TECHNOS

January 6, 2009

TECHNOS QUARTERLY Spring 2001 Vol. 10 No. 1

Information Literacy Standards

Sidebar for the Information Literacy: Where Do We Go from Here?

Education reform efforts in the past ten years have increased the importance of states setting standards. The states of California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois are leading the way in setting standards. Let's look at the standards these states have set for social studies. All of them have included information literacy skills in their social studies standards, but none of these leaders has specifically named the skill “information literacy” or made it a priority across all standards.

All five of these states rank in the highest two sections of the Fordham Foundation's State of State Standards (http://www.edexcellence.net/library/soss2000/2000soss.html), a study that assesses each state's standards alignment with assessment or ability to be assessed. California and Texas received the highest rating of honor roll in this report. All of these states, along with several others already focused on information literacy (such as Maryland and Wisconsin), are struggling with developing assessment tools to measure student success.

CALIFORNIA
History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools K-12 (2000)
http://www.cde.ca.gov/board

6th through 8th grades
Research, Evidence, and Point of View
Students:

frame questions that can be answered by historical study and research
distinguish fact from opinion in historical narratives and stories
distinguish relevant from irrelevant information, essential from incidental information, and verifiable from unverifiable information in historical narratives and stories
assess the credibility of primary and secondary sources and draw conclusions from them
detect the different historical points of view on historical events and determine the context in which the historical statements were made (the questions asked, sources used, author's perspectives)

9th through 12th grades
Historical Research, Evidence, and Point of View
Students:

distinguish valid arguments from fallacious arguments in historical interpretations
identify bias and prejudice in historical interpretations
evaluate major debates among historians concerning alternative interpretations of the past, including an analysis of authors' use of evidence and the distinctions between sound generalizations and misleading oversimplifications
construct and test hypotheses; collect, evaluate, and employ information from multiple primary and secondary sources; and apply it in oral and written presentations

TEXAS
Social Studies TEKS (1997)
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/resources/ssced/teks/tekshome.htm

2nd though 8th grades
Social studies skills
The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology.

History. The student understands how various sources provide information about the past.
Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings.

High School
Research Methods (social studies skills)
The student understands:

the basic philosophical foundation for qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry
the need for an organizing framework to identify a problem or area of interest and collect information
the fundamental principles and requirements of validity and reliability (both social science and historical fields of inquiry)
how data can be collected from a variety of sources using a variety of methods
the use of theory and research for descriptive and predictive purposes
the principles and requirements of the scientific method
basic statistical approaches to the analysis of aggregate information
the requirements of graphic displays of data
the basic principles of historic analysis
the ethical aspects of collecting, storing, and using data

FLORIDA
Sunshine State Standards (1996)
http://www.firn.edu/doe/menu/sss.htm

6th and 7th grades
The student:

understands that historical events are subject to different interpretations
distinguishes between fact and opinion
distinguishes between primary and secondary resources of information
interprets data from charts, tables, and graphs

8th grade and above
The student:

evaluates sources of information for a purpose (for example, relevance, reliability, accuracy, objectivity)
knows ways to develop and support a point of view based on a historical event

NEW YORK
Learning Standards for Social Studies (1996)
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai

All grades
The skills of historical analysis include the ability to:

explain the significance of historical evidence
weigh the importance, reliability, and validity of evidence
understand the concept of multiple causation · understand the importance of changing and competing interpretations of different historical developments

Students must also interpret, analyze, and use economic and geographic information.

ILLINOIS
Illinois Learning Standards (1997)
http://www.isbe.net/ils/lstandards.html

All grades
History
Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.

Recognize and investigate problems; formulate and propose solutions supported by reason and evidence
Express and interpret information and ideas
Use appropriate instruments, electronic equipment, computers and networks to access information, process ideas and communicate results
Recognize and apply connections of important information and ideas within and among learning areas.