Music Teacher Evaluation Colleen Conway, University of Michigan Phillip Hash, Calvin College Wendee Wolf-Schlarf, Traverse City Public Schools

Introduction Goals for the Day/Preaching to the Choir What is unique to Music Teacher Evaluation (MTE)? MMEA Survey/Voices of Music Teachers

Session Overview Conway Music Curriculum and Assessment Who, What, How of MTE Challenges Hash Survey Results Resources for Music Assessment Wolf-Schlarf Traverse City Area Public Schools Music Teacher Evaluation System Conway Context Specific Questions and Challenges

Music Curriculum and Assessment Students in music classes need to be actively engaged in musical activities including moving, chanting, singing, playing instruments, reading, improvising, composing, and listening to music. This notion of musicianship is different from simply the ability to sing or play an instrument well. Good musicians have sensitivity to music, the ability to respond both tonally and rhythmically, and the ability to perform, compose, and improvise with and without musical notation. Musicianship Moving Chanting Singing Playing instruments Reading Improvising Composing Listening Sensitivity Aural skills Perform, compose, and improvise with/with out notation

Music Curriculum and Assessment -Need for vertical alignment of P-12 music curriculum -Measurement of musical skills versus cognitive skills -Skills development over time (fine motor, etc.) -Resource issues

MTE-Who? Only trained music specialists should evaluate music instruction and curricular materials (items such as recordings, written assessments, compositions, analytical reflections, etc.) used as part of a music teacher’s evaluation. These evaluators should have considerable and successful teaching experience. Other areas of a music teacher’s professional performance (promptness, ability to work with colleagues, communication with parents, dedication to the profession, etc.) may be better evaluated by a building administrator (PMEPD TE Position Statement)

MTE-What? Skills in tone, intonation, rhythm, technique and interpretation Music-making through singing, playing, moving, reading, composing, improvising, and listening

MTE-What Not? Teaching “effectiveness” should be evaluated on the basis of the delivery of the music curriculum as established by the local school district and not by some external stakeholder. Teachers should only be evaluated in areas in which they are highly qualified and certified. Student growth data from other disciplines (e.g., math, language arts, etc.) should not be used to evaluate the music educator. For those classes in which large ensemble performance (e.g., band, orchestra, and choir) is a primary part of the curriculum, group performance assessment should be taken into consideration but not as the sole criterion

MTE-How? It is imperative that evaluation parameters be established at the local level with input from all stakeholders. Locally constructed criteria, based on locally established curricula, will provide the most appropriate and effective means of gathering and analyzing student-growth data. Student assessments used as part of the teacher evaluation process should be consistent with recognized local, state, and/or national MUSIC standards. A fair and complete evaluation of the music teacher’s effectiveness should consider a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to the following criteria: the quality of the local curriculum, the quality of program offerings, the teacher’s service to the profession, the displayed musical growth of performance ensembles, engagement of students, and the strength of the program (as evidenced by successful performances by both ensembles and individual students). Scheduling, instructional time limits, staffing, class size, student/teacher ratio, instructional materials, and facilities, although they are outside the control of the teacher, can have a significant impact on student growth and should be carefully considered by the evaluator. (PMEPD, TE Statement)

MTE-How – Building Administrators Work with music educators at the beginning of each evaluation cycle to identify objective measures of student MUSICAL learning and develop a timeline for data collection that will be part of the evaluation system. Consider factors (e.g., scheduling and allotted instruction time, staffing and student/teacher ratios, materials, equipment, and facilities) that may impact student growth and achievement when evaluating teacher effectiveness. For additional information, see Opportunity-to-Learn Standards for Music Instruction (MENC, 1994) available at the National Association for Music Education website. Recognize the time these assessments and new approaches to instruction will require and, as needed, reconsider the number and types of performances presented by music programs (e.g., pep band, marching band, musical pit orchestra, elaborate concert performances, and other community service appearances). Become familiar with the Michigan Music Content Standards and Benchmarks (Michigan State Board of Education, 1998, see References for link) and local (district) music curricula. Refrain from using large-group and solo-ensemble festival ratings as part of teacher evaluation. (From Michigan Society for Music Teacher Education Teacher Evaluation Statement)

Challenges Music-Specific Expertise of Evaluators Group Versus Individual Assessments Grading versus Assessment in Elective Courses TIME Resources