NBPTS Library Media key terms

Six shared foundations (Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, Engage) with learner, librarian, and library frameworks used to plan instruction and evaluate school library programs.

The six core ideas of the AASL standards that organize what learners should think, create, share, and grow into as informed, ethical users of ideas and information.

Instructional approach in which students generate questions, investigate using varied sources, construct evidence-based conclusions, and share findings, with the librarian coaching process rather than delivering content.

A staged framework (connect, wonder, investigate, construct, express, reflect) describing how learners move from curiosity to a shared, defended product; used to design library lessons and assess process skills.

The set of abilities to recognize an information need, locate and evaluate sources critically, use information ethically, and apply it to create new understanding or solve a problem.

The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act on messages in varied formats, including identifying purpose, audience, bias, and persuasive techniques in commercial and social media.

Norms of safe, legal, ethical, and responsible behavior when using technology and online spaces, including privacy, permanence of digital footprints, cyberbullying, and respectful participation.

A systematic judgment of a source's relevance, authority, accuracy, currency, bias, and purpose, applied to websites, databases, and media so students can justify which evidence they trust.

Evaluation strategy in which a reader leaves an unfamiliar source to check what other independent sources say about its author, funding, and reputation, rather than judging credibility from the page alone.

Frame recognizing that credibility depends on expertise and situation rather than on format or title, so students should ask who created a source, for what purpose, and for which audience.

A board-approved document stating selection criteria, reconsideration procedures, donation rules, and deselection guidelines, giving the librarian a defensible basis for building and maintaining the collection.

A formal written challenge to a library resource, handled through the district's adopted procedure: review the complaint, apply selection criteria, and issue a documented committee decision without removing material preemptively.

The principle that library users have the right to seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction or surveillance, including minors' access to materials.

A policy statement asserting that library resources should present all points of view, that materials should not be excluded because of origin or background of the author, and that libraries oppose labeling as endorsement.

The ongoing, criteria-based removal of materials that are outdated, inaccurate, damaged, or no longer used, keeping the collection current, attractive, and trustworthy for students and staff.

A visual or statistical analysis of collection holdings by subject, format, age, and reading level, compared with curriculum needs and student demographics to target purchases and deselection.

Using systematically gathered data such as circulation, assessment results, and collaboration logs to justify program decisions and demonstrate the library's contribution to student learning.

A cyclical review of the school library program against standards and stakeholder input, producing goals, timelines, and evidence of growth for continuous improvement.

A disciplined cycle in which the librarian identifies a local problem, plans an intervention, collects data, reflects, and adjusts practice, often documented as evidence in portfolio entries.

Ongoing checks during instruction, such as exit tickets, conferences, or research-process logs, that reveal student understanding so teaching can be adjusted before final products are graded.

Evaluation of learning at the end of a unit, such as a research product scored with a rubric, used to judge achievement against standards and to report results to students and families.

Building analytic or holistic scoring guides with explicit criteria and performance levels, ideally shared with students in advance so expectations for research and media products are transparent.

Co-planning, co-teaching, and co-assessing units with classroom teachers so information literacy skills are embedded in content learning rather than taught in isolated library visits.

A library schedule in which classes come as needed for integrated instruction rather than at fixed weekly times, allowing the librarian to co-teach and support research at point of need.

A library schedule in which each class visits at a set recurring time, which guarantees access but limits the librarian's ability to co-teach when curriculum needs arise.

The searchable digital catalog of library holdings where users find titles, check availability, place holds, and learn call numbers and subject headings.

A standardized machine-readable cataloging record with numbered fields for author, title, subject headings, and physical description, enabling consistent sharing of bibliographic data among libraries.

Describing resources and assigning call numbers and subject headings so materials are findable and shelved by subject, using systems such as Dewey Decimal Classification.

A physical and programmatic space where students design, build, and test ideas with varied tools, tied to curriculum and assessed for learning rather than treated as recreation.

A model in which the library serves as the school's hub for collaboration, technology access, and inquiry, with flexible furniture, varied zones, and services supporting all learners.

A district document defining permitted and prohibited technology use, privacy expectations, and consequences, which the librarian teaches and models when students use library devices.

A structured set of artifacts, analysis, and reflection submitted through ePortfolio to show how practice meets a component's standards and to document impact on student learning.

The NBPTS portfolio component requiring teachers to document their differentiation of instruction for students, supported by artifacts, written commentary, and analysis of student work.

The NBPTS portfolio component focused on effective teaching practice and learning environment, documented through video or observation evidence, artifacts, and analytical commentary.

A concise written explanation attached to a piece of evidence that names what it is, why it was chosen, and what it demonstrates about teaching and learning.

Analytical writing that connects evidence to standards by explaining decisions, describing student responses, and showing what the candidate learned and would change.

The online, computer-based assessment taken at a Pearson VUE test center, consisting of constructed-response items that ask candidates to analyze scenarios and justify decisions using professional knowledge.

An open-ended exam answer written in prose rather than selected from options, scored with a rubric for accuracy, depth of reasoning, and application to the scenario presented.

The strategy of unpacking an assessment prompt to identify the verb, the required content, and the number of parts, then planning an answer that addresses every element within the time limit.