Assessment...Why?...and How?

            Assessment is an integral part of the learning process. As Bauer (2013) notes, “Not only is assessment necessary to determine whether students have learned what teachers think they have taught, but it also informs the design of instruction and can direct adjustments of the specific teaching and learning strategies that are used over time.” Teachers use two types of assessments within their classrooms: formative and summative. Summative assessments are used at the end of a learning experience to determine the level of understanding. Formative assessments are used throughout the learning process to help the teacher adjust the learning experience to the needs of the students. Technology can play a role in the administering of assessments as well as the organizing and managing of the information gathered during the assessment process.

            The Google platform offers some tools to assist teachers in the assessment process. Google Docs can be used to create written work such as research papers. One feature of Google Docs allows multiple people to collaborate on a document. If editing privileges are shared with each member of a group, they all can write and revise information in the document quite easily.

Google Forms can be used to create quizzes that can be shared with students and then graded automatically. The quiz can include various kinds of questions, including short answer, paragraph, and multiple choice. The students take the quiz and their answers are recorded and sent to the teacher. The teacher is able to set up the Google Form with the correct answers so that the quizzes are graded automatically.  

            The creation of rubrics specific to lessons and/or concepts can also be simplified using technology. There are many websites that are available to help a teacher in the rubric-creation process. If the rubric is created and filled out in Google, it can easily be shared electronically with the student, parents, even administrators. This would be helpful in providing documentation to support report card grades. The application Goobric works in conjunction with Doctopus to provide assignments and corresponding rubrics right in Google. Any type of project that can be created in Google will work with Goobric, including presentations and written documents. This allows the teacher to provide feedback and a grade right in the same place, as the rubric is attached to the assignment.

            Teachers could also use recordings (both audio and video) to allow students to demonstrate their performance ability. Recordings are a great method of assessing student performance rather than simple understanding of a concept. Another method of assessment involves the creation of a digital student portfolio. Students must gather written work and recorded work to include within the portfolio. These portfolios can be a work in progress, where the student adds to the portfolio as they complete an assignment. It can also be something that a student organizes into a more formal grouping of their work. This would contain the student’s best efforts and could be used to apply for college or scholarship monies.

            When using various technologies in the assessment process, it can be beneficial to manage these assessments using technology. School districts may utilize a learning management system (LMS) that teachers must use with their assessments. My district uses Skyward to track student attendance and grades.

            In my own teaching, I find assessment to be an area in which I need to grow. I do a lot of informal formative assessments (listening to students clap rhythmic patterns, observe students using manipulatives to notate melodic patterns) but do not record data from those assessments. As our curriculum is updated, the need for corresponding assessments is evident. I struggle with how to use assessments to determine grades for my elementary general music students, though, because I feel that elementary music should be a time of exploration. I am torn between assessing for mastery and assessing the student effort in trying new musical activities. I want to create a positive and enjoyable atmosphere in music and am hesitant to have assessments hinder that atmosphere. I am curious to know how other music teachers (specifically elementary level teachers) feel about assessments and grading in the music classroom. I understand that I will gain more information on the subject of assessment in another graduate class. That information will allow me to more effectively incorporate assessments into my lessons in order to provide information to students, parents, and administrators about the learning that is occurring in my classroom.