AASL National Standards: A few essentials to get started!

As a member of the AASL National Standards Implementation Taskforce, I was honored to take part in the rollout in Phoenix.

Whether you were in Phoenix or were #NOTATAASL, you will need to get your arms around the Standards and share them with your colleagues or stakeholders, I’d like to highlight a few of my personal favorite National Standards getting-started resources. All are available on the AASL Standards Portal.

1. AASL Standards Structure is a three-minute introduction to the history and structure of the standards document designed to offer immediate context and great to share with all the personas in your world.

2. It All Fits Together Webinar: The archive of this presentation led by Editorial Board Chair, Marcia Mardis and Implementation Task Force Chair, Mary Keeling mirrored the information shared at the AASL General Session and is the perfect deeper overview to share at professional development. Watch this one soon.  (Listen while you drive or while you prep Thanksgiving dinner.)

3. AASL Standards Framework for Learners: THIS IS A MUST DOWNLOAD!  DO IT NOW! This eight-page pamphlet presents the standards framework for learners–one of three strands that make up the AASL Standards Integrated Framework. It includes our Common Beliefs. The centerfold on pages four and five, also available as a separate chart, graphically presents the Shared Foundations, Domains, Key Commitments and Competencies along with the numbers and letters that comprise the new “symbology.”

4. The one-pager How to Read the Standards, more clearly explains the structure of our National Standards and describes how to refer to specific competencies and alignments.

5. A downloadable list of six Common Beliefs central to professional practice expands with summary descriptions.

6. A growing collection of videos includes individual videos in which learners interpret the Shared Foundations.

9. Message Boxes will help you frame brief, core messages and supporting points to share your school library message with a variety of audiences.

10. A collection of six downloadable Shared Foundation Infographics will allow you to easily become familiar with and explain the competencies relating to Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Engage and Explore in terms of the Framework for Learners. Click on each of the SF icons below to download the infographic and start using them now!

There’s much more on the Portal and much more to come. Keep an eye on the growing calendar of events for upcoming webinars, live Twitter chats, community message boards, crosswalks and more to come.

The National Standards Mobile App (AASLSTNDS), is available for $12.99 at the App Store and on Google Play. It allows you to search the Standards frameworks by Shared Foundation or keyword, compare Domains and Competencies across the three strands–learners, school librarians, and school libraries–and to take and share notes.

The book, National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries, is available at the ALA Store.

Here’s a little curation of the resources mentioned in this post.

Filed under: #AASL17, #AASLstandards, aasl, advocacy, standards