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Assessment in music

Refer to The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum pp. 91–92.

Effective assessment:

  • Promotes student learning
  • Raises standards
  • Reduces disparity of achievement
  • Improves the quality of teaching programmes

What are you measuring?

Assessment monitors progress and achievement. The developmental progression of skills knowledge and understanding – as students work towards learning outcomes, and overall achievement compared to expected standards.

Why measure it?

  • To provide focused feedback to the learner
  • To assist with the review and adjustment of programmes
  • To give feedback to parents so they are aware of and can celebrate learning

What will you assess?

  • The curriculum document outlines the many different types of evidence of learning that you might choose to assess.
  • Another factor influencing your choice will be the particular strand or strands you are planning to assess in a learning activity.
PK Any evidence of practical knowledge of musical elements through listening and exploration.
DI Processes worked through to learn to improvise and compose original music, notate/record own music.
CI Practical application of knowledge through performing and evaluating own and others' music-making.
UC Evidence of the experience of context through for example: discussion, aural analysis, researching, writing, comparing and contrasting tasks, practical application, and reflection.

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Why create specific learning outcomes?

  • The national music achievement objectives are broad and not specific
  • Specific learning outcomes relate closely to learning opportunities particular to a unit of work/learning activity
  • They give a clear indication to the teacher and the learner of what the learning will focus on
  • Learning outcomes provide a more manageable and specific focus for assessment

Try to have a balance of strand-focus achievement objectives across your programme of learning in music. Target particular achievement objectives and develop specific learning outcomes that articulate what is being achieved within the learning activity. In music it is common to be dealing with all four strands in any one activity. This is educationally sound and desirable for the learner to have opportunities to understand music in a holistic way. Just as we learn to speak, hear, read, and write and understand the cultural, historical and social aspects of a spoken language, so too with the language of music. We want our learners to be literate in all aspects of and about music.

Planning for assessment involves:

  • The identification of achievement objectives appropriate to the learning experience
  • The creation of specific learning outcomes for the learning experience and the achievement objectives
  • The use of indicators, based on criteria, to relate evidence to specific learning outcomes

Assessment in the Arts

Responses to art works are naturally often subjective and instinctive and allow for unexpected and unplanned developments.

Informed and objective assessment:

  • relates to established expectations and specific learning outcomes
  • enables informed decision making about future learning
  • contributes to students' ability to learn and increases their motivation
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