QUESTION 1:
What exactly do you do when you rehearse in the choir room?

ANSWER:
We work on skills that are defined by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Below is the link that defines and details the standards in which we seek to develop mastery.

• National Standards with Learning Targets

These standards are also linked to specific learning targets which are expressed in the following grid.

• THS Music Learning Targets

QUESTION 2:
What tool do you use to keep track of the learning for each student?

ANSWER:
Learning is a collaborative process. As a part of that process, students keep track of their learning through maintaining LEARNING CARDS. These cards help identify learning that needs to take place and actively track the student’s progress. The LEARNING CARD becomes a conversation starter for questions about content and skill development. From the LEARNING CARDS, students demonstrate that they are ready for assessments.

QUESTION 3:
How do you grade on an art form like singing?

ANSWER:
Grading choirs is challenging. There is a cultural expectation that choir should just be an easy A. There is also the challenge of individually monitoring the progress of many singers who are at a wide range of development.

That said, we use a rubric that helps create objective measurements to define where in the process of learning a student is currently standing. Below is the rubric that is used to express the progress you or your student has or is in the process of achieving.

• This poster tells some of the methods of formative assessment we use:
  ASSESSMENT METHODS
• This rubric can be used for both formative and summative assessments:
  Singing Evaluation Rubric
• This is the 5-point rubric that is used to evaluate work at a summative level:
  5 point RUBRIC for ASSESSMENT

QUESTION 4:
How does a grade get put together for a progress report or final semester grade?

ANSWER:
Through a combination of individual and group work accomplished in rehearsal, individual or small groups work accomplished away from class, and through group performances, each student demonstrates a level of achievement. The following poster explains the percentage breakdown for work accomplished.

YOUR GRADE