DIFFERENTIATING ASSESSMENT IN MUSIC & NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE

What is your new approach to differentiating assessment?

I use several types of assessments in both music and Native American Culture.  My new approach from the readings in this class include:

MUSIC

After the readings of Heacox (2009), Wormeli (2006), and Hall, Strangman & Meyer (2003), I have discovered that some of the implements I already use are the perfect assessments for music performance.

In music performance the perfect assessment that is much differentiated is the audition.  Whether it is instrumental or vocal the audition is differentiated in various ways from the performance levels of the student to the performance levels of the ensemble.  What I have gathered from this class and the readings of both Heacox and Wormeli is that the most wonderful thing about the audition is that it can both be the pre-assessment and the post-assessment. 

The audition is a pre-assessment in many ways including as Heacox writes on page 29 it is the same as using an end-of-unit test as a pre-assessment.  Here is a Percussion Assessement and here is a Clarinet Assessment.

The ideal Student Self-Evaluation indicated by Heacox (2009) pp. 42-43 is the “Seat Challenge.”  Instead of the seat challenge being a competition for parts it really is an assessment not only for the students to be evaluated by the director but it is a chance for self-evaluation by the students themselves.

An absolute post-assessment is the One-on-One “Staged” Task as mentioned by Heacox (2009) pg.  47.  In music this can be the solo or small ensemble “contest” performance for teachers (directors).

Here are several Choral & Vocal Assessments of all of the above.

NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE

Assessing American Indian Students in Native American Culture is very tricky and is most often regulated by Tribal Law.  However when teaching non-Natives Native American Culture, I have used a wide variety of pre and post assessments.  While thinking of new assessment approaches and searching the internet I found the perfect flow chart for me to use in teaching Native American Culture.  This is from Hall, Strangman & Meyer (2003):

I have attached some Native American assessments below that I can use and for the chart above the Curriculum box would read Tribal, State and Federal BIA Standards.

NA Assessment 1

NA Assessment 2

NA Assessment 3

NA Assessment 4

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hall, T., Strangman, N., & Meyer, A. (2003).  Differentiated Instruction and Implications for UDL Implementation. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved [06/08/2011] from http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/differentiated… 

Heacox, D. (2009).  Making Differentiation a Habit.  Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit.

Wormeli, R. (2006).  Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Addressing and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom.  Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.