Meaningful Assessment in the Music Classroom

1. Meaningful Assessment in the Music Classroom 2010 mmea conference Wednesday, January 27, 2010 2:45-4:30 pm Pre-conference session Dr. Carla maltas, assOC.prof. of music education University of central Missouri Steve Williams, fine arts consultant Mo dept. of elementary & secondary education

2. Essential Assessment Vocabulary Formative assessment – any assessment where the results are used to improve performance rather than for grading Examples – classroom feedback, private lessons Summative assessment – assessment where results are used to grade, mark, rank, rate, or place students (autopsy assessment) Examples – chair placement, quarter exams, juries Diagnostic Assessment – primarily used in the classroom setting to determine problems (error detection); followed by formative assessment

3. Essential Assessment Vocabulary Criterion referenced - all students judged against same standard Norm referenced – students compared to each other Reliability – a particular test is reliable if multiple judges come up with the same result Validity – a test is valid if it measures what it intends to. Including behavior, attendance, and late penalties leads to an invalid assessment of student skill or knowledge.

4. Purposes of assessment • Rate or rank students • If all we give are grades, all students care about are grades • Give parents feedback on their child’s performance • If we only give numbers/letters, we tell them very little about what the student actually knows or can do. • Provide feedback to instructors on their effectiveness • If test data is analyzed correctly • Provide feedback to students about their progress • Don’t punish kids for their practice – students must have opportunities to practice new material and need feedback during that process

5. Statewide Assessment Survey • Survey sent out through MMEA list-serve • 238 returned – 224 usable responses • 14 thrown out because they didn’t answer enough questions (they were skewing results) • Results were analyzed by DESE Assessment Section • Full results available on DESE website • URL at the end of this presentation

10. Assessing Musical Behaviors: The type of assessment must match the knowledge or skill 4 types of musical behaviors: Types of assessment Responding Creating Performing Listening Rubrics Playing tests Written tests Practice sheets Teacher Observation Portfolios Peer and Self-Assessment

11. Non-Musical Behaviors If grades are to truly represent student mastery of musical skills and knowledge, non-musical factors cannot be included. “No studies support the use of low grades as punishments. Instead of prompting greater effort, low grades more often cause students to withdraw from learning.” (p. 34) ---Guskey, Thomas and Jane Bailey (2001). Developing Grading and Reporting Systems for Student Learning. Corwin Press: Thousand Oaks, CA.

12. Musical Behaviors – Responding to Music Responding Best Assessment Students need to be able to speak about music using correct terminology. This is a perfect way to elicit higher order thinking skills from students. (This is in the Aesthetic Perceptions strand of the GLEs) Short constructed response Essay questions Less effective, but possible: Likert scales Multiple Choice

14. Making Teacher Observations Valid • Skill to be performed must have some criteria • Generally 2 to 3 steps, procedures, or components • Example: Singing Skills • While singing, the student demonstrates: • Good Posture • Adequate Breath Support • Proper Vocal Production • Focus on one aspect of quality at a time

15. Assessing Through Teacher Observation • While singing “Chicken on a Fencepost,” the student demonstrated the ability to: • Sing with good tone quality • Accurately perform eighth-note and sixteenth-note combinations • Sing with proper vocal production Find learning activities that address each objective to the left. Under the rhythm objective (the second one to the left), students will play the rhythm game “Blackout” which follows Create a checklist with student names to track each objective

16. Rhythms for “Chicken On A Fencepost”

20. Assessing Musical Behaviors - Performance • Best done with a checklist for skills or a rubric • State Festival Adjudication sheet is a rubric • Frequency – several times a quarter depending on how many students • Keep assessment valid – only include performance criteria • Cease penalizing students for late work, non-musical factors • Make assessment match objective • If objective is to use advanced technique, don’t include tone quality

21. Using Rubrics Edward Asmus (1999): Rubrics provide specific advantages when used to assess music performances. Adjudicators are provided with clear descriptors outlining graduated levels of performance achievement. Performers are provided with specific feedback concerning their performance and useful information needed to improve future performances.

22. 3 Features of a Useful Rubric • Evaluative Criteria: • Factors to be used when judging the quality of a student’s response • Quality Distinctions: • For each criterion, different levels of quality in a student’s work must be described • Application Strategy: • Users of the rubric are told whether a student’s response is to be judged using the evaluative criteria or on a criterion-by-criterion basis (holistic vs. analytic) • From Popham, W. James (2006). Mastering Assessment: A Self-Service System for Educators. Routledge: NY

23. A Rubric to Assess Rubrics Evaluative Criteria: • Significance. Is the skill being assessed a genuinely worthwhile one? • Evaluative Criteria.Have the rubric’s scoring criteria been selected so they are few in number, succinctly labeled, and instructionally addressable? • Quality Distinctions.Are degrees of excellence satisfactorily described for each of the rubric’s evaluative criteria? • Concise Clarity. Is the rubric presented in a sufficiently succinct and lucid manner so that it is likely to be used?

24. Is This Rubric Reliable or Valid?

25. Better Holistic Rubric for Scales 4 points – Required scales are performed smoothly and accurately as eighth notes, at a tempo of quarter note = 144 bpm 3 points – Required scales are performed smoothly and fairly accurately as eighth notes, at a tempo of quarter note = 120 bpm. Errors are present, but fewer than 1 per scale 2 points – Required scales are not performed smoothly, with multiple errors per scale 1 point – Key signatures for required scales are not known. Student is unable to complete scale without repeated corrections

26. Barriers to Assessment Survey results show that most teachers value assessment, but there are several factors that inhibit meaningful assessment.

28. Challenges to Assessing Large Groups Time and Number of Students Most music teachers see between 200-500 students per week. Elementary music teachers see their students one day a week for 50 minutes (MSIP minimum) Average class size should be around 25 students 25 students x 6 periods per day x 5 days = 450 students per week in most elementary settings

29. Assessing Large Numbers of Students Frequency vs. Impact FREQUENCY CONTENT

30. Frequency vs. Impact • The more frequently you assess, the less material you can include • Consider shorter, focused assignments • EX: Use prompts like “How can a composer use dynamics to create excitement?” • Short note-naming or rhythm counting worksheets • Assess what is important – creating, responding, and performing • Focus on one aspect of quality at a time

31. Assessable Moments Since music learning never really ceases, consider using “Assessable Moments” Pick a point in time when a particular skill is developing Determine where you think a student should be at that time (e.g., part-singing midyear of 5th grade) Evaluate student progress towards that skill Give credit for progress – we are never perfect Come back at a later time and re-assess that skill

34. “Students are time travelers. When they walk into a typical classroom they go back in time.” Heidi Hayes Jacobs Today’s kindergartners are the senior class of 2022!

35. The Efficacy of SmartMusic ® Assessment as a Teaching and Learning Tool “The data suggest that the SmartMusic ® assessment is an appropriate tool for student assessment, facilitating integration of teaching and learning components. Students initial impressions of SmartMusic ® assessment indicated motivation to use the program.” “SmartMusic ® positively affected music performance skills, especially in technically-oriented music passages.” --Doctoral dissertation, Michael William Buck, Dec. 2008

36. Benefits of Individualized Student Assessment Using Digital Recordings Students practice assignments as many times as they need until they get it right. Immediate formative feedback for the student Rapid-time teacher response with prescriptive feedback Audio example for parents Reduces assessment time by eliminating practice tapes Digitized accompaniments provide rhythmic and melodic assistance to students Eliminates fear of playing in class (even though students should still play for others in class)

38. Nottelmann Music of St. Louis is the nation’s ONLY full service SmartMusic Dealer! Offering SmartMusic Subscriptions and Mics On-site Staff Training For All Nottelmann Music/SmartMusic Customers Also offering on-site demos and consultation Staff Technology Specialist Ray Benton Is a Certified SmartMusic Clinician and a Music Educator of 30 years For more information on SmartMusic, visit the Nottelmann Music Booth at this conference Aisle C – 11&12

39. Announcing the 2010 Missouri SmartMusic/Finale Workshops Registration forms are available in the MakeMusic and Nottelmann Music booths, in the clinic sessions, or your may register online at Nottelmannmusic.com

40. 2010 Music Assessment Survey Complete results of the survey can be found on the DESE website at: www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/fa/presentations.html Or… www.dese.mo.gov Curriculum/Assessment (choose Curriculum) Fine Arts Music Presentations

41. Thank You! To Contact Carla: To Contact Steve: Dr. Carla Maltas, Ph.D. Department of Music University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO 64093 (660) 543-4160 maltas@ucmo.edu Steve Williams, M.Ed. Missouri Dept. of Education 205 Jefferson St. Jefferson City, MO 65102 (573) 751-2857 Steve.williams@dese.mo.gov