Appendix D: Assessment and Evaluation

Prescribed learning outcomes, expressed in measurable terms, provide the basis for the development of learning activities, and assessment and evaluation strategies. After a general discussion of assessment and evaluation, this appendix uses sample evaluation plans to show how activities, assessment, and evaluation might come together in a particular dance program. The generic assessment and evaluation tools at the end of this appendix provide further planning support for teachers.

Assessment and Evaluation

Assessment is the systematic gathering of information about what students know, are able to do, and are working toward. Assessment methods include: student self-assessments, reviews of performance, portfolio assessments, and conferencing. Assessment tools may include observation, daily practice assignments, quizzes, samples of student work, pencil-and-paper tests, holistic rating scales, projects, and oral and written reports.

Student performance is evaluated from the information collected through assessment activities. Teachers use their insight, knowledge about learning, and experience with students, along with the specific criteria they establish, to make judgments about student performance in relation to prescribed learning outcomes.

Students benefit most when evaluation is provided on a regular, ongoing basis. When evaluation is seen as an opportunity to promote learning rather than as a final judgment, it shows learners their strengths and suggests how they can develop further. Students can use this information to redirect efforts, make plans, and establish future learning goals.

Evaluation may take different forms, depending on the purpose.

• Criterion-referenced evaluation should be used to evaluate student performance in classrooms. It is referenced to criteria based on learning outcomes described in the provincial curriculum. The criteria reflect a student"s performance based on specific learning activities. When a student"s program is substantially modified, evaluation may be referenced to individual goals. These modifications are recorded in an Individual Education Plan (IEP).
• Norm-referenced evaluation is used for large-scale system assessments; it is not to be used for classroom assessment. A classroom does not provide a large enough reference group for a norm-referenced evaluation system. Norm-referenced evaluation compares student achievement to that of others rather than comparing how well a student meets the criteria of a specified set of learning outcomes.

In criterion-referenced evaluation, a student"s performance is compared to established criteria rather than to the performance of other students. Evaluation referenced to prescribed curriculum requires that criteria are established based on the learning outcomes listed under the curriculum organizers for Dance 8 to 10.

Criteria are the basis of evaluating student progress; they identify the critical aspects of a performance or a product that describe in specific terms what is involved in meeting the learning outcomes. Criteria can be used to evaluate student performance in relation to learning outcomes. For example, weighting criteria, using rating scales, or performance rubrics (reference sets) are three ways that student performance can be evaluated using criteria.

Samples of student performance should reflect learning outcomes and identified criteria. The samples clarify and make explicit the link between evaluation and learning outcomes, criteria, and assessment. Where a student"s performance is not a product, and therefore not reproducible, a description of the performance sample should be provided.

Criterion-referenced evaluation may be based on these steps:

• Identify the prescribed learning outcomes (as stated in the Integrated Resource Package).
• Identify the key learning objectives for instruction and learning.
• Establish and set criteria. Involve students, when appropriate, in establishing criteria.
• Plan learning activities that will help students gain the knowledge or skills outlined in the criteria.
• Prior to the learning activity, inform students of the criteria against which their work will be evaluated.
• Provide examples of the desired levels of performance.
• Implement the learning activities.
• Use various assessment methods based on the particular assignment and student.
• Review the assessment data, and evaluate each student"s level of performance or quality of work in relation to criteria.
• Report the results of the evaluations to students and parents.

Legislation requires that teachers provide parents with three formal reports each year. The following are guidelines and suggestions for assigning letter grades. Letter grades are used to indicate a student"s level of performance in relation to expected learning outcomes. They may be assigned for an activity, a unit of study, a term, as a final grade at the end of the year, or at the completion of a course or subject.

The assignment of letter grades may be based on these steps:

• Identify learning outcomes for the activity and unit to make clear what the student is expected to know and be able to do. The provincial curriculum prescribes broad learning outcomes. From these, the teacher establishes more specific outcomes for the learning activities.
• Establish specific criteria for the unit and activity. It is helpful for students to be involved in establishing criteria. In this way, they understand what is expected of them.
• Develop different levels of performance or models. Students are more likely to be successful when they clearly understand the criteria and the level of performance expected.
• Students participate in learning activities to allow them to practise the skills and acquire the required knowledge. Feedback is provided to help the students continue their learning. Practice exercises help students meet the criteria and achieve the expected level of performance. Results from practice exercises support the student"s learning but should not contribute to the term evaluation or final letter grade.
• Give students opportunities to demonstrate their learning. Teachers may have students represent their learning in a variety of ways. Assessment data may be collected from tests, teacher observations, conferences, student self-assessments, written assignments, portfolios, or performance tasks.
• Evaluate students´ levels of performance in relation to the criteria. Base the evaluation of each student"s performance on the assessment data collected and compare the data to the established criteria.
• The teacher assigns a letter grade for a set of activities. The letter grade indicates how well the criteria were met. Teachers often include written feedback to students along with the letter grade. In this way, students gain information necessary to continue their learning.

Dance education is an integrated program; assessment and evaluation should therefore reflect outcomes in all four curriculum organizers. For example, while evaluating work focussed on achieving Elements of Movement outcomes, teachers may also make observations related to outcomes from the Creation and Composition, Presentation and Performance, and Dance in Society organizers.

Consistent feedback is particularly important to the successful development of good dance techniques, and to the development of a positive and enthusiastic attitude toward lifelong involvement in dance. Helping students set goals and objectives for their own artistic and physical development and lifestyle choices, and then working with them to monitor their progress, are important responsibilities of all dance teachers.

Challenging oneself personally and exploring new ideas and learning styles are essential factors in artistic development. These explorations may be intimidating for students in that the final product or presentation may not meet the standard they might have achieved if they had"played it safe" and worked in a more familiar way. Students may be reluctant to challenge themselves or take risks with their work if they know that the end product will always be on display or presented to others publicly. While they should be encouraged to take pride in their artistic products, the creative problem-solving process is equal in importance to the resulting product. Much of the daily work in arts education will be process oriented; therefore, it should be made clear to students that these processes are valued as much as public presentations. Although not all work will result in a public presentation, whenever students´ work is to be presented, it is essential that the students be involved in the selection and decision-making process.

Assessment should be carried out in a variety of genres and contexts which are articulated in this curriculum. Students particularly benefit when they participate in developing the assessment criteria. Tools and techniques include:

• holistic rating scales
• journal entries
• dance portfolios
• teacher-student conferences
• participation records
• planning and goal-setting worksheets and exercises
• short- and long-term observation reports
• practice assignments
• checklists
• self-assessment tools
• peer assessment tools
• performance- and skill-testing exercises and drills
• creative process anecdotal reports
• projects
• pencil-and-paper tests

Journal writing is a valuable part of instruction and assessment in the dance classroom, and provides a dated record of students´ development over time. Student journals are a powerful tool for encouraging students to reflect on their experiences. Journals may be fairly structured, or they may be a general review of the events of the week in the dance class. Entries may comment on a specific activity or topic or provide a broad reflection on progress or an issue.

Journals are an important aspect of communication between the student and teacher. Students may ask questions, indicate successes, or identify areas where they need further assistance to develop skills. The growth of insight within the chronological content of the journal may itself form a basis for evaluation.

The journal can take many forms. It may be used for reflecting on activities within a class unit or for looking at an issue of importance to students. It can be a reflection of the work in dance classes or an exploration of the world of the dance student.

Questions posed can focus journal writing activities to assist students´ understanding of their experiences in dance. They could include any of the following:

• What did we do in class today?
• What did you learn from the activities?
• What did you learn about yourself?
• What did you like and dislike about the activities?
• Describe solutions or approaches to a problem.
• What special adjustments or considerations would you make for a different situation?
• What would make you lose interest in a performance?
• What images or feelings were evoked during today´s activities?
• What plans do you have for applying what you have learned today in your future dance activities?

Portfolios

A portfolio is a purposeful collection of a student"s work that shows the student"s effort, progress, and achievement over time. Portfolios can be designed for a variety of purposes. They can motivate students, encourage parental participation, and provide direct evidence of student progress. Before using a portfolio approach to evaluation, the teacher should consider the following questions:

• What are the applied tasks for which the portfolio will serve as a record?
• What should be included in a portfolio?
• In what ways should students be involved in the process of answering the previous questions?

Dance portfolios might contain:

• a daily record in a double-entry journal format (What I Did, How I Felt)
• daily self-assessments
• analysis and critique of videos, films, concerts, performances
• background information on costume, cultural and historical context, music, biographical information (of choreographers, dancers)
• evaluation of peers" performances
• self-evaluation of skills based on viewed performances
• self-assessment of contributions to group work
• original artwork, poetry, music, and so forth
• notations of dance works learned or created
• organization: table of contents, introductory autobiography, and so forth
• work from related subject areas (e.g., music, drama, visual arts, social studies, English language arts )
• teacher"s comments, checklists, and rating scales

• What strengths or successes in the work stand out?
• Analyse one piece of work that was not successful for you. Why didn"t it work? What might have helped? What did you learn from doing it?
• What techniques or strategies are you most interested in refining? Make a plan that indicates what to do, how to get support, and where to go to get that support.
• What ideas do you like to work with? Have you always been interested in these ideas? How has the meaning in your work changed?
• When you look ahead, what role do you see in your life for dance?

Conferences can provide valuable information about students´ understanding, thoughts, and feelings about dance education. Conferences may give the student an opportunity to reflect on the unit of study and the teacher a chance to gather information about the student"s knowledge and attitudes, as well as to diagnose student needs. Conferences may take the form of a planned sequence of questions which lead to an open-ended discussion, or they may require independent completion of specific questions. Informal conferences between the teacher and student should take place on a regular basis throughout instruction.

Observation Sheets

Observation sheets may be used to assess students during individual or co-operative activities. Teachers should focus their assessment by selecting only a few attributes for each observation. This information is useful when reporting on individual student progress.

Planning and Goal-Setting Worksheets

Setting individual goals for progress in dance is an important assessment strategy. Planning and goal-setting worksheets­including reflections on physical interests and abilities­iand specifying both short- and long-term goals can be a basis for students´ progress in the various units of a dance program.

Checklists

Checklists allow the teacher to observe the entire class"at a glance." They provide a quick reference for keeping track of specific information about student attitudes, knowledge, and skills. Checklists allow the teacher to create an individual record-keeping system organized in a variety of ways. Information might include date, skill-proficiency legends, or a simple check mark identifying a yes or no. Checklists can be useful in developing a learning profile of a child that indicates growth over time. Checklists may be created to gather information about student co-operation, participation, attitude, leadership, or skill development.

Evaluation Samples

The samples on the following pages illustrate the process a teacher might use in applying criterion-referenced evaluation in dance. The samples represent a broad use of citerion-referenced evaluation, including individual pieces of work, units of study, and work completed over the course of a term.

There are three key stages to the process:

• planning for assessment and evaluation
• defining the criteria
• assessing and evaluating student performance

This section outlines:

• background information to explain the classroom context
• instructional tasks
• opportunities that students were given to practise learning
• feedback and support that was offered students by the teacher
• ways in which the teacher prepared students for the assessment

This section illustrates the specific criteria, which are based on:

• learning outcomes
• assessment task
• various reference sets

This section includes:

• assessment tasks or activities
• support that the teacher offered students
• tools and methods used to gather the assessment information
• ways the criteria were used to evaluate the student performance

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Province of British Columbia
Ministry of Education
Curriculum Branch © 1995 Copyright

Maintained by: Fine Arts Coordinator - Dance

Revised: January 25, 1999

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