Stephanie Goering

Assessment Portfolio
High School Advanced Choir
1. Board Work
Description
Board Work is something the students complete whenever they enter the music classroom at
the beginning of a period. They turn in all of their board work at the end of every 9 weeks to be
checked by the teacher.
Rationale
Board Work is a great music tool for students to practice solfege, notation and sight singing
skills. It is also helpful, because it allows for the teacher to use a particular passage from a
piece the choir is working on, maybe something that is difficult for a certain voice part. This
helps the students to break down the passage without really knowing it is from the song they are
singing. This tool allows for lots of flexibility, as you can add harder excerpts, or multiple part
excerpts.
Implementation
An excerpt is up on the board when the students come into class. They are given staff paper at
the beginning of the semester to record their board work on every day. Students are to solfege
the excerpt, describe what key it is in, and write in the beats under each note. Then the students
will clap the rhythm in class, speak the rhythm on solfege while keeping the beat, and finally
they will sing the solfege.
Example

2.

Rubric
Description
A rubric is a tool used for either the teacher or the students to assess a project or task. There
are multiple categories of standards that make up the rubric, and each of these categories has a
range of points available.
Rationale
Rubrics are a great tool to use in the classroom, because they keep everything objective. They
are clear and concise, and give students a foundation when they are starting a project. The
teacher alone can develop these, or students can develop their own rubrics in the class, so this
assessment tool also allows for a lot of flexibility.
Implementation
You can use a rubric for any kind of performance or project, but they work particularly well with
Garageband projects, as it keeps it extremely objective. For this example, I would use this rubric
to grade the students Garageband cover songs of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
Example
This is a generic rubric that can be customized depending on the type of Garageband
assignment the students are doing. This example is from Tripp Music.
 (http://trippmusic.weebly.com/uploads/5/6/7/2/56721569/garageband_project_rubric_(updated).
pdf)

3. Written Exam
Description
A written exam is an tool that assesses basic skills and knowledge. It can cover knowledge
learned in class about theory and history, as well as promote critical thinking skills by asking
students higher level thinking questions. Multiple choice/True or False/Fill in the Blank questions
are able to remain objective, while short answers or essay portions can be slightly subjective.
Rationale
Written exams should not be used very often in a music classroom. Other than the higher level
thinking questions that may be asked in a short answer or essay question, they are basically
just testing the students knowledge on certain topics, and are not really fostering creativity.
However, they are still a good assessment tool to use when you need to know how far your
students have progressed on certain subjects, like theory and music history.
Implementation
One way to make exams the most beneficial to students is to have them create it. In this
scenario, I would have students give presentations on a subject and create sample questions
they would like their classmates to remember/understand about their presentation. The teacher
 can check over the questions, and give the students a list of questions that may appear on the
exam. Students can use each others presentations to study off of.
Example
Based off of your teams presentation about Norwegian Culture and the Sami Yoik tradition, list
3 open ended, short answer questions you would like students to answer on an exam. Write two
multiple choice questions and two true or false OR fill in the blank questions pertaining to your
presentation.

4. Presentations
Description
A presentation is a project that students can do alone or with a group. The presentation may be
about a certain person, topic or general subject. The presentation can be presented in many
different ways, such as a Powerpoint, recording, or visual aid (ex. poster).
Rationale
A presentation is a great way to evaluate student learning, while still letting the students explore
their creativity. A presentation also puts the students in charge of their own learning, because
they are doing the research and compiling the information that they will present on. This kind of
project can be assessed using a rubric or checklist, depending on how specific the presentation
needs to be.
Implementation
As presentations can take all shapes and forms, they make student growth and learning
incredible versatile. A great form of presentation is Thinglink, an app available for laptops and
iPads. It is an image where you can put hotspots that take you to other links. Particularly for
students research on Sting and his song Fields of Gold, I think Thinglink is perfect. I have
linked to a quick example of how this might look.
Example
 https://www.thinglink.com/scene/852338968996347904

5. Checklists
Description
A Checklist is a concise form of assessment. It is not very subjective. It is a quick yes or no.
For example, Did the student complete this? Did the student play the correct notes in this
passage?. This is a fast way to check on your students and make sure they are progressing at
the rate you want them to be.
Rationale
Checklists work great for things such as recording assignments, completing a worksheet, doing
a journal entry, etc. It is best used for things that are either incomplete or complete. This is not a
subjective assessment tool, and it can be used both formally and informally. It is also a good
tool to have both the teacher and the students using, so that they can hold themselves
accountable for different tasks in the classroom.
Implementation
Since this is an auditioned ensemble, students will video-record themselves twice a semester,
singing through the pieces (or excerpts) from that performance set. A checklist is a quick way to
assess the students and keep them on the right track. Here are a few examples of what may be
on the checklist.
Example
Did the student perform with correct dynamics and phrasing? Y N
Did the student have correct posture while singing? Y N
Does the student show an evident growth in musical expression and identity since the last
recording? Y N N/A
Is the student achieving correct intonation the majority of the time? Y N

6. Journal Entry
Description
A journal entry is a way for students to free-write about a certain subject or topic discussed in
class. Normally, students a given a thought-provoking question, and they can complete a journal
style entry answering it. These are normally fairly short, about 3-5 sentences, but it allows for
flexibility for your students. It also doesnt limit them in the ways of format.
Rationale
Journal entries are very good for students, because they allow for so much flexibility. They can
be as long or as short as the students want, with no formatting considerations, other than they
need to be legible (if using pencil and paper).
Implementation
For a smaller research assignment, students can use Padlet to upload a short journal entry
about a particular topic, such as hymns of the late 1800s. Padlet is a quick and safe way for
students to post short entries and see their peers work. I have linked an example of a Padlet
down below.
Example


https://padlet.com/sktroyer/uhfmkxffwmsm

7. Self-Evaluation Form
Description
A self-evaluation form can be in the form of a rubric, checklist, or written statement. This is used
for students to describe their thoughts on a certain event, project or performance that they
completed.
Rationale
This kind of assessment is one of the best in my opinion. It is one thing for teachers to see how
the students are performing, and we are constantly giving them feedback. However, this form is
made so that we can see how students perceive their learning. It gives the students the
opportunity to reflect on their experiences, and it helps us understand their personal progress,
as well as their needs from us as teachers.
Implementation
This could be used after a performance. Students will complete a list of questions regarding
their thoughts on their performance experience. There will be questions about what went well,
what needs improved upon, and so on. Listed below are some specific questions that might be
seen on a self-evaluation form.
Example
Name at least three things that you thought the ensemble did well during the performance.
Name at least three things that the ensemble could improve upon for the next performance.
On a scale of 1-10, rate your personal level of preparedness for this performance.
What was the most rewarding part of this performance for you personally?

8. Written Essay
Description
 A written essay is a paper written by the students individually. This is normally over a certain
topic, person or subject area, and should be done fairly seldom in the music classroom.
Generally, these should be no less than 2 pages double-spaced.
Rationale
While not necessary all the time, written essays are very useful to students, because it allows
them to delve deep into a specific topic. It also allows for flexibility, because depending on the
situation, you may allow students to choose a topic that interests them, rather than just
assigning them one at random. These are useful to gauge the students growth, as well as
determine their writing and academic abilities. Essays can normally be assessed with a rubric or
checklist.
Implementation
When researching more deeply about a common theme, such as madrigals and how they
connect to Shakespeare. The teacher will read them to check for student growth.
Example
Students will complete a two page, double spaced essay on Madrigals and how they are
incorporated into Shakespearean plays. One paragraph must include your reflection of this
newfound information, and how you will use it to your benefit when preparing the work Three
Madrigals.