Certified school library specialists; Superintendent of Public Instruction to employ in DOE.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify the exact number of specialists to be employed, leaving this detail open-ended.

Certified School Library Specialists in Virginia

This law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to hire at least one certified school library specialist who has worked as a librarian in Virginia for five years and will provide guidance on information literacy, digital tools, STEM learning, and other educational initiatives.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to employ at least one certified school library specialist with an endorsement in library media preK-12 who has served as a public school librarian in Virginia for five years immediately preceding employment in the Department.
• The specialist provides leadership and technical assistance on information literacy skills, digital literacy, and STEM learning to support student achievement.
• Directs implementation of state and national school library standards and consults with local divisions on these standards.
• Collaborates on grants and initiatives that promote student literacy through school libraries throughout Virginia.
• Supports student learning by integrating library standards into instructional programs that incorporate STEM learning.

Who It Names or Affects

• Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Department of Education staff
• School librarians in Virginia

Terms To Know

certified school library specialist

A librarian who is certified to work in schools and has expertise in information literacy, digital tools, STEM learning, and other educational standards.

information literacy skills

Skills that help students find, evaluate, use, and share information effectively.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the exact number of certified school library specialists to be employed.
• It is unclear what the timeline for implementation will be.
• There are no details on how funding for these positions will be provided.

Official Summary Text

Superintendent of Public Instruction; employment of certified school library specialists.
Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to employ in the Department of Education at least one certified school library specialist who shall have several duties enumerated in the bill, including (i) providing leadership and technical assistance with the implementation and use of information literacy skills to school divisions, Department staff, and other stakeholders to support student achievement; (ii) directing the implementation of state and national school library standards and consulting with and providing technical assistance to local school divisions relating to such standards; (iii) collaborating on various grants and other initiatives that promote student literacy through school library programs throughout the Commonwealth; (iv) supporting student learning through instructional programs in which students are required to demonstrate information literacy, digital literacy and fluency, and effective use of technology and instructional programs that incorporate science, technology, engineering, and math learning; and (v) providing the Department, the Board of Education, the General Assembly, and school boards with support relating to student learning through the use of school library standards and library resources.

Current Bill Text

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
22.1-23.7
, relating to Superintendent of Public Instruction; employment of certified school library specialists.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered
22.1-23.7
as follows:

§
22.1-23
.
7
. Employment of
certified school
library speci
alists.

The Superintendent shall
employ
in the Department
at least one

certified school
library specialist
w
ith
an endorsement in library media
preK-12
who has
served as a
public
school librarian
in the Commonwealth
for
at least
five
years
immediately preceding such employment in the Department
.
Each such certified
school
library specialist shall be subject to the provisions of the Virginia Personnel Act (§
2.2-2900
et seq.).

The Superintendent shall require any such
certified school
library specialist
to have the following duties:

1. Provide leadership and technical assistance with the implementation and use of information literacy skills to support student achievement
to
school divisions, Department staff, and other stakeholders
;

2. D
irect the implementation of state and national
school
library standards and consult with and
provide
technical assistance to local school
divisions
relating to s
uch standards
;

3. C
ollaborate on various grants and other initiatives that promote
student literacy through
school library programs throughout the
Commonwealth
;

4.
Support student learning through instructional program
s
in which student
s

are required to
demonstrate information literacy, digital literacy and fluency,
and
effective use of technology and

that incorporate
science, technology, engineering, and math (
STEM
)
learning and integrate the digital learning integration
S
tandard
s
of
L
earning;

5. Provide the Department, the Board, the General Assembly, and school boards with support relating to student learning through the use of school library standards and library resources;

6. Research and promote educational applications of technologies to improve instruction and to enhance student learning and literacy through the use of information literacy skills;

7. Create a crosswalk to demonstrate connections between national school library standards and the Standards of Learning;

8. Work with The Library of Virginia and other state organizations to acquire and promote digital resources available to all students in kindergarten through grade 12;

9. Serve as a consultant and specialist regarding school library licensure requirements;

10. Ensure that the Department is up to date on school library issues, terminology, and guidelines, including alignment to current national standards regarding the preparation of school librarians;

11. Assist school divisions in the Commonwealth in which no division-level school library supervisor is employed;
and

12. Provide common evaluation practices for school librarians in the

Commonwealth and provide professional development for school librarians on how library standards should be integrated with other standards, such as content-specific standards and the Standards of Learning, and on the use of available digital resources, including open educational resources.