4/8/11 - Reflections

Assessment is always an interesting subject, especially when one is working in a field that is somewhat subjective. Sure, there are many ways to objectively assess a student's progress: Is he/she practicing? Is the student articulating properly? Is the student playing with a well-supported, mature sound? But there are other areas in instrumental music education that aren't so easy to assess. For example, how would we go about assessing a student on composition or improvisation? Certainly there are standards and benchmarks to observe, but it would be difficult to implement a "grading" system. Now I know that not all assessment is grading. These terms are different, and mean different things. But so much of what comes out of the middle or high school instrumental setting has to do with some sort of formal, summative evaluation. I like the strategies mentioned both by Dr. Bauer on Monday, and in the readings. The readings presented many tools for assessment, as well as reasons for why one might want to use a particular instrument for assessment. I think the only way I will be able to know for sure what really seems to work in my particular situation is to give it time once I have a job teaching in the public schools. There I plan on assessing by trial and error. I will also heavily rely on student feedback. If a particular type of assessment seems to be helping kids, and they also agree that it is helpful, I will probably use it and continue to improve it throughout my career.

I think the more subjective the field, the more need we have to present students with rubrics. I like rubrics. I think they offer much more information to both teacher and student than just a checklist, or rating scale. In saying this, I'm not saying that checklists and rating scales don't have their place in the world - they do. But I am advocating for the use of more highly-detailed rubrics that can provide everyone with the maximum amount of information. Most importantly, this is probably one of the best tools to give students proper feedback. As a student, I always want to know why I got the rating or grade that I did. Younger students are the same way. If they received a lesser grade than they thought that they deserved, it is very helpful to have the reasons written down so the students can pay close attention to the areas on which they need to improve. Checklists and rating scales give far less information, and can cause confusion and even bitterness in some students. Some teachers give grades, but in doing so, fail to actually assess!!! This is when there is the greatest disconnect between the teacher and the student. The student is in the dark, and chances are that the teacher will forget why he or she gave the student the grade or rating they did, especially if they have many students with which to deal. I will try to always be up front with my students so that this type of situation never or rarely occurs. And I will try to use as many rubrics as possible. They are not hard to create, and they serve as an excellent instrument in authentic assessment.