ABOUT TRAILS
About the Assessment
TRAILS is a knowledge assessment with multiple-choice questions targeting a variety of information literacy skills based on sixth and ninth grade standards. The assessment items are based on Ohio Academic Content Standards and the American Association of School Librarians' Information Power.
The Web-based system was developed to provide an easily accessible and flexible tool for library media specialists and teachers to identify strengths and weaknesses in the information-seeking skills of their students. It is made available at no cost to users.
More about the assessment
View sample items
About Your Privacy
Ensuring privacy of participants was a key objective in the design of TRAILS. Privacy assurances for students, library media specialists, and schools are in place.
Details about privacy assurances
About the Project
TRAILS is a project of Kent State University Libraries, envisioned as a tool that would provide a snapshot of high school students’ understanding of basic information literacy concepts. University Libraries is committed to information literacy development in its students as well to outreach to high school students and their librarians.
Support for TRAILS initially was provided through the University Libraries’ grant partnership with the Institute for Library and Information Literacy Education (ILILE), which was a Federally funded initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the U.S. Department of Education. ILILE was established to provide local, regional, and national leadership in fostering successful collaboration among K-12 teachers and library media specialists who are concerned with advancing library and information literacy in the K-12 school curriculum. Grant partners at Kent State University include the College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services; the School of Library and Information Science; and University Libraries.
Development on the 9th grade version of TRAILS began in 2004, and it was made publicly available in 2006. This was followed by the creation of a 6th grade tool which went live in 2008. Since its inception and by Fall 2009, TRAILS has been used by over 7,600 librarians throughout the United States and 30+ countries and administered to more than 211,000 students.
About the Project Team
Barbara F. Schloman, Ph.D., Project Director; ILILE board member; Associate Dean, Kent State University Libraries
Julie Gedeon, Ph.D., Coordinator of Assessment, Kent State University Libraries
Jennifer Schwelik, Project Manager
David L Bird, Software Engineer
Other Contributions and Acknowledgments