Model K-12Arts AssessmentsField Test ~ 2015-16
F A Q (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. Who developed these assessments? What process was used?
The Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment (MAEIA) Model K-12 Arts Assessmentswere developed by Michigan arts educators under the direction of the Michigan Assessment Consortium (MAC), working in cooperation with Data Recognition Corporation (DRC), and commissioned by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).
The MAEIA assessments are based on the Michigan High School Credit Guidelines,the Michigan High School Content Standards,and the Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations for the disciplines of Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts. They are organized around the three strands that make up the Creative Process: Create, Perform and Respond.Michigan’s standards aresimilarto the recently revised National Core Arts Standards(2014) (www.nationalartsstandards.org), which were developed by the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (nccas.wikispaces.com/).The national artsanchor standard(s)being assessed by each Michigan arts assessment item (in addition to Michiganstandards)areidentified on each item.
2. What types of assessments were developed?
Measures in Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts were created with the intention of being embedded in instruction andused throughout the year. These types of assessments are known as “curriculum-embedded performance assessments.” The assessments will permit teachers and students to gauge achievement of important state and national standards in the arts while instruction is occurring.
Four types of achievement measures were developed based on Michigan standards:
- Performance tasks (multi-day/multi-session performance assessments)
- Performance events (single class period, on-demand performance assessments)
- Written response items related to the performance tasks and events
- Multiple-choice items related to the performance tasks and events
3. How could these assessments be used?
The intent of providing this pool of performance assessments is so teachers can choose a few of the assessments – those thatbest match their planned instruction– and use them when appropriate instructionally, thus producing a collection of individual and classroom-level student evidence of achievement by the end of the school year.
These measures werenot designed to be administered in the typical fall-spring pre-post testing model; rather, they were created to be instructionally sensitive, which means they should be built into the flow of instruction during the academic year. Because this assessment model is a bit different, it is important that teachers adhere to the policies developed for these measures.
4. Can I use these instead of the pre- and post-tests my administrator told me I couldcreate on my own and use?
Yes, but three important caveats must be noted:
A) Your district may have policies on pre- and post-testing for educator evaluation. While the MAEIA assessments might be substituted for local pre-post tests, MAEIA cannot countermand local requirements.
B)Since these items are being field tested(used for the first time), they may need to be improved. This is the purpose of the field test. Therefore, some of the data from this field test may not be useful for educator evaluation purposes.
C) As mentioned above, these assessments were notdesigned for pre-post use, since we don't believe that it is productive to ask students to respond twice to the same performance assessments. The assessments do provide a better way to gather a collection of evidence of student achievement over the course of a school year.The MAC has drafted a paper that discusses appropriate and inappropriate use of these measures in the context of education evaluation: MAEIA_Assessments_in_Educator_Evaluation_2.0.pdf.
5. Can I use these assessments instead of my own assessments?
Yes. However, these items are being field tested (used for the first time) and some of them may need to be revised. Teachers may still want to use some of their own assessment measures.
6. What should I do with the assessments after I administer them? Do I hold onto them or send them back immediately after administration?
Teachers are asked to score the assessments in orderto provide feedback to students. Then the assessment responses and other materials(student art work, video recordings of student performances, etc.)should be sent to Data Recognition Corporation.Teachers should return student responses as soon as possible after the assessments are administered. Scoring instructions are included within each assessment, while return shipping instructions will be provided to teachers at the outset of the field test (in the Assessment Administration Manual).For teachers officially contributing to the MAEIA Field Test, the costs of printing, shipping, and flash drives for recording students’ responsesare all covered.
7. How will the assessments be scored? Who will score them?
Teachers will score the assessments using the rubrics included within each item. Teachers will be asked to returna copy of their scoring as well asall Student Booklets and any student responses recorded on flash drives (photographs or short video clips) or done separately from the Student Booklets.The MAEIA Project will also review the assessments in order to determine if the assessments need to be refined, as well as to select exemplars to enhance the scoring rubrics included in the assessments for future use.
8. Will I receive a report of student scores?
No, we are not able to provide student scores back to teachers,due to the field test nature of this project. However, we will be conducting a benchmarking session to select exemplars for the entire field test.
9. Can I use the results as part of my course grading?
If you feel that students were able to carry out the assessment activity as written, then using students’ responses for grading could make sense. We would caution teachers that if a sizeable number of students were confused, off-target, or did not complete the activity, the item should not be used for grading.In these cases, we do want teachers to note such difficulties with the item, so that the MAEIA team can examine the item and determine how to edit and improve it. You will be provided an assessment feedback form in your field test packet.
10. Does it matter whatgrade level(s) my students are in?
- K-8.Yes. The items have been designed for the following grade level ranges: K-2, 3-5, and 6-8.
- High School. No. The number of years of arts instruction in each discipline that a student has had at the time of assessment is the most important criterion to use to select the level of assessment to administer. Items are designed for first year (Level 1), second year (Level 2), and/or third and fourth year (Level 3) students, regardless of whether students are freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors. Also, it doesn’t matter whether high school students are in a class to earn the onerequired credit of arts instructionfor graduation, or whether they are more advanced students. Again, the number of years of arts instructionin each discipline that a student has had at the time of assessment is the most important criterion to use to select the level of assessment to administer.
11. Can I use these items for my teacher evaluation--student growth component? If so, how?
These items are being field tested (used for the first time) and may need to be improved; as a result, some of the data may not be accurate and useful for educatorevaluation. However, once finalized, we do anticipate the use of these in measuring student growth.
At the time of this writing, the manner in which components for educator evaluation are defined is being debated in the Michiganlegislature and the extent to which the teacher, administrator, the district, or the state selects the measures to be used has not been finalized. These assessments were notdesigned for pre-post use. They are, instead, “through-course” assessments, designed to collect evidence of student achievement over the course of a school year.Remember, these items are known as curriculum-embedded performance assessments. The collection of student evidence can be used to determine student growth.
The Michigan Assessment Consortium (MAC) is particularly interested in districts that wish to try using these assessments for educator evaluation (as a pilot activity within this field test). We refer to this asa “Pilot within the Field Test” because of the acknowledged challenges in using un-tested assessments in educator evaluation. We would like to see how useful teachers and building administrators feel the MAEIA assessments will be in gauging “growth” in student learningand what they see as the strengths andchallenges of using them in this manner. Teachers who are interested in the “Pilot within the Field Test” should contact Edward Roeber at .
12. Will I get a copy of all of the assessments for the arts discipline in which I field test or only the items I select?
Yes, an electronic copy of all the items will be available to all teachers who participate in the field test. Printed copies will be provided for any assessment you choose to field test.
13. What is expected of teachers and schools that participate in the field test?
Teachersare expected to attenda field testbriefing in September2015 or participate in a virtual briefing(between October and mid-December)if they register for the field test after the fall briefings.Specific session dates and times are listed in the registration forms for K-8 and high school field testing. (Links are provided at the end of this document.)
In addition, schools are expected to provide the necessary arts materials such as pencils, drawing paper, and so forthlisted in each assessment. Most important, teachers need to administer the assessments and return them with their comments/observations and student work.
Participating field test teachers may also be invited to periodic regional half-day meetings of field test teachers to assist the MAEIA Project and participating teachers in getting the most out of the field test experience.We hope that these meetings will be held two or three times in the late fall, winter, and spring. While in-person participation in these regional meetings is encouraged, an option for virtual participation will also be provided.
14. What materials will be provided to teachers and schools?
The MDE development contractor, Data Recognition Corporation (DRC), will print and ship testing booklets and directions to teachers in September and October, shortly after the fall briefing sessions.Teachers who register for the field test after the fall briefing and therefore complete the virtual briefing and selection of test itemswill be sent test booklets and directions within 30 daysby DRC.
DRC will also provide a pre-paid means for educators to return the Student Booklets, answer sheets, and teacher scoring of student responses to DRC for project scoring.
15. What are dates of the 2015-16 field testing window?
The 2015-16 field testing window is October 1, 2015 to May 6, 2016.
To register for the HS or K-8 Field Test, please click on the specific link below:
MAEIA - K-8 Field Test Site Resources | Michigan Assessment Consortium
MAEIA – High School Field Test Site Resources | Michigan Assessment Consortium
MAEIA K-12 Field Test 2015-16 ~ 8/12/2015Page 1 of 3