So, we are at the end of our 3rd quarter, and my students have been doing performance assessments all week - nothing major, just scales, rhtyhms, and one-line exercises. I spent a great deal of time studying various assessment methods, and ways to make performance assessments more effective while working on my thesis. Here are some things that I came up with that help me and my students:
- Make sure your assessment has a specific goal. For the first few years, I would tell them to play a certain line from their book, and it had to be perfect. Well, what is perfect? Instead, identify exactly what you are assessing. Today, my beginners were playing an exercise that demonstrated dotted-quater not rhythms. Some of them added or forgot a slur or two, but the rest of it was technically correct. They passed, because I was assessing their ability to play that particular note duration. When I first started this, I was skeptical, because I thought the result would be a lower quality of performance. The result was the opposite: my students were much more careful about the skills being assessed, and it significantly improved their performance in class.
- I always make sure my students know exactly how they will be assessed. I play them audio examples of playing tests, and show them exactly how it will be graded. Then, I let them grade some examples, until the entire class can tell the difference between a passing example and a non-passing example.
- All of my performance assessment are pass/fail. I do not give different grades or numerical grades. If they correctly demonstrate the desired skill, the pass, if not, they fail. This makes if more clear-cut for them and their parents. It is much easier to explain that a child either failed or passed a specific skill, than explain the difference between a B and a C on a playing test.
- Finally - make expectations as clear as possible. I always notify parents when various assessments are due, and exactly what needs to be played. When parents know, the kids seem to be better prepared!
Do you have any tips or suggestions? Please leave comments!
