Student Evaluation

Evaluation in Choral 10, 20, 30 serves the same purpose as in any other course -- to enhance learning and foster further student growth in striving to meet the objectives of the program. Students, parents, administrators, and the community as a whole should understand the terminology involved:

Evaluation is the process of making judgements on the basis of information collected relative to the objectives.
Assessment is the process of gathering the information to be evaluated.
Grading involves assigning a mark to reflect the results of the judgements made.
Reporting is a means of conveying the results of the judgement.

To reinforce to students, parents, administrators and the general public the importance of Arts Education in Saskatchewan's Core Curriculum, the choral program must include a means to document the student learning which has resulted from involvement in the choral program.
The following principles will guide teachers in the development of plans for student evaluation in the choral program:

Student evaluation should be linked to the foundational objectives of the program. Within a foundational objective, specific learning objectives are derived and apply to a particular aspect of the course content. Student evaluation will determine to what extent these learning objectives have been achieved by individual students.
Evaluation should be embedded in the delivery of the choral program and should not occur as an isolated event at the end of the term.
A teacher should assess students in conjunction with instruction and not outside or apart from the learning experience. The foundational and specific learning objectives determine the instructional strategies employed and the choice of evaluation techniques, which each semester should include individual and small group singing tests, written assignments and oral presentations.
Teacher and students should discuss the students' work often in order to identify areas where more work is needed. Students need to know the criteria for evaluation.
A teacher should employ a variety of methods to assess learning. Over a semester, assessments should be made on both an individual and a group basis.
Evaluation strategies could encompass contract learning and student portfolios.

Teachers should equip students for peer and self-evaluation to be used in conjunction with the teacher's evaluation of students. Students should be regularly engaged in judging their own performances from both technical and stylistic perspectives.

Assessment in Choral 10, 20, 30

The overall evaluation of a student in this course should reflect a balance between the three components and between process and product. The following table offers some suggestions regarding student activities that would provide the basis for a comprehensive assessment strategy.

Components	Process	Product
Creative/ Productive	gradual development of vocal technique initial attempts and revisions of original musical composition active participation in class work in the areas of music theory and ear-training (including computer-assisted instruction)	performance of a vocal solo performance of an original musical composition tests of theory and ear-training skills
Cultural/ Historical (Students choose at least one project in this area per term/semester.)	research notes compiled for a report related to the repertoire being studied variety and quantity of sources explored in research	report (oral/written) related to the repertoire being studied
Critical/ Responsive (Students choose at least one project in this area per term/semester.)	informal assessment (oral/written) of a tape of choral music (e.g., their own choir's performance of repertoire being studied) development of a strategy to address the choir's shortcomings through rehearsal analysis of a commercial recording of vocal/choral music attendance at a community concert	formal analysis (oral/written) of a recorded performance of their own choir presentation (oral/written) of rehearsal strategies to address the performance goals of the choir review (oral/written) of the recording review (oral/written) of the concert

Assessment Techniques

Assessment of process skills is frequently accomplished by means of anecdotal records, checklists, and rating scales. The teacher may choose to focus on a small number of students in each class, or focus on one specific task for a particular class.
Assessment of student products is characterized by traditional summative evaluation practices, such as assigning a letter grade or numerical mark to the student's presentation, project, or performance. Teachers may elect to involve the student's peers in this type of evaluative procedure.
The sample unit provides examples of assessment procedures in both the process and product areas of study. It also demonstrates how the data gathered may be used to generate a report card mark.
The sample purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. An evaluation scheme that is derived from the learning objectives of the program and that represents a balance between process and product will serve the educational needs of the students.

Grading and Reporting

It is the responsibility of the school division, school principal and teaching staff to establish student evaluation and reporting procedures consistent with the philosophy, goals and objectives of this Curriculum Requirements document.
It is important that teachers make clear to students, in advance, the purpose of the assessments and whether they will be used as part of a grade or summative comment. Students need to know the criteria to be used in determining their report card mark. Evaluation criteria should be discussed with students before, during and after each unit of study, in order that students may become active participants in their own evaluation process. In fact, the students themselves may help to formulate the assessment and evaluation criteria when they understand the objectives.
The logistics of evaluating and reporting student progress often rob the teacher of the time needed to study choral scores, develop teaching strategies and accumulate appropriate educational resources. In the interest of efficiency, the teacher should have an assessment strategy and the mark-gathering procedures designed and in place prior to teaching a unit of study.