From Curiosity to Mastery: Building Learner Competency Across Grade Levels with the AASL Standards

Authors

• Stephanie Charlefour
• Ashley Cooksey, Arkansas Tech UniversityFollow
• Amanda Hunt

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2025

Department

Teaching & Educational Leadership

Abstract

The article focuses on the role of school librarians in fostering learner competency across grade levels using the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards. It emphasizes the importance of developing lifelong learning skills through a structured framework that includes six Shared Foundations: Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage. The article outlines how librarians can support students from early elementary through high school by progressively building research literacy, critical thinking, and ethical information use. It advocates for intentional vertical alignment of skills and reflective assessments to ensure that learners grow in independence and complexity throughout their educational journey.

First Page

42

Last Page

44

Publication Title

Knowledge Quest

Publisher

American Association of School Librarians

Recommended Citation

Charlefour, Stephanie; Cooksey, Ashley; and Hunt, Amanda, "From Curiosity to Mastery: Building Learner Competency Across Grade Levels with the AASL Standards" (2025). Faculty Publications - Teaching and Educational Leadership. 65.
https://orc.library.atu.edu/faculty_pub_lead/65