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Subject & Grade Level:
Music/Piano Class - Grade 7

Assessment Description:
This assessment will be given at the end of a unit on music theory and notation. It aims to evaluate students' understanding of key concepts related to reading and interpreting musical notation, as well as their ability to apply these concepts in practical piano exercises.

Benchmarks:

1. MU.7.C.1.1: Identify and interpret standard notation symbols for pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and articulation.

2. MU.7.C.1.2: Demonstrate correct hand and finger placement on the piano keyboard.

3. MU.7.C.2.1: Read and perform simple melodies in treble and bass clef.

4. MU.7.C.2.2: Identify and perform basic chord structures on the piano keyboard.

5. MU.7.C.3.1: Interpret expressive elements in musical notation and apply them to piano performance.

Assessment Items:

1. Select Response Test Items:

Question 1: Which symbol indicates a quarter note?

A) ♪

B) ♩

C) ♫

D) ♬

Question 2: What does "pp" indicate in musical notation?

A) Play loudly

B) Play softly

C) Play slowly

D) Play quickly

Question 3: Which clef is typically used for lower-pitched instruments like the cello or bassoon?

A) Treble clef

B) Bass clef

C) Alto clef

D) Tenor clef

1. Constructed Response Question:

Question 4: Using standard notation, write the notes for a C major scale starting from middle C and ending on the next octave.

Instructions & Scoring Guidelines:

Students will be provided with a written exam paper containing all questions.

For select response items, students should circle the letter corresponding to their chosen answer.

For the constructed response question, students should use staff paper provided to write out the C major scale.

Each select response question is worth 1 point, with a total of 3 points available. The constructed response question is worth 2 points.

Scoring:

3 points: Demonstrates a thorough understanding of all concepts.

2 points: Demonstrates a basic understanding of most concepts.

1 point: Demonstrates limited understanding of concepts.

0 points: Demonstrates minimal or no understanding of concepts.

Justification Based on Popham's Principles:

The assessment items are directly aligned with the stated benchmarks, ensuring that students are being evaluated on the specific skills and knowledge outlined in the unit objectives.

This assessment design aligns with Popham's principles by ensuring clarity, alignment with learning objectives, authenticity, and a variety of item types to provide a comprehensive evaluation of student learning.

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Ways in which assessment practices can be improved include:

1. More formative assessments in the forms of sight reading exercises and short quizzes, providing immediate feedback so students can make the adjustment to their practice routine.

2. Focus on more performance based assessments so they can demonstrate their musical skills and abilities in real time. It also allows students to develop musical expression and stage presence.

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These recommendations align with the best practices outlined by James Popham in his book "Classroom Assessment: What Teachers Need to Know. He highlights the importance of providing clear criteria and expectations for assessments, offering timely feedback to students, and involving students in the assessment process, all of which piano teachers can incorporate to promote student learning and growth.

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1. Involve students in the assessment process by encouraging self-assessment and peer assessment. This not only empowers students to take ownership of their learning but also helps them develop a deeper understanding of the assessment criteria and expectations.

2. Design assessments that reflect real-world piano performance tasks. This could include performance evaluations, sight-reading assessments, and improvisation exercises!

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Workshops and training sessions for piano teachers should be offered to increase their understanding of assessment practices. This could include topics such as designing effective assessments, interpreting assessment data more strategically, and providing constructive feedback to students.

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I have had the opportunity to explore different styles of assessments from note reading tests, rhythm identification, sight reading quizzes and performance evaluations. I believe that the assessment strategy that was the most effective was the use of performance evaluations. This gave my students the opportunity to showcase their skills and put the theory to practice. The disadvantage to this has been with students who were not meeting the learning goal because of the difficulty level. In these cases, I provided differentiation where students can be assessed up to what they know but still having a challenge in the assessment to overcome in order to feel a level of achievement towards the end. I developed a rubric for each performance level in a discreet manner to not single out students. My understanding of assessments has evolved and I have learned that it is important to be flexible and adaptable when creating assessments so I can meet the diverse needs of all my students.

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In this image, I created notes for students to follow. Right hand will be played with the written finger pattern in red ( treble clef) and the left hand will be played with the finger pattern written in green. Crossovers with thumbs and index fingers are written in blue parentheses to highlight those finger patterns throughout the piece. The goal is to play each clef independently first in order to incorporate muscle memory. After mastery of that first step, the student will then begin to slowly put it together, playing both hands simultaneously. This piece includes various techniques and concepts previously learned: scales, correct finger pattern, technique, crossovers from scale exercises, triads and arpeggios.

Data Analysis + Areas of Strength & Improvement: The data binder I attached shows the percentage of students who were able to master the piece, those who had struggles and those who have not met the target. I believe I have a good set up but an area of improvement would be to add individual notes to each student in the excel spreadsheet so I know what to go back to and how to aid more efficiently because I have sufficient documentation.

Conclusions: The assessment tracker helps to give me a gauge on the effectiveness of the methods I am using to help students master their pieces. If I have a majority of the class working towards it after more than 1.5 months, then it means the piece may be too difficult and I should modifty my content.

Proposed Strategies: A strategy I will implement is only requiring half of the piece so students can still feel a sense of accomplishment and that they were still up to the challenge.

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Current assessment tracker for 6th period (only bottom half shown)

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This is the digital data binder I use to track all of the items I will assess my piano students on.

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I believe that assessment in education serves a crucial role that goes beyond the evaluation of a student’s performance. It serves as an important tool for understanding student progress. My assessment philosophy is simple: that assessment should be meaningful, fair, and supportive of student learning. I try to incorporate the reliability of assessments in my piano class by ensuring that students receive consistent feedback on their progress. Secondly, validity is pivotal in ensuring that assessments measure the learning outcomes as accurately as possible. My goal is to enhance the validity of assessments in my piano class, providing students with a true reflection of their musical growth. I do this by carefully aligning assessments with course objectives and using a myriad of assessment methods in the process. Finally, fairness is crucial in ensuring that assessments are fair and not biased. I believe every student deserves a fair opportunity to display their knowledge and skills. I also make it my goal to create assessments that are free from bias and discrimination, so all diverse learning needs in my classes can be accommodated. I also try providing multiple opportunities for students to showcase their skills. In "Classroom Assessment: What Teachers Need to Know," James Popham highlights the importance of using assessments to support student learning. It’s not just about measuring it. He reinforces the idea that assessments should serve as tools for guiding instruction and promoting student growth. All in all, my assessment philosophy focuses on the principles of reliability, validity, and fairness, while also emphasizing the importance of assessment as a tool for supporting student learning and growth.