Special Interest Group - Information Literacy

Information Literacy Assessment: Some online tools and guides

Much of the information on this page has been provided from the book Information Literacy Assessment in K-12 Settings by Lesley Farmer and James Henri (Scarecrow Press, 2007).

Links checked and updated by Tom Kaun (June, 2008)

General Assessment Sites, Portals and Tools

  • Shambles lists several useful tools for assessing information and communications technology competency. (Southeast Asia)

Research Processing Models

  • The California School Library Association’s Standards and Guidelines for Strong School Libraries (2004) includes narrative and matrix versions of all aspects of the school library media program. (USA)
  • Focus on Inquiry: A Teacher’s Guide to Implementing Inquiry-Based Learning (PDF) supplies two self-assessments for capturing learner perceptions and for collecting evidence of attainment. (Canada)
  • The Kansas State Department of Education aligned its library & media technology standards to those of the American Association of School Librarians, and developed benchmark indicators for each standard. (USA)
  • Mankato, Minnesota area schools in 2003 developed Information Literacy Curriculum Guidelines which include benchmarks for information and technology skills grade K-12. (USA)
  • TRAILS (Tool for Real-Time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills) is a knowledge assessment with multiple-choice questions targeting a variety of information literacy skills based on sixth and ninth grade standards. This Web-based system was developed to provide an easily accessible and flexible tool for library media specialists and teachers to identify strengths and weaknesses in the information-seeking skills of their students. (USA)
  • Wisconsin Information and Technology Literacies Matrices meld information and technology literacies throughout the curriculum, and benchmark targeted performances at 4th, 8th, and 12th grades. (USA)

Access / Location Skills

Content Evaluation Skills

  • Kathy Schrock provides an extensive list of her own and others’ tools for evaluating information in digital and print formats.

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 class participation.
  • Schools of California Online Resources for Education (SCORE), which uses California content standards, has developed a simple collaboration rubric.

Metacognition Skills

  • The Study Process Questionnaire (DOC file) by John Biggs and others in Hong Kong (2001) provides valid information about a student’s level of motivation and use of study strategies. (Hong Kong)

Collaboration Skills

Appreciation Skills

ASSESSMENT AT DIFFERENT SYSTEM LEVELS

Library Level

  • The California State Department of Education developed Check It Out to help assess school library programs in the state. (USA)
  • Berea College (Kentucky) Hutchins Library uses a number of useful forms to assess bibliographic instruction program. (USA)
  • The New Haven Public Schools (Connecticut) provides this rubric to help evaluate its school library programs. (USA)

Classroom Level

  • New Zealand’s Ministry of Education constructed a literacy assessment rubric targeted to classroom teachers. (New Zealand)
  • Probably the most telling evidence is sample student work. The Redwood High School (Larkspur, California) research handbook serves as a consumable guide in this respect. Their rubric is useful. (USA)
  • The Australian School Library Association has developed an information literacy advocacy toolkit, which includes an ICT literacy matrix (p. 22) of student learning. (Australia)
  • The research “checkbric” at Springfield Township High School (Pennsylvania) can be used by students and adults alike. Their research project rubric aligns with standard research process models. (USA)
  • The Kansas Research Collaborative Network’s experimental and non-experimental science report rubrics point out the critical features of technical writing. (USA)

Site Level

  • 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. (New Zealand)
  • Colorado’s Department of Education now mandates districts technology and information literacy plans, and provides forms and guidelines to help staff in this process (USA)
  • California’s Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL) provides several templates and guidelines for site and district technology plans, which include information literacy aspects. (USA)

ONLINE INFORMATION LITERACY TUTORIALS

Metasites

Specific Tutorials Not Listed Above

[Information Literacy SIG]

Last Updated 25 June 2008 (KSB)