish which decisions are made at the District level versus in schools by principals, and/or principals with teachers.

Provide or arrange for training to lead evaluators.

Schools (in the context of State Regulations and

frameworks, and District decisions) determine the

following:

Implement State and District-determined processes.

Make choices as needed when District leaves flexibility

to schools.

Ensure that lead evaluator approves each teacher’s

goals and monitors/assesses results.

Ensure all assessments are secure and that any

assessments, including those used as evidence for SLOs,

are not scored by teachers and principals with a vested

interest in the outcome of the assessment they score.

Teachers (in the context of State Regulations and

framework, District decisions, and school decisions)

determine the following:

Propose, in consultation with lead evaluator, SLOs and

targets based on District and school requirements.

Obtain all possible data on students to best inform

baseline, starting level of student learning.

Reflect on student learning results and consider

implications for future practice.

Dissecting the SLO Template

Dissecting the SLO Template

Let’s look at Exemplars

Or should we say examples…?

Engage NY

OCM BOCES

Things to Consider

Using last year’s test as this year’s baseline assessment.

Multiple SLOs provide you with more opportunities to show growth in student learning.

Consider exceeding the minimum population requirements.

Cannot fill in target(s) until baseline assessment is complete.

Pros & Cons

Cons

It takes time

It is confusing

It is a lot of work

It is difficult to identify population

Librarians have not tested students before

Flexible schedules leave librarians at the

mercy of teachers and their willingness to

collaborate

Pros: SLOs promote collaboration

Write a parallel SLO to a content area teacher’s SLO

Highlights the library curriculum

We teach different skills than the content area teacher

Raises awareness of the value of the library curriculum and the role of the teacher-librarian

Promotes best practices which benefits students

Goals of SLOs

What students need to know and be able to do at the end of the

year

SLOs place student learning at the center of the conversation

SLOs are critical part of all great educator’s practice

SLOs are an opportunity to document the impact educators make

with students

SLOs provide principals with critical information that can be used to

manage performance, differentiate and target professional

development, and focus supports for teachers

The SLO process encourages collaboration within school buildings

Jen & Beth’s Advice:

Be rigorous and ambitious in writing your

SLOs.

Write with best practices in mind.

This is your chance to prove your worth-

be a risk taker and go for it!

If you are not doing something, someone

will do it for you!

Remember this is your first time writing an

SLO. It will get easier!

Resources and Support

www.monroe.edu/sls

Upcoming Opportunities

Information Fluency Continuum

Workshops

July 18 & 19

November 29 & 30

December 13 & 14

Assessment Writing for School Librarians

August 8 & 10

SLO Workshops for Librarians

September 13, 19, & 25

Customized PD & Support

Schedule a session with Beth & Jen

“The

unexamined life

is not worth living.”

~Socrates

Ticket out the door

What do you need from the School Library

System to be successful with your SLO?