Study Guide

Field 138: Library-Media Specialist 
Sample Constructed-Response Assignment

Recommendation for individuals using a screenreader: please set your punctuation settings to "most."

The following materials contain:

Test Directions for the Constructed-Response Assignment

This section of the test consists of one constructed-response assignment. You are to prepare a written response of approximately 300to600 words on the assigned topic. You should use your time to plan, write, review, and edit your response to the assignment.

Read the assignment carefully before you begin to write. Think about how you will organize your response.

As a whole, your response must demonstrate an understanding of the knowledge and skills of the field. In your response to the assignment, you are expected to demonstrate the depth of your understanding of the content area through your ability to apply your knowledge and skills rather than merely to recite factual information.

Your response to the assignment will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

 start bold PURPOSE: end bold  the extent to which the response achieves the purpose of the assignment
 start bold SUBJECT MATTER KNOWLEDGE: end bold  accuracy and appropriateness in the application of subject matter knowledge
 start bold SUPPORT: end bold  quality and relevance of supporting details
 start bold RATIONALE: end bold  soundness of argument and degree of understanding of the subject matter

The constructed-response assignment is intended to assess subject matter knowledge and skills, not writing ability. However, your response must be communicated clearly enough to permit valid judgment of the scoring criteria. Your response should be written for an audience of educators in this field. The final version of your response should conform to the conventions of edited American English. Your written response must be your original work, written in your own words, and not copied or paraphrased from some other work.

Be sure to write about the assigned topic. You may not use any reference materials during the test. Remember to review what you have written and make any changes you think will improve your response.

Sample Constructed-Response Assignment

Competency 0010 
Analyze data and other relevant information to plan instruction to address an identified information literacy or inquiry skills need for a group of learners in a given instructional context.

 start bold Use the information provided to complete the assignment that follows. end bold 

Analyze the information provided in the exhibits and, citing specific evidence from the exhibits, write a response of approximately 300to600 words in which you:

Be sure to utilize  start bold all end bold  of the exhibits in your response.

Exhibit 1: Classroom Context

A middle school library-media specialist is collaborating with a sixth-grade teacher on a learner research project about world communities. The class includes 25 learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. About half of the learners are English language learners who have achieved intermediate proficiency in spoken English as well as in English reading and writing. The culmination of the research project will be a culture fair for families and friends where learners will present their research through displays and oral presentations.

Learners in the class are familiar with the library and its resources, which includes a number of resources in learners' home languages. Learners know how to locate literature and informational resources and how to access many online sources. Many of them make frequent use of the translation feature on the library computers. In the class's visit to the library to begin their projects, the specialist will focus instruction on using the library's varied reference materials.

Exhibit 2: Learner Data

Learner Reading Levels

a table displaying the percentile rankings of learner reading levels
Percentile Number of Learners
less than25 4
25to90 19
greater than90 2

Exhibit 3: Learner Assignment

 start bold Topic: World Communities end bold 

 start bold Assignment Requirements end bold 

Each learner will select a country to research.

Learners will use reference resources to create a map showing the major cities and geographical features of the country.

Learners will take notes and write a short report about the country, including information about the country's:

  • arts
  • food
  • clothing
  • language(s)
  • religion(s)

Learners will create a display showcasing what they have learned about the country and prepare a short oral presentation.

Sample Strong Response to the Constructed-Response Assignment

 start bold The sample response provided below is for review purposes only and should not be used in a response on an operational exam. Use of the exact words and phrases presented in this sample response will result in a score of "U" (Unscorable) due to lack of original work. end bold 

There are a variety of information literacy skills that a school library-media specialist should teach a class of sixth graders to help them complete an assignment on world communities. However, one of the most critical skills to provide instruction on is information synthesis and analysis. Because the learners will be writing a "report about the country" of their choosing and preparing a "short oral presentation," it is vital that the learners be able to collect, synthesize, and ultimately analyze the information they find. Although the class already possesses some information literacy skills and experience using library materials, "about half of the learners are English language learners," and about 15 percent have lower-than-average reading levels. Therefore, information synthesis and analysis may be challenging for some learners and require special attention from the library-media specialist.

One effective method of teaching information synthesis and analysis is through practice exercises. The instructor would prepare short paragraphs of information that the learners would read and take brief notes on. To engage the learners' curiosity, the instructor would choose topics that are likely to interest the learners, such as the use of makeup in Ancient Egypt or the history of vampire myths. After the learners read three of these paragraphs, they would write a short synopsis of the information they found in the texts. The learners would then share their findings with a classmate or small group and compare the results. This activity would encourage learners to analyze and interpret information and learn how to do so from other learners in the class in a low-pressure environment. This activity promotes information synthesis and analysis skills because it allows the learners to collect, synthesize, and analyze information in real time. If learners need help with this, they can ask the instructor or their peers.

If the instructor finds the initial activity challenging for some learners, they may want to engage the learners differently. One way to differentiate instruction for these information literacy skills to "maximize participation of all learners" is to gamify the research process. This can be done in any manner of ways, but one method is to have learners interview one another and then synthesize and analyze the information they gather from the interviews. Interviewers would feel more comfortable obtaining information through conversation and discussion rather than from dry or challenging text, and interviewees can provide information with little stress. If necessary, learners may conduct interviews in their home language if the interviewee also speaks the language. Once the information is gathered and synthesized, interviewers can present their findings to the class for analysis. Interviewees would also present a fictional version of the results, and classmates would guess which version was accurate. The goal of both methods is to teach learners how to collect, synthesize, and analyze information, but the gamified version of the activities may be helpful for learners who have challenges with reading comprehension or writing in English.

To assess learners' understanding of synthesizing and analyzing information, the library-media specialist can give learners a short assignment to synthesize and analyze a particular text. Learners would email the instructor their assignments, and the instructor could indicate whether the learners fully understood the target information literacy skills. In addition, the instructor can follow up with learners one-on-one who may have had challenges with or failed to submit the assignment to the library-media specialist.

Rationale for the Sample Strong Response

Please note that the response is evaluated based upon the four performance characteristics of Purpose, Subject Matter Knowledge, Support, and Rationale. Please also note how the score point descriptions are based upon how the examinee attends to the performance characteristics. You should be very familiar with the CEOE performance characteristics and score scale and refer to them when reviewing this rationale.

The response generally achieves the purpose of the assignment as it addresses all bullets of the prompt. The response reflects a general knowledge and understanding of the subject matter as is demonstrated in the following sentence: "Because the learners will be writing a 'report about the country' of their choosing and preparing a 'short oral presentation,' it is vital that the learners be able to collect, synthesize, and ultimately analyze the information they find." The response shows the candidate was familiar with the prompt, analyzed the exhibits, and used the exhibits to accurately answer the charge of the prompt. In addition, the response provides accurate supporting details. One detailed example is: "The learners would then share their findings with a classmate or small group and compare the results. This activity would encourage learners to analyze and interpret information and learn how to do so from other learners in the class in a low-pressure environment. This activity promotes information synthesis and analysis skills because it allows the learners to collect, synthesize, and analyze information in real time." This example is packed with specifics, which demonstrates a strong degree of understanding of the subject matter. Overall, the response reflects a generally accurate and generally appropriate application of the subject matter of library-media specialists.

Sample Weak Response to the Constructed-Response Assignment

It is vital that the learners acquire information literacy skills during their education. These skills can be taught by librarians, teachers, parents, or even other learners. School library staff must be prepared to teach these skills to learners in need.

One skill that learners writing reports may need is information retrieval. Learners will need to be able to look things up in books, magazines, and online. Learners may need to use databases, such as those held by libraries and archives, or simply use an online search engine. Though popular free online encyclopedias are generally not considered a sound source of information, learners should still be able to look things up in this way if there are no other options.

One way to teach this skill is having learners look up things online. If there is an instructor or library staff in the room, they can help. Learners may feel overwhelmed by the possibilities, but they will need to practice searching for information so that they might familiarize themselves with the process. If learners cannot find information online, they may want to look in a local library instead. This may help engage learners with different information literacy abilities. Learners who feel uncomfortable using English language services may also want to search in their preferred language.

To assess learners, library staff should conduct multiple-choice tests and ask learners how well they think they did. If learners feel comfortable with their abilities to find and access information, they will be able to complete their projects with little issue. If learners feel unsure about their success, instructors and library staff should encourage them to practice their search skills more diligently. All learners can benefit from acquiring information literacy skills. These skills can be used to write papers, answer everyday questions, or interrogate online media. Learners will only need to use these skills more and more as they grow older. So, it is important to start now.

Rationale for the Sample Weak Response

Please note that the response is evaluated based upon the four performance characteristics of Purpose, Subject Matter Knowledge, Support, and Rationale. Please also note how the score point descriptions are based upon how the examinee attends to the performance characteristics. You should be very familiar with the CEOE performance characteristics and score scale and refer to them when reviewing this rationale.

The response partially achieves the purpose of the assignment as it does address each of the bullets of the prompt; however, there is limited use of subject matter knowledge or support included. The response reflects partial knowledge and understanding of the subject matter as shown in the following: "One way to teach this skill is by having learners look up things online. If there is an instructor or library staff in the room, they can help. Learners may feel overwhelmed by the possibilities, but they will need to practice searching for information so that they might familiarize themselves with the process." This example shows a lack of depth and does not give a well-reasoned answer to the prompt. The given example is vague at best and does not provide any substantive examples to show an accurate understanding of library-media science. The response shows a partial and shallow application of subject matter knowledge in the execution of the lesson plan and provides few alternatives for engaging (all) learners. The response provides weak supporting details; for example, "If learners feel unsure about their success, instructors and library staff should encourage them to practice their search skills more diligently." This example is vague, leaving the reader wondering, "How will the library staff encourage learners? What additional practice will be provided?" Overall, the response reflects a partial and limited application of the subject matter of library-media science.

Performance Characteristics

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the constructed-response assignment.

Characteristics that guide the scoring of responses
Purpose The extent to which the response achieves the purpose of the assignment
Subject Matter Knowledge The accuracy and appropriateness in the application of subject matter knowledge
Support The quality and relevance of supporting details
Rationale The soundness of argument and degree of understanding of the subject matter

Scoring Scale

Scores will be assigned to each response to the constructed-response assignment according to the following scoring scale.

Score Scale with description for each score point.
Score Point Score Point Description
4  start bold The "4" response reflects a thorough knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is fully achieved.
  • There is a substantial, accurate, and appropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is sound; there are high-quality, relevant examples.
  • The response reflects an ably reasoned, comprehensive understanding of the topic.
3  start bold The "3" response reflects a general knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is largely achieved.
  • There is a generally accurate and appropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence generally supports the discussion; there are some relevant examples.
  • The response reflects a general understanding of the topic.
2  start bold The "2" response reflects a partial knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is partially achieved.
  • There is a limited, possibly inaccurate or inappropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is limited; there are few relevant examples.
  • The response reflects a limited, poorly reasoned understanding of the topic.
1  start bold The "1" response reflects little or no knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is not achieved.
  • There is little or no appropriate or accurate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence, if present, is weak; there are few or no relevant examples.
  • The response reflects little or no reasoning about or understanding of the topic.
U The response is unscorable because it is illegible, not written to the assigned topic, written in a language other than English, or lacking a sufficient amount of original work to score.
B There is no response to the assignment.