Award Name: School Library Certification Program Student Award

Description of Award :
The SLCP Student Award is made to the outstanding SLCP student who exemplifies professional promise based on academic achievement and faculty nomination graduating in a three-term period.

Timing of Award:
The student is selected annually during the first week of April.

Announcement of Award:
The award is announced at the Annual Conference of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA)--both at the PSLA ceremony honoring the Outstanding Student Library Award Winners from each academic program in the state and at the SIS Alumni Reception. The Award is presented at the SIS Recognition Ceremony before University Commencement at end of April.

The recipient and four other finalists are honored at the SIS Recognition Ceremony and the SLCP Dinner honoring graduates and award winners in April.

PSLA Award:
The SLCP Award winner is designated the University of Pittsburgh’s Outstanding Student Librarian and receives the award at the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association’s Annual Conference in April.

After graduation, the winner and finalists are appointed to positions on the Advisory Group of Recent Alumni (AGORA). The winner is honored at the next year’s University Honors Day Convocation at the end of February.

Eligibility for SLCP Student Award:

1. PDE Certification in Library Science, K-12:
   Student will be eligible to be recommended for Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Certification in Library Science, K-12, through completion of the requirements of the SLCP Endorsement or Intern options.
2. Enrollment Status:
   Student is full-time or part-time in the SLCP and will graduate in December 2005 or who has completed at least 12 credits and will graduate in April 2006, June 2006, or August 2006.
3. Grade Point Average :
   Student has earned a GPA of 3.75 or above.

Nomination Process:

The SLCP Director will:

• Identify a pool of eligible candidates who meet enrollment, PDE certification status requirements and GPA requirements.
• Present the pool of eligible candidates to SIS faculty members, full-time and adjunct, who have been instructors in SLCP courses and seek their nominations based on this rubric:
  1. Recommend based on academic achievement
  2. Highly recommend based on exemplary academic achievement.
• Ask Practicum supervisors if they wish to nominate their student (if eligible) based on practicum performance, based on this rubric:
  1. Recommend based on practicum performance.
  2. Highly recommend based on exemplary practicum performanc

Selection Process:

The SLCP Director will:

• Create a pool of nominated candidates ranked by score using rubrics used in the nomination process.
• Select as finalists those nominees with a score of at least 5 or with the top four scores.
• Appoint a SLCP Student Award Committee to interview finalists:
  • Sally Myers, (ex-officio as one of two overseers of SLCP Fund; non-voting except in case of tie)
  • Member of the Practitioners Advisory Group (PAG) who has been a PSLA Outstanding Student Librarian Award winner
  • Member of AGORA who has been a PSLA Outstanding Student Librarian Award winner
  • SIS full-time faculty member
• Notify the finalists and request they submit the following at the interview if they wish to be considered for award:
  • Essay on Pennsylvania Department of Education Standard Application
  • Professional Portfolio
• Provide finalists with questions to be asked during interview so that they can prepare answers in advance.

Interview Process:

• Each finalist answers questions during the interview—some given in advance; some asked spontaneously during the interview.
• During a fifteen-minute interview, committee members evaluate each finalist using these rubrics and weightings:
  
     Rubrics:
     0     Does not meet standard
     1     Meets standard
     2     Exceeds standard
     3     Exemplary

The finalist with the highest score based on the rubrics and weightings is selected as the award winner. The other finalists are presented with a cash award, and a certificate acknowledging their achievement.