http://www.trails-9.org

Barbara F. SchlomanLibraries & Media Services

Profiling Students’ Understanding:Using TRAILS to Assess 9th Grade

Information Literacy Skills

ILILE goals:

–To foster successful collaboration among K-12 teachers and library media specialists

–To advance library and information literacy in the K-12 school curriculum.

Institute for Library and Information Literacy

Education

Federally funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the U.S. Department of Education.

Goal: To create a tool to assist library media specialists in measuring the information literacy competencies of high school students.

Specific objectives:–Standards-based–Available on the Web at no cost–Easy to administer–Insure privacy–Report outcomes by student and by class

Tool for Real-time Assessment of

Information Literacy Skills

Developing TRAILS

Based on information literacy competencies in:

– Ohio Academic Content Standards

– AASL Information Power

Ohio Academic Content Standards

Review of all Ohio Academic Content Standards by standard, benchmark, indicator.

Information Power

Review of standards and indicators and how they relate to the 9th – 12th grade student group.

Categorizing the Standards

Standards reviewed for common themes and categorized:

1. Appreciation

2. Recognize information need

3. Formulate questions

4. Develop/use successful search strategies

5. Access/locate information

6. Evaluate sources

7. Evaluate information

8. Use information

9. Responsible, ethical use

10. Contributes to learning community

11. Communication

12. Evaluate product and process

Developing Assessment Items

Establishing Priority Competencies Within each category the information literacy skills common across

the standards were identified and prioritized.

Developing ObjectivesAssessment objectives were developed to address the priority competency areas.

Writing ItemsItems were then written to address the assessment objectives for each category.

Testing and Revising Items

Field Testing of Items

Field testing of items by volunteer library media specialists working with a small number of 9th grade students.

– Were the items understandable as written?

– Were they measuring what was intended?

Revisions made.

Phase 1: January – August 2006

• Usage: 400 account holders by April; 1,000 by June.

• Feedback: Comments received throughout Phase 1, plus a user survey conducted in May.

• Enhancements: Improvements to items and user interface.

Phase 2 Enhancements

• Redefinition of competencies into 5 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

• Pre/Post assessment (10 items) for each of the 5 categories.

Phase 2 Enhancements

continued….

•Capability to retain use of student code assignments across sessions.

•Capability to review session with students showing their individual responses.

Made available September 2006

Using Trails

On the Web at: http://www.trails-9.org

About TRAILS

Create an

Account

Create a Session

View

Create a Session

Current Sessions

AdministrationDetails

Current Sessions

Closed Sessions

View Class Report

Student Report

Student Review

Reported Use

We just administered and analyzed our first set of TRAILS tests and as a result I felt energized about our ideas for an information literacy curriculum at the high school this coming year. We learned a great deal about what our students do and do not know with regard to online and print resources and have set in place a series of targeted lessons to maximize our student’s time in the library and their use of these resources.

The timing of the availability of this assessment has proved to be

exactly in line with our school district’s overall “literacy” objectives.

Kathy LawrenceCleveland Heights High SchoolCleveland Heights, OH

Overall Use

• 1,430 accounts as of today

• Representing all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands

• And 20 countries….

TRAILS Accounts by Country (non-U.S., September 2006)

We welcome your use of TRAILS and your comments and suggestions.

Barbara F. Schloman

schloman@kent.edu

http://www.trails-9.org