1. Professional Learning Community American String Teachers Association 2014 National Conference March 7, 2014 Dottie Ladman & Rhonda Neely Lincoln Public Schools: Lincoln, Nebraska Creating Effective Assessments for Strings Professional Learning Community American String Teachers Association 2014 National Conference March 7, 2014 Dottie Ladman & Rhonda Neely Lincoln Public Schools: Lincoln, Nebraska Creating Effective Assessments for Strings

2. AGENDA

3. “Behind every PLC is a veteran teacher rolling his eyes.”

4. Profile

5. LPS Elementary String Program of instruments for rent or fee waiver elementary string students students per school elementary string teachers

6. LPS Elementary String Program Orchestras 4 th (some) 5 th (all) Orchestras 4 th (some) 5 th (all) Begin in 4 th Grade Small Group Instruction

7. School district size: nearly 38K students Socioeconomic populations between schools Pulling students for small group lessons Computerized classroom testing Differing class size/classroom space Time to reteach students Different teaching styles Challenges

8. Process

9. Establish Norms

10. Identify Essential Outcomes Note Names Posture/ Position Rhythm

11. Create Assessments D major scale No key signature Note Names/Fingerings (4 th grade beginners) Rhythm Counting Quarter notes Eighth notes Written Traditional counting

12. “Knowing what you want to accomplish is half the battle. The other half is the room full of fourth graders.”

13. Assessment Examples

14. Note Names and Fingerings (Beginners)

15. Note Names and Fingerings (Version #1) 1 st Try

16. Note Names and Fingerings (Version #2) 2011 Only All lines start with 4 quarter notes Additional measure for all rhythms taught Challenge: too long and confusing for some students

17. Note Names and Fingerings (Version #3) 2012 - 2014 Eliminated a measure Customized rhythm More manageable for beginners Teachers recording the playing tests

18. Scoring Sheet

19. Bowing Assessment New essential outcome based on ASTA curriculum New district-implemented data gathering process Committee created examples Group decision on selected assessment tool (2 nd Year)

20. Bowing Assessment - Scoring

21. Sharing Teaching Strategies and Best Practices

22. Note Name Fingering (Worksheet) One strip per week

23. Note Words Higher order thinking Analyze visually, mentally

24. Traditional Counting (Worksheet) Use after pretest

25. Rules for Counting (Worksheet)

26. Counting / Performance (Worksheet) New line each week at lessons Practice writing the counting, then playing

27. 5 th Grade Bowing Practice Same measures, different order

28. Measuring Results - Data

29. “The new data analysis software is here, Ms. Riggs. Could you send one of the third graders down to install it?”

30. # Students Avg Score Results: Fingering

31. # Students Avg Score Results: Note Names

32. Results: Individual Students Growth from pre-test to post-test

33. Results: Measuring Schools

34. Data Gathering in Google Docs

35. Thriving

36. “We need to choose somebody to plan a little celebration. Did anyone here go to a party school?”

37. “That’s who the principal thinks I am.”

38. PLC Positives

39. Our Team 15 Elementary String Specialists in Lincoln Public Schools Lincoln, NE

40. Group Activity: Scoring Assessments

41. Group Activity

42. Resources

43. Website wp.lps.org/rneely/

44. Dottie Ladman – dladman@lps.org Rhonda Neely – rneely@lps.org ASTA Curriculum Guide Cartoons from The PLC at Work Cartoon Book by Martha F. Campbell Essential Elements 2000 for Strings. Allen, M., Gillespie, R., and Tellejohn Hayes, P. Renee Alexander, Alexander & Associates, dnralex@gmail.com -- PowerPoint designer dnralex@gmail.com Resources

45. Dr. Jane Stavem Associate Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Jadi Miller Director of Curriculum and Professional Development Dr. Raymond Lowther Supervisor of Music LPS Administration