(handbook page 3)
Assessment in Middle School Music Classes
Choir, band, and orchestra classes have a common goal of developing independent musicians through the process of creating quality performances. While each ensemble has items that are specific to its area, the majority of the State and National Music Standards are the same for each. The music standards are:
Responding & Connecting: Listen, respond, and connect to a varied repertoire of music by reading, audiating, describing, interpreting, analyzing, & evaluating music and its elemental components, and expressing music through movement.
Performing & Creating: Perform a varied repertoire of music by singing or playing an instrument alone and with others, from rote memory, written notation, and improvisation with an understanding of history, culture, and other subjects.
Performing assessments may include placement tests, part checks, individual performing tests, skill assessments, sight reading evaluations, and formal performances at concerts and convocations. Concert performances are part of the Standards Based Assessments and are considered Summative Assessments--concerts are a REQUIRED part of the course. If a student is absent from a formal concert for any reason, they may be required to complete an alternate assignment or performance at the discretion of the ensemble director. Please see this year's choir Calendar for performance dates and times.
Creating, Responding and Connecting assessments may include quizzes, tests, written assignments, and projects.
ASSESSMENT RETAKES: Assessments are given to determine if a student has achieved mastery on a particular standard. Because content mastery is the goal, students may retake non-mastered assessments to demonstrate new learning or increased masteries. Students should contact Mr. Kistner or Mr. Lewis in order to schedule a time before or after school to retake any assessments. Students should be able to state specific steps they have taken to prepare for the retake. Although allowed in most cases, not every assessment will be eligible for a retake. Because of time constraints, re-takes will not be allowed within five days of the end of a grading period in most cases.
CANVAS, CHOIR WEBSITE, PARENTSQUARE: Canvas and this website are the two primary modes of communication between teachers, students, and parents. In Choir, Canvas is the principal means of distributing student assignments and taking many (but not all) written assessments. The ZWest choir website is a source of general information about choir including shirt order forms, the choir calendar, and choir policies. Students and parents may also utilize the ParentSquare app for choir updates and reminders.
MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADING PRACTICES: Without context or explanation, a grade is no more than a letter. Together with the academic standards, a grade is communication between the teacher, a student, and parents about the teacher’s professional judgment as to what each student knows and can do relative to those standards. Rather than issuing one overall grade into which all class activities are averaged, teachers will report progress on each of the standards listed above. Semester grades for each standard will be the result of teacher judgment based upon evidence gathered from a combination of measures of student performance over the semester. Teachers will be using mean, mode, and the student's most recent trend to determine progress towards the standard. Grades on all assignments will be reported using the traditional 4.0 scale where a 4 corresponds with an A, 3-B, 2-C, 1-D, and 0-F. Students will have opportunities to show mastery of the course standards through the following:
Final/Summative Assessments (test, essays, exams, major projects, etc.)
Progress/Formative Assessments (quizzes, quick checks, etc.)
Practice and preparation (homework, in-class work, reading)