Using Large-Scale Assessments to Evaluate the Effectiveness of School Library Programs in California

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine

A California study examines how the presence of school libraries—defined by credentialed staffing—relates to student achievement measured through both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessments in English-language arts and mathematics. Using the California School Characteristics Index to compare 4,022 demographically similar schools at Grades 4, 7, and 10, statistically significant relationships appear at Grades 4 and 7, while Grade 10 shows no significant positive effects. Additional analyses also reveal small overall effect sizes and mixed in-library factors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background

Problem

Using Large-Scale Assessments to Evaluate the Effectiveness of School Library Programs in California William W. TARR, JR. LAUSD/IFL Science Fellow, Institute for Learning, University of Pittsburgh and the Los Angeles Unified School District United States Stacy L. SINCLAIR-TARR Education Consultant United States This California study examined the relationship between the presence of school libraries, as defined by credentialed staffing, and student achievement, as measured by both criterionreferenced and norm-referenced assessments in both English-language arts and mathematics. Using the California School Characteristics Index to compare 4,022 schools with similar demographics at Grades 4, 7, and 10, both positive and negative statistically significant relationships were found between the presence of a school library and student achievement at Grades 4 and 7. There were no statistically significant positive relationships found at Grade 10. These findings do not support previous studies that used different methods of comparing schools with similar demographics. Also unlike previous studies, the overall effect sizes of the positive relationships were small, the average being an increase in student achievement of 2% . Factors within the school library at Grades 4 and 7 were also examined, and both positive and negative statistically significant relationships to student achievement were found. Introduction This study was designed to examine whether a relationship exists between school libraries and student achievement in California. We will begin with a short background including a summary of the problem and the purpose for our research, a synopsis of related research, and the study's findings. We will then discuss conclusions from this study, impacts and implications on previous research, the study’s limitations, and implications for future research. Background Federal support for the education of low-achieving children has been an integral part of funding public education in the United States for over thirty years through the Title I provision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (High Stakes: Testing for Tracking, Promotion, and Graduation, 1999) . This funding resulted from a series of global events that linked student achievement with national defense and an understanding that a certain level of education is needed for the future success of the United States. Almost as soon as the legislation was completed, it was determined that large-scale assessments should be put in place to evaluate educational programs to determine whether this influx of economic support has a positive impact on student achievement ( The National Defense Education Act, Interview \# 4, 2003) . A large-scale assessment tool, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), was developed as a common measure to compare student achievement across states to determine how well programs were meeting identified goals. Over 30 years of testing, it has been determined that although funding for K-12 education continues to rise, there has been little significant rise in student achievement as measured by NAEP, with almost 70% of students continuing to score below the proficient level ( The Nations Report Card, 2003) . States currently fund their K-12 education programs primarily through local means, with federal monies comprising approximately 7% of a state's overall education budget in 1990, rising to approximately 10% by 2003 (Sonnenberg, 2004, p. iii) . With recent economic challenges and the resulting decrease in state revenue, states have been looking for ways to streamline their spending in all areas, including education. In an effort to increase student achievement in the United States, new federal legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), increased accountability measures for states that choose to receive federal funding by requiring them to develop their own content standards and assessments aligned

FAQs

How do the findings relate to earlier research?

The results do not support prior studies that used different methods of comparing similar schools. The study also differs by finding small overall effect sizes for the positive relationships.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine