THE AASL PLANNING GUIDE:

A DISTRICT APPROACH TO
POWERFUL PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
By Mary Keeling

LEAOING SCHOOL LIBRARIANS

School libraries need strong district- or
regional-level leadership. The American
Association of School Librarians (AASL) has
described the district level supervisor as
"an essential component of a quality school
library program" who scans the horizon
for new trends and innovations, monitors
and assesses programs, engages in strategic
program planning, coordinates with other
district-level curriculum and technology
leaders, develops and models best practices,
and conducts professional development
(AASL, 2011).
Typically, school librarians are the sole
professionals of a type in their building.
After earning professional credentials, few
have day-to-day contact with other school
librarians. School librarians are challenged
to maintain a strong professional identity, to
keep learning about innovative instructional
techniques and technologies, and to engage
in reflective practice in the context of
continuous professional growth. As a district
school library supervisor, I conduct staff
development for forty-seven librarians and
thirty library assistants. For librarians, this
usually consists of one pre-service day in
August, seven more or less monthly 2-hour
meetings, and one half-day in January. Library
assistants attend three quarterly meetings
during the school year. The district staff
development days in August and January
may include district-required topics, such
as performance assessment models or
curriculum preview. Attendance at these
meetings is required, and recertification
points are awarded for attendance. There is
strong district support for librarians to attend

30 7.

LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION

at least one day of the state AASL affiliate annual conference, its spring regional conference,
or a summer professional development day. This article describes our first year using AASL's
Planning Guide for Empowering Learners as a vehicle for professional development, our
discoveries about our programs, and our insights into the continuous improvement cycle.
NEWPORT NEWS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Last year, Newport News Public Schools acquired the AASL Planning Guide for every
school library in the district. The district contains thirty-seven K-12 schools with various
configurations of grade levels: one primary (K-2), twenty-three elementary (K-5), eight
middle (6-8), five high school (9-12), and one public/private partnership (6-12). As an urban
district, we serve an ethnically diverse student body. Forty-six percent of our students are
economically disadvantaged, with fifteen elementary schools receiving additional support
through Title I funds.
Each library has at least one certified school librarian, with two librarians assigned to middle
and high schools with more than 1,000 students. Until recently, there were full-time clerical
assistants in every library, but the district has cut approximately one fourth of these positions
in response to reductions in state funding of school programs. A full-time library supervisor
provides leadership in all aspects of the library program.
District librarians are accustomed to setting annual goals and monitoring program growth.
Library goals have been aligned with the district's strategic plans to facilitate inclusion in schoollevel school-improvement plans. Use of the AASL Plannirig Guide replaced this annual process
for 2011-2012.

k PLAHNINB GUIDE FOR [HPOWERINE LEARNERS

The Planning Guide for Empowering Learners is an online program assessment and planning
module. Developed by AASL and hosted by Encyclopedia Britannica, it is available as an annual
subscription. The program is a self-administered rubric which organizes guidelines from

The Planning Guide introduces an impersonal, objective

standard that could facilitate broader acceptance of
normative structures and standard practice, which
could assist in improving the school library "brand" by
defining best practices across the profession.
March/April

2013

EXAMPLES OF EVIDENCE OF LIBRARY PROGRAM

OUALITY, AS BRAINSTORMED BY LIBRARIANS:
Pictures of student work, displays,
videos, other student artifacts
Lesson plans
Minutes, notes, logs from collaborative
or grade level planning meetings
Student surveys
Checklists
Email correspondence with teachers
Exit tickets
Collection statistics
Examples of differentiation
AASL's Empowering Learners into four main
categories, such as Teaching for Learning and
Building the Learning Environment. Each
category contains sixteen subcategories. For
example, the subcategories Reading, Inquiry,
and Collaboration depict facets of Teaching
for Learning. To assess one's program, the user
examines statements that describe a range
of practices, selects the statement that most
closely describes existing practice in a specific
category, and provides evidence to justify
the ratings. Introductory materials in the

Ptanning Guide strongly recommend that the

librarian work with a school-based steering
committee to gather perspectives from
the library's constituents. Using this finely
grained description of library programs as a
questionnaire facilitates an unbiased, careful
examination of practice.
TIMELINE
August-December. We learned that using
the Planning Guide is a long-term process. In
pre-service sessions, the library supervisor
provided a brief overview of the Planning
Guide, its navigational features, and
supporting materials, including the book
Empowering Learners. In subsequent monthly
meetings, librarians worked through the selfassessment and goal-setting process modules.
The context of a group meeting facilitated
rich discussion, which the librarians said was
valuable to them. Few, if any, chose to work
with a planning committee at their school.
Most agreed that teachers were too busy,
that asking them to join a committee would
be an unwelcome burden. One librarian
suggested ways to gather information from

administrators and teachers in the context of

other meetings, and to consider those brief
conversations as ad hoc committee meetings.
January. Elementary librarians looked
more closely at the Planning Guide, guided
by insights received from the supervisor's
participation at the 2012 ALA Pre-Midwinter
Institute, Too!s for Transforming Your
School Library Program. Jody Howard
and Donna Shannon, two of the Planning
Guide co-authors, explained the structure
of the program in great detail. We focused

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LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION

on two specific ideas. The first idea was to

embrace the concept of a library program in
a continuous improvement cycle. The quality
of a program is not fixed; rather, there are
specific actions that can change program
quality. Second, we realized we could use the
Planning Guide as a formative assessment
tool. When selecting program ratings, the
librarians identified evidence that validated
the rating. For selected program areas,
librarians considered the questions:

PLANNING GUIDE P m OF WORK, 2011-2012

August 2011

Log in.
Read preface, introduction.
Preview planning document pages.
Preview assessment pages.
Consider: What data do you need?

September 2011

Read through the screens.

Read Empowering Learners. Prioritize issues to discuss with your
team.
Have a discussion with your principal/school improvement team/
media committee/advisory group.
Set a work schedule with this group.

Where is the program now?

What data or artifacts do you have to justify
this rating?
What do you have to do to move to the
next level?

October 2011

Assess the library program.

Compare the program against school improvement goals.
Conduct a needs assessment with teachers.
Set goals and objectives.
Draft action plans.
Consider evidence. Identify desired outcomes, benchmarks.

Because most librarians had completed the

program assessment, they were able to focus
these discussions on one or two selected
areas of strength and improvement. We also
discussed potential evidence for justifying
quality ratings. Specific suggestions included
artifacts from exit tickets to pictures of
student work.

November 2011

Set goals and objectives.

Draft action plans.
Consider evidence. Identify desired outcomes, benchmarks.

December 2011-April

Monitor/adjust action plans.

Collect evidence.
Reflect on evidence.

We also brainstormed ideas for program

improvement. Participants set one to two
specific, measurable, achievable goals.
Examples of short-term goals to complete by
June 1 included:
To plan one professional development for
some portion of my school staff
To increase the relationship with one teacher
for the purpose of collaboration
Reading promotion: Poll students on what
they want (one poll?)
Weed 2,000-4,000 books from the collection
Original plans to continue with the process at
subsequent monthly meetings were set aside
because of the urgency to provide comment
on new teacher performance assessment
models. However, we learned to value the
support the Planning Guide provides for
goal setting and reflective practice, and to
anticipate the effort needed to continue with
the work in subsequent years.

2012

May-June 2012

Assess program growth.

Assess student learning as a result of program initiatives.
Report. Recommend goals for next year.

a^^^

REFLECTIONS
We concluded the year with a simple survey. Using a Google Docs form, librarians responded
anonymously to these questions:
What did you learn from this process?
Plus (What was good about the process?)
Delta/change (What should be changed?)
Forty of forty-seven librarians responded. The response was almost entirely positive. More than
one third indicated that librarians gained a different view or perspective on their programs. One
librarian said, "We could step back and see our existing program." Speaking for a secondary team,
another said, "We believe that perhaps the most important thing about this process was that it
gave us a new way of looking at things... sort of a new lens approach... [which] is important
since we tend to get bogged down in the day-to-day grind and don't step back and reflect as often
as we could."
Similarly, about one third of the respondents liked working on the Planning Guide with other
librarians and/or wanted to continue to work with others through regular meetings. "I liked
having the time at meetings to work on this. It was interesting to work with librarians from
other schools and levels to seek their interpretation/ideas." A high school librarian commented
that she and her partner rarely discuss their program, and that using the Planning Guide gave
them a structure for these conversations.
Although self-evaluation can be intimidating, responses indicated a general feeling of trust
among the group. One librarian said, "We liked that we could assess ourselves without the

32 7.

LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION

March/April 2013

In one year, librarians noted the following changes in practice as a result of using the
Pianning Guide:
We learned that AASL standards/guidelines have changed and tbat there is a need for a
moreflexiblelearning environment.
We implemented several cbeckout incentive programs and increased circulation an
average of lOO percent.
I learned to be very specific in my planning.
I learned tbat I need to step up and lead more professional development sessions and do
more promotion of the services we can provide for teachers.
I also achieved tbe goal of implementing self-cbeckout for grades tbree to five.
We achieved our goal of doing more professional development for tbe scbooL
I spoke more often to individual teacbers, otber tban tbe reading staff, about tbeir needs
and wbat the library can do to assist.
I learned tbat planning is tbe key to success. I also felt much better about lessons that I
took tbe time to reflect upon. My goal was to allow enough time in tbe day for student
reflection. It was insightful when it happened.
pressure of 'reporting publicly'[it] felt like we were more open." The planning guide seems to
have encouraged reflective practices among tbe group. Versions of the word "reflect" appeared
ten times in the responses, such as, "... it allowed an opportunity for reflection and discussion on
bow we run our media centers and also to see other models that are available."
Tbe Planning Guide turns out to be an excellent tool for job-embedded professional
development. Job-embedded professional development is usually school-based and centered
on day-to-day practice, ratber tban conference- or consultant-driven. It requires that teachers
engage in collaborative inquiry to find and apply solutions for specific learning problems. (Croft
et al., 2010) Many librarians found tbemselves comparing their library programs against an
ideal modeL Using the Planning Guide prompted librarians to "discover" standards that have
been in place for more tban a few years. One said, "Tbe survey asked me questions I really have
never tbougbt of before." Otbers spoke of bow tbe guide supported their efforts to set goals. "It
allows for freedom to cbange... instead of sticking to an 'annual goal'.... I was able to create
short-term goals and then evaluate my effectiveness. If they [work], I plan to continue them
next year. If they [don't] work, then I can re-evaluate and revisit my original intention." Others
spoke of increased confidence in their ability to set goals: "I learned bow to set measurable goals
and feasible objectives for my library. I like that I got to determine the outcome of a lesson and
determine benchmarks by the needs of my student community."
Although a few librarians stated that they thought the Pianning Guide was repetitive,
time consuming, lengthy or better suited to otber kinds of scbool libraries, most of the
recommendations for cbange bad to do witb implementation: more training at tbe beginning,
more time to work on tbe guide witb otber librarians, more support from administrators, better
integration of tbe librarian into scbool improvement structures, or a focus on fewer goals. It is
clear from the comments, however, that librarians will continue to work with the Planning Guide
to document program strengths, identify program weaknesses, set goals, and monitor progress.

Use the Planning Guide with an advisory group to give

your principal exactly what is needed to understand
your program and what it can do for your students!
March/April

2013

CONCLUSIONS ANO RECOMMENDATIONS

Abilock, Fontichiaro, and Harada (2012) explain

tbat professional development often does
not work because it is disconnected from
tbe personal or professional goals of tbe
participants. In a list of effective professional
development principles, the editors include
the following:
Learners are capable of making significant
decisions and choices about tbeir own
learning.
Learners bave different stages of concern
about a change tbat must be recognized
and respected.
Both formal and informal environments can
support learning.
Using tbe Planning Guide was personally
meaningful to school librarians. They bad
tbe freedom to focus on topics of particular
interest to them, rather than on a districtselected theme. Because the P/anning
Guide includes four main categories with
sixteen subcategories in eacb, tbe potential
for customization is practically infinite. In
addition, tbe format of tbe program placed
participants in an active role, wbich facilitated
discovery of their program's strengths and
weaknesses, the selection and interpretation
of evidence, and decision-making. Although
tbe work was structured according to a
timeline, the working sessions were informal,
and librarians could select tbeir own work
groups. Tbe social element provided rieb
opportunity to compare experience, express
concerns in a safe place, and share insights.
Using tbe Pianning Guide resulted in some
unexpected benefits. As a district, we bave
bad standard expectations for collection
quality and instructional practices for many
years. However, tbere is still a bigb level of
distinctiveness from one library program
to another, and library programs are in
different stages of development. Librarians
have a strong identity with "tbeir" programs
and sometimes resist district initiatives. Tbe
Pianning Guide introduces an impersonal,
objective standard that could facilitate
broader acceptance of normative structures
and standard practice, wbicb I believe
could assist in improving tbe school library
LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION

1^33

Subscriptions to AASL's

A Planning Guide for

Empowering Learners program

"brand" by defining best practices across

the profession. In discovering other valid
programmatic models, librarians could see
a range of practices across a continuum,
question the suitability of their existing
program choices, and possibly consider
alternatives to existing practice. The
absence of value judgments in program
criteria creates a sense of freedom from
threat or intimidation, and may result in a
greater willingness to rate one's program.
At the same time, specific program criteria
left little room to rationalize the status
quo, and may even encourage a culture of
continuous improvement by showing a
range of practice in a continuum of "good,
better, best."
Librarians resisted including other school
colleagues in the process, but feedback
suggested that they really want this process
to be validated by their principals and
teacher colleagues. Could the Planning
Guide be a vehicle to start a conversation
about how the library program serves
students? What could librarians do to secure
partners for this work?
Doug Johnson (2012) shared some commonsense advice for working with advisory groups:
1) Keep the group small.
2) Meet not more than three to four times
each year, but work on important things.
3) Send good agendas and timely minutes.
A) Involve the group in work such as longrange planning and goals, program
assessment, budgets, and policy making.
5) Remember that this is an advisory group,
not a governing body.
In a recent study. Donna Shannon found that
principals consider the relationship with
their librarian the "most important factor"
in their understanding of the school library
program: "School librarians must make it
their job to 'educate' school principals about
the role of the library program in supporting
student achievement" (Shannon, 2012).
LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION

assessment and planning

module are handled by
Britannica Digital Learning.
To order or request a trial
subscription, call 1-8OO-6213900 or visit www.info.eb.com/
aasl. For more information
and resources, visit
http://www.ala.org/aasl/
planningguide.

Shannon reports that principals place high

value on the following:

adult learners to take charge of their own

professional development.

1) Articulated goals and objectives

2) Vision
3) Systematic evaluation of the library
program
4) Regular meetings with the principal
5) Written budget requests

Works Cited

Let this be a light bulb moment: Use the

Planning Guide with an advisory group to
give your principal exactly what he needs to
understand your program and what it can do
for your students!
The Planning Guide is not a one-shot
professional development event, but a tool
for examining daily practices, collecting
evidence, and reflecting on the results of our
work. A librarian in a one-librarian school
can use it to support her own job-embedded
professional development, keep learning
about best school library practice, and share
best practices with constituents. Librarians
in a district can use it to standardize best
practices across the district. Used with an
advisory group, it empowers constituents to
ask hard questions about funding, program
priorities, and other concerns. As it provides
a structure for conversations about library
programs and for collaborative problem
solving, it should result in greater alignment
of the library program with school goals.
Because it is multifaceted, it can be used
over and over again to engage in reflective
practice in the context of continuous
professional growth. Best of all, it empowers

Abilock, Debbie, Kristen Fontichiario, and Violet H.

Harada, eds. Growing Schools: Librarians as Professional
Developers. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited,
2012. Print.
American Association of School Librarians. Empowering
Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs.
Chicago: American Association of School Librarians,
2009. Print.
American Association ot School Librarians. A Planning
Guide for Empowering Learners: With School Library
Program Assessment Rubric. American Association ot
School Librarians and Britannica Digital Learning, 2010.
Web. 16 Jul 2012. http://aasl.eb.com/showLogin.htm.
American Association of School Librarians. "Position
Statement on the School Library Supervisor." American
Library Association, 2012. Web. 16 Jul 2012. www.ala.
org/aasl/aaslissues/positionstatements/supervisor.
Croft, Andrew, et al. 'Job-Embedded Professional
Development: What It Is, Who Is Responsible, and
How to Get It Done Well." The National Comprehensive
Center for Teacher Quality, 2010. Web. 16 Jul 2012. www.
tqsource.org/publications/JEPD Issue Brief.pdf.
Johnson, Doug. "Twenty+ Years of Working with Advisory
Groups." The Blue Skunk Blog. 11 Jan. 2012. Web. 16
Jul. 2012. hftp://doug-johnson.Squarespace.com/blueskunk-blog/2012/l/n/twenty-years-ot-working-withadvisory-groups.html.
Shannon, Donna M. "Perceptions of School Library
Programs and School Librarians: Perspectives of
Supportive School Administrators." Teacher Librarian
39.3 (2012): 17-24. Print

Mary Keeling is supervisor of library services for

Newport News Public Schools in Newport News,
Virginia. She can be reached at mary.keeling
nn.kl2.va.us.

March/April 2023

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