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| Written by Maryellen Rogusky |
| Thursday, 02 February 2006 08:27 |
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The Field's Suggestions The field suggested a larger focus on teacher learning, places for teacher comments, and places for teachers to discuss their learning. They wanted peer-review to be grounded in reflective practice. Otherwise, the collecting of evidence of student learning seemed to benefit only NYSCA. Many suggestions revolved around the idea that one size does not fit all. So how would a second grader be compared to a ninth grader? What standards would be used? How can we get this done and enter data for all students? What is the role of the mentor? How does this change the relationship between colleagues? Project Goals The SchoolWorks Lab, an educational partnership group with national expertise in arts assessment and evaluation, will evaluate Partnerships between schools and arts organization in the establishment of a Professional Development model based on an online sampling of evidence of student learning. The SchoolWorks Lab will support ten partnership sites by creating and maintaining the online sampling system, providing guidance in the use of the online sampling system, and evaluating the quality of the evidence of student learning as demonstrated by the alignment between the sample of student work, the teacher’s assessment, the Teaching Artist’s assessment, and the program goals. Participants will grow in their knowledge and skills in assessment through reflecting on the assessment process, documenting the evidence of student learning using shared language and technique, and creating a dialogue among colleagues who work with the same students. Online Forum for Professional Development This project provides a forum by which teachers and Teaching Artists can begin to participate in a professional conversation that starts with assessment. The online documentation allows teachers to share examples of student work and methodology through the convenience of the Internet. Through online documentation of shared students’ work, teachers and teaching artists will become more aware of their shared and divergent assessment strategies. Often, collaboration between teachers and teaching artists proves difficult because the TA is often a guest or outsider in the school system, lacks educational training and familiarity with the students. Additionally, the classroom teacher often lacks artistic training or familiarity with the TA’s curriculum or goals. Consequently, the TA relies on the classroom teacher for Classroom Management issues and otherwise, the teacher is uninvolved. Discussing the TA’s intended curriculum, planning for activities, utilizing classroom materials, and formulating assessment strategies do not fit into most realities of a partnership between a school and a cultural organization. Online Assessment Documentation The use of an online documentation system such as the one proposed here allows teachers and teaching artists more consistent and effective uses of assessment devices. As they begin to examine the methods and purposes of assessment, participants gain clarity in their stated curricular goals, the purposes of their partnership, and the quality of student work that is produced through the partnership. The door is then opened to more thoughtful and reflective collaboration between teachers and Teaching Artists across the scope of the program, from planning activities and materials, aligning the program with state standards, designing assessments and ensuring that the art and academic subjects are fully integrated. Organizing Project Memo, Jan. 2005 NYSCA wants to strengthen the field’s ability to report results of partnerships. NYSCA wants to build a website that is reflective of the field. NYSCA Needs Evidence of:
The end result is a website where sites provide common data across the field and unique data that exists only at individual sites. For example:
Pilot Year Work Plan
We want this to be generative, intriguing, and fun. We want to take the time to be artists about this, muck around, reflect, refine, etc., until ready to show the world... We want to keep this Research Question in mind: How does contributing to an online database of evidence of student learning in and through the arts facilitate professional development of teachers and teaching artists, provide a model for assessment gathering, and aid in accountability issues across a large state?” What does accountability mean? We want to craft a new definition of accountability across the state (NYSCA can’t do by themselves) Validity and Reliability: How does validity and reliability mesh together across sites? Validity is the process of establishing how we know something is of quality at one site, and Reliability, is the process of establishing how we know something is good across more than one site. Work Over Time: By collecting data, defining evidence over time, we will begin to document how we think about these issues, and what we might recommend to the field for their adoption of definitions for validity and reliability. Must have a positive effect on the people involved—learning how do to this process, and the resulting exchange of ideas—must be realized as useful. Groups can say first we’ll work on our process—before showing work This will need a “directive voice”—facilitated conversation –in pilot phase –guided learning for all involved (director, critical peer, expert) The future of the field might look like cadres of partnerships across the state exploring specific issues (change in teaching artist practice, teacher practice, change in co-teaching over time, etc.). Ask every partnership to pick a focus question at Summer Seminar, and they could bring back the next year information they had worked on. |