The relationship between school library media programs and student achievement on standardized reading tests in Utah

The purpose of this study was to identify specific associations between selected variables of Utah school library media programs and student standardized reading scores, while controlling for free and reduced school lunch participation rates. The variables included: (a) the school library media specialists' involvement with student, faculty, and administrators; (b) funding; (c) technology used in the school library program; and (d) the presence of a certified school library media specialist.; A review of the literature described the role of the school library media specialist and research that indicates a link to student achievement in reading. Issues involving standardized testing to measure student achievement were also addressed.; Survey research using an instrument adapted from the Second Colorado Study done by Lance, Rodney, and Hamilton-Pennell in 2000 was used to collect responses from Utah public school principals or staff currently working in school libraries. Partial correlation coefficients were computed for each selected variable while controlling for community differences using free and reduced school lunch participation rates.; The data suggest statistically significant relationships between student reading scores on the SAT-9 reading test and several variables of the school library media program. First, the number of hours per week spent by the school library media specialist managing computer networks/automation was found to have a moderately negative relationship (r = −.523) with SAT-9 reading scores at the eighth-grade level. Second, average copyright dates for non-fiction book collections at the 11th-grade level exhibited a strong association (r = .902) with student SAT-9 scores in reading. Copyright dates at the third-grade level for video collections also showed a significant relationship (r = .463). Third, four of the eight variables involving technology used in school library media programs at the 11th-grade level were statistically significant and two variables were significant at the eighth grade level. Fourth, the presence of a certified school library media specialist was not found to be correlated to student scores on the SAT-9 reading test. Finally, socio-economic status, as measured by free and reduced school lunch participation rates, was found to have a strong, significant relationship at the third- ( r = −.813), eighth- (r = −.790), and 11th- (r = −.711) grade levels with reading scores on the SAT-9.