Mgms annual report 2010 11

The 2010-11 school year was one of growth and change for everyone at Myrtle Grove and the Media Center was no exception. When our student population changed in 2010 as a result of redistricting, we knew it was time to step up our game in order to engage the Grove’s new students - which now includes a larger group of reluctant and below grade level readers as well as a significant number of ESL learners - while also addressing their unique instructional needs. This coupled with a 65% reduction in the library budget (we went from spending $12.47 to $5.66 per student), resulted in the perfect storm of opportunity to explore timely questions regarding effective, data driven practice and the impact of the library program on student achievement – particularly in a climate of economic turmoil. This report attempts to illustrate the results of these efforts while also looking forward to what’s next for the MGMS library and its students. 25 2000 20 1998 1996 15 MGMS MGMS 1998 23.41 1994 20.74 1996 10 NHCS 1993 NHCS 13.24 1992 5 NC NC 1990 0 Average Books Per Age of Myrtle Grove Middle School Library Annual Report 2011 Student Collection The MGMS Library contains almost 10 fewer books per student than the average school library collection in NC. However, our collection is 5 years newer. I attribute this to a) a a reduction in funding coupled with b) aggressive weeding of old and outdated materials. The Fix? Library funding in excess of the state average would need to be restored for the next 5 years in order to bring these numbers up to the state average. 23,000 22,000 2007-8 6th Grade 21,000 28% 41% 20,000 2008-9 7th Grade 19,000 19,095 19,805 22,646 20,889 2009-10 8th Grade 18,000 31% 2010-11 17,000 Total CircsIt’s no surprise that circulation is down this year. With 200 fewer students than last year, the dip incheckouts is easily accounted for. What is more revealing, however, is the decline in circulation by grade thlevel. By the time the students reach 8 grade, they check out (on average) 13% fewer books. The fix? thNext year I will make a concerted effort to target 8 grade teachers and students when promoting library thprograms. I will also use library orientation at the beginning of the year as an opportunity to survey 8grade students about what they see as the cause/solution of/to this issue.

8060 11% Research40 % of Collection 61 79% 10% Checkout 47 4420 % of Circulation 20 22 Circulation 5 0 Fiction Non Graphic Fiction Novels Given that so much of the content on the NC End of Grade test for reading consists of informational text, I am concerned that non-fiction only accounts for 20% of our overall circulation. Also, it is interesting to note that while graphic novels account for only 5% of our total collection, they are circulated more than the entirety of our non-fiction collection. The fix? Next year I will spend more time promoting non-fiction texts to both students and staff.30252015 2510 Checkouts 5 9 0 EOG Top 10% EOG Bottom 10%370365 Myrtle Grove Middle School Library Annual Report 2011360 369 AVG EOG Reading355 Score 358350 < 5 Circs > 50 Circs Working with the Math Dept. Chair and AIG Specialist, the library’s “Family Literacy Night” evolved this 366 year to include a focus on cultivated 364 online resources geared towardshelping students be successful on the NC End of Grade 362Tests. Using the online resource Symbaloo, a personal 360 Readinglearning environment was created for students who were 358 EOGspecifically targeted to attend this event based on 364previous EOG scores and/or teacher recommendations. 356 363 360 361Training, on how to navigate Symbaloo and the resources 354each PLE contained, was provided to the families who Mathattended. As a result, attendance was up by 47% from 352 EOGpast years and as the data clearly shows, students who 350attended this event, scored significantly higher on their Attendees Non AttendeesEOGs than those who didn’t. .

Myrtle Grove was one of the first schools in the country to pilot eReaders as part of their library program! These customizable devices provided us the opportunity to create a personalized reading experience for students based on individual social, emotional and academic needs, while also allowing students the chance to interact with the text in ways that are not possible with traditional, school owned, print materials. Our 30 Nooks quickly became a mainstay of our instructional resources and a favorite “school supply” among our gator students! We can’t wait to implement a lending program with our new Sony Pocket Edition Readers. “I like how I get to help pick out the books for the Nook. I don’t haveto read what everybodyelse is, it’s like my Nook has books on it that are just for me. It makes me want to read more.” -7th Grade Gator Myrtle Grove Middle School Library Annual Report 2011 Each year students have the opportunity to pay off library fines by donating non-perishable food items . This program is heavily promoted, integrated into the curriculum, and used as a conversation starter between kids and adults about poverty, social justice and how the purpose of knowledge is to inspire action. 100% of classes participated in the Food for Fines this year. No matter how small, every class gave something. 84 boxes of food were donated to the Salvation Army. 55 student fines were paid. 21 homeless students at Myrtle Grove benefited from donations given to our “back pack buddies” program. 9 teachers collaborated with me to help students discuss and discover information related to poverty in our area. 2 school buses were needed to deliver our donation. 1 student was utterly shocked to learn that both peanut butter and tuna fish are considered protein -we have the students sort the food into food groups so that we can make a nutritious donation. (Note: This number may actually be much larger).

The library led the way this year with a follow up to lastyear’s Web2.Grove technology initative. This intensivestaff development program engages teachers in ayearlong conversation about technology integration,while also requiring them to share best practices andreflect on how technology helps them do their job. TheWeb2.Grove wiki has become the cornerstone of bestpractices for teachers at the grove. “Mrs. LaGarde is constantly looking for ways to integrate technology into the school day. If there is a new program or some type of hardware that could help improve instruction, Mrs. LaGarde is out front pushing for its use in the school.” –- Laurie Long, CRT “Not everything that counts can be measured. Not everything that can be measured counts.” -Albert Einstein Origami Yoda Party w/ “Yoda Soda” and a video from the author! QR Codes! Weekly Myrtle Grove Middle School Library Annual Report 2011 book wordle contests! The Library Gets a Facebook Page! Allan Wolf comes to visit! Costume parties for book releases! Gators Read Everywhere!!

Next year will be a challenging year. Budget cuts have eliminated long time Scan thelibrary clerk, Anne Card’s, position. This is a huge loss to our students and QR codeschool family. How the library will continue to serve students in the ways to see athat both they and their teachers have become accustomed to, is unknown. video onWhat is known, however, is that the library will remain an essential part of “filterthe collaborative family of teachers, dedicated to the success of the students bubbles”at Myrtle Grove. Current research on “filter bubbles” and content curationillustrates a new imperative for librarians to lead the way in teaching bothstudents and staff how to think critically, not only about the information theyaccess on a daily basis, but also about the very search engines they trust to Scan thelocate it. Next year, I anticipate these, and other important issues, to QR codedominate the conversations that take place in the library. With that in mind, to see amy “to-do list” for next year is already a long one. Some of the projects I’d video onlike to tackle on behalf of our students include: why content To Do! curation is important!  Create “data walls” to share library stats w/students and staff along w/more opportunities for participation.  Create an author skype program as part of a collaborative project with the Language Arts Dept.  Promote non-fiction titles through student book trailers.  Develop an eReader lending program.  Apply for LSTA Grant w/a focus on graphic novels and bilingual titles.  Use 2010-11 EOG data to promote collaboration between teachers/grade levels that are currently under represented. Myrtle Grove Middle School Library Annual Report 2011One of the projects I’m most proud of this year is a student created booktrailer for the Anne Schraff novel, A Boy Called Twister. This book is unusualbecause while it is nominated for the NC Young Adult Book award, it is anobscure work of urban fiction designed to appeal to middle and high schoolstudents who struggle to read. However, what really makes this projectspecial are the students who completed it. This group of African Americanstudents, all 7th graders, struggle with reading and represent the change instudent population that Myrtle Grove was faced with this year. The highquality of the product they completed and the shift in their thinking aboutthemselves as readers and creators of information, highlights, for me, theimportant work being done in this library. While I am thrilled that thequantitative data I collected confirms a positive relationship between readingand academic success, those numbers only reaffirm what I already knew to Check out this studentbe true about how school libraries impact students. I’m proud of the work made book trailer onwe’ve done this year. And I look forward to the work that lies ahead. the library webpage!

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Mgms annual report 2010 11

by Jennifer LaGarde on Jun 15, 2011

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