Assessing With the End in Mind Outcome-Based Assessment Made Easy for the Elementary Band Class Kristen Myers, Prairie Valley School Division

Introduction Why am I interested in this topic?

Inquiry Questions: o How can we use the curriculum outcomes and indicators in planning for instruction and assessment? o What can we do to better align our assessment and grading practices with the curriculum outcomes?

What is it that we are talking about? Assessment For/as/of learning Formative, summative Assessment: Appraising, evaluating, providing feedback “Grading”: Converting assessments into marks Reporting:Communicating to students and parents

From Damian Cooper, “Talk About Assessment”, pg. 8

Good news! Band teachers are GREAT at assessment!

We already… Constantly listen, assess, and provide feedback Have students assess own and others’ work Use a variety of performance assessments

Inquiry Questions: o How can we use the curriculum outcomes and indicators in planning for instruction and assessment? o What can we do to better align our assessment and grading practices with the curriculum outcomes?

. From “Grading for Musical Excellence: Making Music an Essential Part of Your Grades”, Paul Kimpton and Ann Kimpton, pg. 25.

Marks and grades must reflect actual student performance based on publicly-available criterion-referenced standards, not artificially determined distributions. Ken O’Connor, “How to Grade for Learning”, pg. 70 Performance standards are an essential component of effective assessment. In a standards-based system they must be criterion- referenced (absolute), not norm-referenced (relative). Damian Cooper, “Talk About Assessment”, pg. 7

From “Understanding by Design”, Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe, pg.151

Why is this important in band? Teaching “the piece” (Activity Designer) vs. Teaching musical skills and concepts through the piece (Assessor)  Transfer

. From “Assessing For Learning”, Violet H. Harada and Joan M. Yoshina, pg.148

How to reframe what we are already good at? It’s critical to note that [band] specialists can start with assessment tools they are already using (e.g. rubrics, checklists, rating scales) and, with minimal effort, refocus them… “Assessing for Learning”, Harada & Yoshina, pg.150

Inquiry Questions: o How can we use the curriculum outcomes and indicators in planning for instruction and assessment? o What can we do to better align our assessment and grading practices with the curriculum outcomes?

Reorganizing Grade Books Creating a Budget: Organize by method of payment? Or by category? Grades: By method of assessment? Or by category?

From Ken O’Connor, “How to Grade for Learning”, pg. 187

Inquiry Questions: o How can we use the curriculum outcomes and indicators in planning for instruction and assessment? (Backwards design) o What can we do to better align our assessment and grading practices with the curriculum outcomes? (Reorganize grade book)

Okay, but how do we do this in our classes and with our Saskatchewan curriculum?

Saskatchewan Curriculum Arts Education, Grades 5 – 9 Four strands (Music, Drama, Dance, Visual Art) Three essential learning areas (Creative/Productive, Cultural/Historical, Critical/Responsive) Music Strand: - CP outcomes - CH and CR shared with other strands

Grade 6 Music  CP6.7 Demonstrate increased skills and abilities in the use of voice and instruments.  CP6.8 Investigate and manipulate elements of music and principles of composition including repetition and variety.  CP6.9 Create sound compositions that explore relationships between music and identity (e.g., influencing factors such as pop culture, cultural heritage, peer groups, personal and family interests, gender).  CR6.1 Create personal responses to a variety of arts expressions (e.g., respond to music using poetry, or respond to visual art using music).  CR6.2 Investigate and identify ways that the arts can express ideas about identity.  CR6.3 Examine arts expressions and artists of various times and places.  CH6.1 Investigate how personal, cultural, or regional identity may be reflected in arts expressions.  CH6.2 Identify ways that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists express cultural identity in contemporary work.  CH6.3 Investigate arts expressions from a range of cultures and countries, and analyze how cultural identity is reflected in the work.

Grade 6 Music  CP6.7 Demonstrate increased skills and abilities in the use of voice and instruments.  CP6.8 Investigate and manipulate elements of music and principles of composition including repetition and variety.  CP6.9 Create sound compositions that explore relationships between music and identity (e.g., influencing factors such as pop culture, cultural heritage, peer groups, personal and family interests, gender).  CR6.1 Create personal responses to a variety of arts expressions (e.g., respond to music using poetry, or respond to visual art using music).  CR6.2 Investigate and identify ways that the arts can express ideas about identity.  CR6.3 Examine arts expressions and artists of various times and places.  CH6.1 Investigate how personal, cultural, or regional identity may be reflected in arts expressions.  CH6.2 Identify ways that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists express cultural identity in contemporary work.  CH6.3 Investigate arts expressions from a range of cultures and countries, and analyze how cultural identity is reflected in the work.

Are all strands and outcomes “equal”?  Fluid  Changes over time, each semester, each grade level  Some things are done a little bit every day (dishes), other things are done more in-depth but less frequently (wash floors). Do we have to teach the whole curriculum? (Yes) Are the outcomes and strands intended to be given equal time and weight, at any given point in time? (No)

Ministry 5-9 Band Support Document (forthcoming)  Ties what we do in band class to music outcomes  Provides suggestions for teaching the more “challenging” outcomes through band  Outlines a progression of indicators, Level I to IV

PVSD Grade 6 Rubric

AAL Student-Developed Rubric (or, Show me where that is in the curriculum?)

Rubrics Developed collaboratively Can be used as a tool in many scenarios: Formative Summative Interview discussion guide Progress report Playing test Self evaluation Pre and post assessment to inform instruction – show progress

Practice Records… one idea Students are assessing own playing and practice techniques Curriculum indicator Metacognitive Should be worded in more student-friendly language What outcomes are students achieving through practicing?

Other Ideas  Composition: Play it twice the same way  Checklists – one or two students per day  Self evaluation  Exit slips  Written reflection  Learning goals on board  “What made sense today?”

If you can have input into a progress report or report card…  “Chunk” outcomes together  Student and parent friendly language (curriculum is for professionals)  “I” statements  All outcomes need to be taught and assessed; not all outcomes need to be reported.  Outcome-based achievement: grades. Habits and attitudes: anecdotal.  Make your own version/progress reports to attach if needed.

Inquiry Questions: How can we use the curriculum outcomes and indicators in planning for instruction and assessment?  Backward design  Think like assessors instead of activity designers  What musical skills and concepts are we teaching through the piece?  Band-specific indicators: support document, and/or make up your own! (With colleagues and/or students)  Communicate with students about learning goals  Find ways to teach the “challenging” outcomes (perhaps less frequently, but still in-depth)  All outcomes are not created equal

Inquiry Questions: What can we do to better align our assessment and grading practices with the curriculum outcomes?  Reorganize our grade books by learning outcome (like a budget)  Grades are achievement and outcome-based (habits and attitudes in comments)  What skill or concept are we actually assessing?  Converting assessments to grades: weighting is an exercise in professional judgment, and changes over time

Questions? / Discussion

Sources Cooper, Damian Talk About Assessment: High School Strategies and Tools. Toronto: Nelson Education. Harada, Violet H. & Joan M. Yoshina Assessing For Learning: Librarians and Teachers as Partners. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Kimpton, Paul & Ann Kimpton Grading for Musical Excellence: Making Music as Essential Part of Your Grades. Chicago: GIA Publications. O’Connor, Ken How To Grade For Learning: Linking Grades to Standards. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press. Wiggins, Grant & Jay McTigue Understanding by Design. Alexandria: ASCD.