Education Reform and Classification

Concern: While states rush to put in place educational reforms that will qualify them for federal Race to the Top grants, many are proposing systems of merit pay to reward "highly effective teachers." We are concerned that these proposals, since they are hurried, may not fairly and adequately consider the role of school librarians, whose curricula are generally not assessed on state tests, and who do not have direct impact on the test scores of a specific group of students.

Action: The concern was approved by the Affiliate Assembly Executive Committee and forwarded to the Assembly for review where it was combined with a concern from Region 4. The Affiliate Assembly body approved sending the revised concern to the AASL Board.

Revised Concern: Many states are investigating merit based pay for teachers based on performance evaluations and student achievement data. We are concerned that librarians are not adequately represented in these discussions.

Action: The AASL Board responded that this is an issue best handled on a state-by-state basis since each state's requirements are different. Members are encouraged to work with their state departments of education. Resources are available:

• The 2009 Fall Forum focused on assessment
• Knowledge Quest articles
• Empowering Learners, the AASL learning standards/Common Core Crosswalk, and the AASL lesson plan database.
• TRAILS: Tools for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills