Memo

To: McClelland Elementary School Administration

From: Lauren Caslen

Date: March 20, 2021

Dear Mrs. Carryl:

I recently worked with our Media Specialist, Misty Day, to review and evaluate the
media program and the media center itself. Upon reviewing the program, we compared our
media center to the 2016 Judy Serritella Exemplary Library Media Program Self-Evaluation
Rubric. The rubric contains six different categories and twenty-one target indicators. Under each
category, a score of basic, proficient, or exemplary is given. Our goal as a school is to get our
media center’s program to 100% exemplary.

The results of the evaluation reviewed by Mrs. Day and I indicate that our media center is
currently exemplary in fourteen of the twenty-one areas - which is great. Four areas are
considered proficient, and the remaining three are basic, which we need to push and do whatever
we can do get those up to either proficient or exemplary. With adjustments and hard work, we
both believe our media center program can be stellar and exactly where we need to be.

We have come up with an action plan that will get us going in the right direction, and
with all staff, students, and administration working together, I have no doubt that we will be
exemplary before we know it. I want to thank you in advance for giving me the opportunity for
your continued support in working with the program and I look forward to working with you for
many years to come.

Sincerely,

Lauren Caslen
Action Steps:

Three of the areas were rated as basic. Listed below are the 3 indicators, their categories, and our
recommendations on how we believe improvements can be made in order to have them moved to
proficient.

Category 1: Student Achievement & Instruction

Indicator: The Library Media Specialist participates in collaborative planning when initiated by
the classroom teacher.
Recommendation: The media specialist will routinely and actively plan with the classroom
teachers to collaborate and teach lessons on a regular basis. The media specialist will also come
to the classrooms to teach lessons to the students in their “element”, and not just teach in the
media center.

Category 3: Staffing
Indicator: A school system shall employ a full-time Library Media Specialist for each base size
school or larger. (K-5 = 450 & 6-8 = 624)
Recommendation: Due to the fact that we have two schools and one media specialist, we are
way past the FTE count. We do, however, have two full time paraprofessionals, but Mrs. Day is
still doing the main job as “two for the price of one”. She would be able to do so much more for
the teachers, staff, students, and administration if another media specialist were hired.

Category 4: Facilities, Access, and Resources

Indicator: There shall be a plan for flexibly scheduled library media center access for students
and teachers in groups or as individuals simultaneously throughout each instructional day.
Accessibility shall refer to the facility, the staff, and the resources and shall be based on
instructional need.
Recommendation: Once again, because we share the media center facilities and the media
specialist with the middle school, we also share the resources and access to everything. Because
of this all students (the elementary students and the middle school students) must be flexible and
loose valuable time in the media center. If there were more of a flexible schedule in which
teachers and groups could access the media center, there would be more instruction and library
time for all parties involved.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four of the areas were rated as proficient. Listed below are the 4 indicators, their categories, and
our recommendations on how we believe improvements can be made in order to have them
moved to exemplary.

Category 2: Technology/Technology Management

Indicator: The library provides an adequate technology infrastructure to support teaching and
learning.
Recommendation: Although the media specialist does encourage technology use in the
classrooms and in the school, we both agree that a stronger infrastructure could be used to
support teaching and learning.

Category 2: Technology/Technology Management

Indicator: The SLMS often recommends technology tools to enhance instruction.
Recommendation: Once again, Mrs. Day is very good at recommending technology; however,
because we have a regular technology specialist housed at our school, Mrs. Day admits that she
could be a little more hands on and could consistently recommend technology tools to enhance
instruction and become more of a building leader to model technology integration.

Category 4: Facilities, Access, and Resources

Indicator: Instruction and promotion of GALILEO will be in an organized manner and
conducted on a frequent basis. Students, faculty, and staff will be given instruction and
professional development in the use of GALILEO.
Recommendation: Mrs. Day will provide classroom training to all teachers and staff on how to
effectively use GALILEO in which teachers will be able to effectively show their students, as
well. Teachers and students who wish to have further training and/or resources available on
GALILEO, will be able to access those via the media center.

Category 5: Administrative Support

Indicator: The school principal and district administrators take an active role in encouraging
teachers to integrate library media resources into the curriculum. School, department, and district
level administrators meet regularly with the Library Media Specialist.
Recommendation: The school principal will take a leadership role in the media center’s
advisory committee, helping to make vital decisions for the media center. All administrators –
the principal and assistant principals – will take part in becoming active roles in helping the
media specialist to encourage the teachers to integrate technology in their classrooms.