Project-Emily+Johnson

For this project, I was charged with redesigning the TRAILS information literacy assessment test for Grosse Pointe North High School. I began by reviewing the questions that were currently being used and deciding why they were ineffective. I also reviewed our classes test answers, which were very helpful in determining which questions were confusing.

I decided that the best structure for the test would be to present a situation, and then have 5 questions about that situation. This would allow the students to focus on the questions, rather than waste time and energy trying to decode each question and what it was looking for. Each situation presented is not necessarily something that would happen within their classes, but the topics are. For example, students are not going to produce a video newscast about bullying, but they are going to discuss bullying in their classes. The situations were designed to present them with a challenge to their normal thinking, but also create a context where we could measure whether or not they are learning the skills. Going back to the previous example of a video newscast, this was used to determine whether they are using information responsibly, ethically, and legally. This situation gives them the task of using music, posting the video newscast online, and quoting outside sources, ample ground to demonstrate whether or not they have learned the intended skills.

The assessment itself is to be given during the first part of their 9th grade year and at the end of the year, to measure growth and understanding. The language used within the assessment may be unfamiliar to students at the beginning, with the intention of them learning throughout the year what terms mean (e.g., Boolean searching).

There are five subject areas within the test: Each of the 5 areas has two situations to choose from, with five questions each. The questions are matched with learning objectives as defined by the AASL Standards for 21st Century Learners and the Michigan Education Technology Standards (METS).
 * 1) Developing a topic
 * 2) Identifying potential sources of information
 * 3) Develop, use, and revise search strategies
 * 4) Evaluate sources and information
 * 5) Recognizing how to use information responsibly, ethically and legally

This project was not necessarily to make an online test, but to create content for a test that will be given online, hence the artifact I have supplied below is a document with the test questions.

Test Questions and Presentation

Works Cited American Association of School Librarians. //Standards for 21st Century Learners//. Publication. American Association of School Librarians, 2007. Web. . Michigan. Michigan Department of Education. Office of Education Improvement and Innovation. //Michigan Educational Technology Standards 2009//. 13 Oct. 2009. Web. . //TRAILS: Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills//. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. .