Student Achievement Assessment Committee

Primary Learning Outcomes
The mission statement of the department manifests three primary learning outcomes for students in music education:

• teaching effectiveness
• excellent musicianship
• critical thinking skills

Since spring 2001 these three primary learning outcomes have been the underlying principles for assessment in every course with a MUED prefix.  These learning outcomes form the core of the undergraduate and graduate programs in music education.

1.         Learning Outcomes: 

Teaching Effectiveness, Musicianship, Critical Thinking

In 2005-2006 we continued to measure changes in teaching behaviors during the course of the student teaching practicum. The assessment instrument described in this report was designed to examine the effect of self observation, self analysis, and “practice teaching” on student achievement in the areas of musicianship, teaching effectiveness, and critical thinking, documented in selected videotaped teaching excerpts and a final written narrative submitted as part of an electronic portfolio project.

2.         Assessment Methods and Procedures:

Electronic Portfolio Assessment Instrument

This assessment instrument has been developed during Spring 2006. With assistance from the faculty the chair will review and assess final narratives from student teachers’ electronic portfolios during Fall 06. The department will revise this instrument as needed. Our goal is to establish formal assessments at the mid point (sophomore review) and at the end (student teaching) of the music education program.

EXPLANATION  OF  RATINGS
The summary rating below compares this student with other student teachers and/or with a reasonable expectation of performance from one who is qualified to enter the teaching profession.  The rating scale ranges from  “high degree of excellence” to  “unsatisfactory.” Marks need not be made on the numbers; they may be anywhere along the continuum. 

I.              TEACHING  EFFECTIVENESS                         Low                                                        High
                A      Clarity of instruction                                    1              2              3              4              5              NA
                B     Sequence of instruction                             1              2              3              4              5              NA
                C     Diagnosis of performance problems     1              2              3              4              5              NA
                D     Quality of demonstrations                         1              2              3              4              5              NA
                E     Specificity of feedback (pos & neg)          1              2              3              4              5              NA
                F      Evidence of improvement in                     1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        student performance
                G     Classroom management                         1              2              3              4              5              NA
                                                                                                         
II.             MUSICIANSHIP                                                           
                A      Demonstrates thorough knowledge     1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        of music to be presented/rehearsed
                B     Demonstrates knowledge of                   1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        instrumental/vocal technique
                C     Presents accurate information               1              2              3              4              5              NA
                D     Identifies student skills required            1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        for successful performance
                E     Demonstrates mastery of                         1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        keyboard skills
                F      Conducts using clear and                       1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        appropriate gestures

III.            CRITICAL THINKING (Reflection)                           
                A      ST recognizes accurate diagnoses       1              2              3              4              5              NA

                B     ST recognizes clear, stepwise                1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        instructions
                C     ST recognizes appropriate                       1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        aspects of performance to work on
                D     ST recognizes accurate,                           1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        specific feedback
                E     ST recognizes positive change               1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        in student performance
                F      ST shows awareness of personal        1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        development of teaching skills
                G     ST indicates how she/he will                  1              2              3              4              5              NA
                        modify instruction to facilitate learning
                       

IV. WRITING
                A      Expresses ideas clearly                         1              2              3              4              5              NA
                B     Uses correct sentence construction     1              2              3              4              5              NA
                C     Uses correct grammar                            1              2              3              4              5              NA
                D     Uses correct spelling                              1              2              3              4              5              NA

Final Narrative

Electronic Portfolio/CD
Student Teaching
Department of Music Education

Create a sequence of six videotaped excerpts (Rehearsal Frames, clips) of your teaching that illustrate your progress.  Include your movie clips in the body of your paper created in Microsoft Word.  For each excerpt describe the situation and discuss how this excerpt shows your progress in developing the following teaching skills):
(1) recognize and correctly diagnose student performance problems,
(2) present clear, step-wise instructions via specific teacher verbalizations and accurate teacher demonstrations,
(3) make informed choices about what to work on and who should perform.
(4) deliver specific feedback (positive and negative),
(5) effect positive change in student performance. 
(6) Create a final summary (typed) in which you describe your progress as evidenced by your observational data.  Include references to your SCRIBE data and how they serve as evidence of changes in your teaching. Submit your portfolio on CD-ROM.
**You may wish to use more than three videotapes (or six excerpts) for your electronic portfolio. 

CONTENTS OF PORTFOLIO

Videotapes of 3 observations (approx 20 minutes each)                             ____yes        ____no
SCRIBE data                                                                                                          ____yes        ____no
Completed Observation Forms (3)                                                                    ____yes        ____no
Rehearsal Frames (6)                                                                                          ____yes        ____no
Final Narrative                                                                                                        ____yes        ____no
Resume                                                                                                                  ____yes        ____no

TECHNOLOGY
Portfolio shows evidence that student has learned to:
                use SCRIBE software                                                                          ____yes        ____no
                operate a video camera                                                                       ____yes        ____no
                transfer video from camera to computer (i movie)                          ____yes        ____no
                compress digital video to a Quicktime movie                                  ____yes        ____no
                edit video in Quicktime Pro                                                                  ____yes        ____no
                import video to a Word document                                                      ____yes        ____no
                burn a CD                                                                                               ____yes        ____no
                access an external server and store data                                        ____yes        ____no

Continuing Initiatives

1. An admission interview to evaluate the academic progress and readiness of the student to enter the music education program will occur at the end of MUED 240, our introduction to the profession course, in Fall 2006. The music education faculty will review a portfolio submitted by each pre music education student, which documents evidence of skill development in the areas of teaching effectiveness, musicianship, critical thinking, and professional dispositions.

2. In 2005-06 we engaged in a pilot study of distance student teaching supported by video technology. Five student teachers sent videos of their teaching directly to a university server, using a software program that compresses video as it records. Videos were accessible to music education supervisors via the internet. Equipment for this project did not arrive until April, so the pilot project will continue in Fall 2006. So far we know that the technology works and students reported no problems in learning the technology. We will monitor this initiative in 2006-07.

3.         Preliminary Results:
Informal review of student teachers’ final narratives indicates that student teachers develop an awareness of their teaching effectiveness in terms of the quality of student performance during the course of student teaching. Student teachers who are most successful are likely to suggest ways to improve the clarity and sequence of their instruction when they write about teaching.  They also tend to select video excerpts in which they teach well, which may indicate that they recognize good teaching.
           
Results of this evaluation will be reported in Spring 2006 after we determine inter-observer reliability using this instrument.

4.         Actions Taken/Program Improvements: 
We have focused on assessment of student teaching, the final capstone experience for music education majors, for the past four years. We will continue to monitor the effect of self-observation on improvement of teaching skills during student teaching, and to link what we have learned to junior methods courses where students demonstrate and develop their teaching skills, and to student achievement demonstrated at sophomore review.
We will continue to refine the content and delivery of instruction based on assessment within courses and at two points in our program, sophomore review and student teaching.