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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (202 4)
HOUSE BILL 4137 By: Swope
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to schools; defining term; directing
the State Board of Education to adopt information
literacy subject matter standards; providing minimum
requirements for standards; requiring school
districts to incorporate instruction on standards;
mandating school librarian be included in curriculum
development; directing the State Depa rtment of
Education to convene a committee to develop
standards; prescribing qualifications of certain
committee members; requiring review of developed
standards by experts; mandating public hearings in
three regions of the stat e to allow for public
comment; providing for codification; providin g an
effective date; and declaring an emergency .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 11-103.6q of Title 70, unless
there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. As used in this section, "information literacy " means a set
of skills that enables an individual to recognize when information
is needed and to locate, evaluate, and use effectively th e needed
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information. Information literacy includes, but is not limited to,
digital, visual, media, textual, and technological literacy.
B. The State Board of Education shall adopt subject matter
standards in information literacy. The information literacy
standards shall include, at a minimum:
1. The research process and how information is created and
produced;
2. Critical thinking and using information resources;
3. Research methods, including the difference between primary
and secondary sources;
4. The difference between facts, points o f view, and opinions;
5. Accessing peer-reviewed print and digital library resources;
6. The economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use
of information; and
7. The ethical production of information.
C. Each school district shall incorporate instruction on
information literacy in an appropriate place in the curriculum of
students in grades kindergarten through twelve. The school
librarian or library media specialist shall be included in the
development of information literacy curriculum whenever possible.
D. The State Department of Educat ion shall convene a committee
comprised of educators, the majority of which shall include
certified school librarians or library media specialists, as well as
teaching staff members across a broad spectrum of subject areas, to
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develop information literacy standards that conform with the
requirements of subsection B of this section . The committee shall
engage experts to review the standards it develops.
E. Prior to adopting information literacy standards, the State
Board of Education shall conduct at least one public hearing in the
northern part of the state, at least one public hearing in the
central part of the state, and at least one public hearing in the
southern part of the state for the purpose of permitting the public
to comment on the rigor, clarity, and reasonableness of the
standards developed by the committee.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2024.
SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof thi s act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
59-2-8525 EK 01/04/24