Authentic Assessment Tips

In many situations, music teacher candidates must present certification tests including the edTPA, PPAT^®, or the Praxis^® Principles of Learning and Teaching assessment in order meet the “pedagogical assessment certification requirements” in their state. Even the Praxis® Music: Instrumental and General Knowledge content test that aims to “assesses key indicators of the beginning educator’s musical knowledge and professional readiness for K–12 music instruction required for individuals teaching courses to students in instrumental music or general music settings”¹ cannot document every aspect of teaching music to students. And they certainly cannot document your improvement over time as a music educator. Imagine saying to yourself after five years of teaching, “Hey! I’m going to re-take the Praxis® Music test to see if I have improved!”

A professional educator’s portfolio can identify professional growth and demonstrate teacher effectiveness in a variety of ways that no test could ever document with a score or a number. Music educators have the unique opportunity to bring both their teaching and their students’ music to life via audio and video recording samples. Certainly, portfolios do not provide all the evidence of teaching efforts, but selective quality data about intentional efforts to improve performance over time and foster student learning can be presented.

Using authentic assessment can also bring a dynamic component to music pedagogy. Bringing a style of learning that encourages music educators to create a quality performance or learning outcome that can be shared with their world. “Authentic feedback and assessment strategies must be grounded both in the individual musical context of each composition, [performance, or learning outcome] and in the context of each student’s unique profile as a learner and creator. Authentic assessment treats student composition as meaningful musical expression.”²

A dynamic component in the sense that it “integrates assessment, curriculum and instruction in the service of learning.” The Gordon Commission on the Future of Assessment in K–12 Education uses the term “dynamic” to “describe the process of teaching and learning in which assessment, instruction, curriculum and learning are inseparable processes in pedagogy.”³ Just like dynamics in music, there’s a need for continuous and constant awareness, improvement, and being in tune with yourself and others. Authentic assessment might be the only form of assessment that simultaneously brings to life—while documenting the process of—a Japanese concept called “Kaizen” 改善 which means ‘change for better’ or improvement.

Music educators would be wise to consider engaging in the professional portfolio process for their own self-development as continuously evolving professional educators. The need for continual growth and development for music teachers is imperative. In any learning society, educators need to document their personal effectiveness and grasp of new knowledge. A professional educator’s portfolio offers a promising solution for documentation of teaching effectiveness and professional growth.⁴ In this way, whenever needed, tangible and concrete evidence can even be provided to administrators responsible for staff evaluation. Portfolios can also provide a personal sense of accomplishment and individual growth. Important for professional self-assessment, music educators must seek new avenues for professional enrichment and teaching improvement. Documenting selected case-study projects for your own development over time provides a developmental path, or roadmap, of your journey as a competent and professional music educator.

Professionals in other fields such as architecture, art, design, fashion, and engineering have constructed portfolios to document expertise. As with the learning process, teaching is multidimensional and requires authentic assessment to accurately captivate the rich process of instructing. A teaching portfolio, carefully constructed, provides for varied documentation. Portfolios bring a variety of feedback sources on course design, instruction, and performance into a meaningful configuration. A teaching portfolio serves as a communication tool for identifying teaching accomplishments. Thus, portfolios serve as a communication tool permitting educators to mold the document around their accomplishments. They also document your quest to continually improve yourself as a music educator.

While standardized assessments strive to provide some level of teacher performance assessment, a professional portfolio can set a competent music educator apart from their peers by showcasing and sharing their uniqueness.

REFERENCES

³ Armour-Thomas, E., & Gordon, E. W. (2013). Toward an understanding of assessment as a dynamic component of pedagogy. Princeton NJ: Gordon Commission.

² Deutsch, D. (2016). Authentic Assessment in Music Composition: Feedback That Facilitates Creativity. Music Educators Journal, 102(3), 53–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432115621608

¹ Educational Testing Service (2021) PRAXIS® Study Companion for Music: Instrumental and General Knowledge (5115).

Cole, D. J., Ryan, C. W., Kick, F., & Mathies, B. (2000). Portfolios Across the Curriculum and Beyond (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc. www.kickitin.com/portfolios

⁴ Seldin, P. (1991). The Teaching Portfolio. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company.

Silveira, J. M. (2013). Idea Bank: Portfolios and Assessment in Music Classes. Music Educators Journal, 99(3), 15–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432112470071