1. Model Cornerstone Assessments in Policy & Practice—Part II Benchmarking student work using the Model Cornerstone Assessment SEADAE Arts Assessment Symposium Grapevine, Texas November 12, 2016

2. Susan McGreevy-Nichols
Executive Director
National Dance Education Association
NCCAS leadership
Jim Palmarini
Director of Educational Policy
Educational Theatre Association NCCAS leadership

3. Pam Paulson Deputy Director
Perpich Center for Arts Education
NCCAS Media Arts Committee Co-Chair
Dr. F. Robert Sabol
Past President
National Arts Education Association
NCCAS Visual Arts Development Chair
Dr. Scott C. Shuler Past President
National Association for Music Education
NCCAS leadership

4. Lynn Tuttle
Director of Content and Policy
National Association for Music Education
NCCAS leadership
Cory Wilkerson
Project Manager National Coalition for Core Arts Standards State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education

5. “Model Cornerstone Assessments in Policy & Practice” is a four-part presentation—here’s a little bit about what preceded this session

6. Our session
An overview of the Model Cornerstone Assessment Benchmarking process
Benchmarking exercises in Media Arts and Theatre

7. Which looks like this in the formal template that the NCCAS coalition adopted You’ll notice that everything is checked but Benchmarked student work. That’s because none of the lessons put forth in these assessments had been benchmarked when they were written.

8. Benchmarked student work includes student performance artifacts that have been scored, based on a given rubric, at or above standard.
In 2014, NCCAS was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant for a pilot project that would collect, vet, and publish online student work samples that demonstrated what standards-based learning in the arts looks and sounds like. Using the new National Core Arts Standards’ embedded Model Cornerstone Assessments, we asked teacher to put the sample assessments “on their feet” in classrooms throughout the country with students in grades 2, 5, and 8 and gather benchmarks of student work through a variety of media.

9. In 2014, NCCAS was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant for a pilot project that would collect, vet, and publish online student work samples that demonstrated what standards-based learning in the arts looks and sounds like. Using the new National Core Arts Standards’ embedded Model Cornerstone Assessments, we asked teacher to put the sample assessments “on their feet” in classrooms throughout the country with students in grades 2, 5, and 8 and gather benchmarks of student work through a variety of media.

10. In the MCA Project:
MCA samples of student work in grades 2, 5, and 8 and three levels of High School were gathered by teams of educators in the five arts areas
Five expert adjudicators, working virtually, helped determine the selection samples for further review.
The adjudicators convened and reviewed the samples, agreeing on those they assessed at or above standard demonstrations of the MCA tasks.
Benchmarked student work samples will be available on the Standards website .

11. Why benchmarks for arts learning?
Why benchmark student learning in the arts? The Model Cornerstone Assessments were designed to be relevant to student learning and to yield proof of student achievement. We want to find out how well they do those things, by creating and sharing a body of evidence that demonstrates what student learning in the arts, again, looks and sound like--through audio, video, visual arts and performance portfolios.

12. An MCA benchmarking exercise in Media Arts and Theatre
So, now that you’re all benchmarking experts, I thought we would try an assessment scoring exercise: the best way to understand the MCA strategy behind measuring student outcomes is to try it yourself, so that’s what we’re going to do for a few minutes. For those of you who do participate, their will be no assessment of your assessments.
Our handouts consist of these four pages that were going to take a closer look in a second, but first let’s look at the exercise steps page you also recieved.

13. Five steps of benchmarking
Review the MCA lesson and rubric.
Review the sample portfolio evidence
Record your score
Share and discuss your scores with the group.
Decide: is there agreement on what level the student performed the task?
Here’s it is in six steps.

14. Some things to remember when benchmarking

15. Consider only the evidence—the work that you see or hear—to score as objectively as possible

16. Always return to the rubric as your measuring stick
Always return to the rubric as your measuring stick. Keep checking it against what you see and hear or hear.

17. Look for specific evidence that will justify your scoring choices.

18. Score independently but work as a team
After scoring work independently, come together as a team to determine if a student work meets “standard” through a discussion of the student’s work samples .

19. Be ready to explain why you scored as you did

20. Your handouts for Media Arts
Sheet 1: The 5th grade MCA task and rubric with aligned standards and key traits (“look fors”)
Sheet 2: Our five benchmarking steps
Sheet 3: The student script and reflections.

21. Media Arts—5th grade MCA: Moving Image – Media Literacy mash up
Students will produce a 1-minute documentary video that compares and contrasts the form and content of a selected documentary or news segment (informational) with a 30-second commercial (persuasion) on a related topic by editing together images, sound and movement selections from each and adding their own interpretive text and narration.
This describes the task.

22. Media Arts 5th grade rubric—page 1
Here is the rubric- page 1

23. Media Arts 5th grade rubric—page 1
And page 2.

24. Media Arts 5th grade sample: student script
This is part of the evidence of student learning submitted- the student planning documents.

25. 5th Grade Media Arts Sample: Student Reflections
Two students worked together to create the video. Each student was scored on their collaborative script, collaborative video, and individual reflection of learning.

26. Media Arts 5th grade sample: student mash-up video
The video may be found under the “View Student Work Tab” at Here is the direct link to the video on vimeo.

27. Media arts benchmarking team share outs
Here’s it is in six steps. READ SLIDE

28. Your handouts for Theatre
Sheet 1: The high school Proficient-level MCA task and the rubric, with aligned standards and key traits
Sheet 2: The student reflection

29. Theatre—high school Proficient-level MCA:
Character-based improvisation
Assess a character's wants, needs, objectives, and how they inform personality characteristics. Students will choose a character from a suggested genre (fairy tale, nursery rhyme, or other literary source) with which they are familiar and complete the Character Analysis Worksheet. All students will then be given the same set of scene parameters that includes a place, situation and clearly-defined obstacle to overcome. Working with an assigned partner, students will improvise and perform a three-minute scene in character, revealing as much of the information from the worksheet as possible. They will then revise the scene based on oral or written teacher/peer feedback and personal reflection, and perform it again.
This describes the task.

30. Theatre high school Proficient MCA rubric
Here is the rubric.

31. High school Proficient-level Theatre sample: student reflection
And student reflections

32. Theatre high school Proficient sample:
video
Here is the direct link to the video. We will be scoring the young woman’s performance.

33. Theatre benchmarking team share outs
Here’s it is in six steps. READ SLIDE

34. Q&A on our MCA exercises
1. What have you learned about benchmarking? 2. What have you learned about benchmarking standards-based arts work? 3. What new questions do you have about benchmarking?