It’s easy to assume that because a concept has been taught, students understand. How do you know if students grasp what is presented?

Meredith Higgins says, “It’s important to grade on behavior and participation, but it has defined the music classroom for too long. Teachers need to focus more on concrete grading such as performance (in class, group, individual, concerts, etc.), writing, and reading. At the elementary level it is difficult because students are still discovering beat, rhythm, their singing voices, and music as a creative art form. However, when introducing singing, reading, and writing, we should create rubrics to show parents what skills we are developing instead of just ‘Wow, the concert was so cute this year!’ Behavior and participation should be no more than 30% of the final grade, and the other 70% should be based on playing, singing, reading, writing, and movement activity rubrics.”

Here are two ways to assess students' progress:

Formal evaluation.

• Regular quizzes and written tests. “It’s easier for students to follow along with someone else’s sight-singing or rhythm reading than to learn how to do it themselves,” says an MENC member in MENC's publication Teacher to Teacher: A Music Educator's Survival Guide.
• Keep track of students’ progress in writing and show students the results. Students need to be informed of ways they can improve.
• Use a tape recorder to assess students’ ability and progress.

Informal evaluation.

• Listen and observe carefully. Adjust lesson plans to improve weak areas.
• Give feedback on their progress after defining what they need to achieve.
• Allow students to evaluate themselves and others. For example, Carol Rickel asks her 9th grade chorus class to sing like elementary, Junior High, High School, and Professional singers. Students are asked to evaluate each sound and choose the best sound quality.
• Divide students into groups to work on an assignment or project that they will perform for the class. Have their peers evaluate the performance or presentation.
   

How do you assess your student’s progress? Write Shauna Leavitt to share your experiences or post your comments on the Future Teachers forum.

Reference

Teacher to Teacher, A Music Educator’s Survival Guide (2001). Reston, VA: MENC.

MENC Member Carol Rickel is the High School Chorus teacher at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona.

MENC Member Meredith Higgins teaches music to elementary students at the International School of Trieste in Italy.

--Shauna Leavitt, October 29, 2008, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education