Professional Learning Community
Creating Effective Assessments
for Strings
Dottie Ladman & Rhonda Neely
Lincoln Public Schools: Lincoln, Nebraska
American String Teachers Association
2014 National Conference
March 7,
7, 2014
2014
AGENDA
1. Profile
2. Process
3. Examples
4.
Collaboration
5. Results
6. Thriving
7. Activity
8. Resources
“Behind every
PLC is a
veteran
teacher rolling
his eyes.”
Profile
LPS Elementary String Program
elementary
string
students
elementary
string
teachers
students per school
of instruments for rent or fee waiver
LPS Elementary String Program
Begin in 4th
Grade
Small
Group
Instruction
Orchestras
4th (some)
5th (all)
“Essential Elements 2000 for Strings” vol. 1 & 2
Challenges
• School district size: nearly 38K students
• Socioeconomic populations between schools
• Pulling students for small group lessons
• Computerized classroom testing
• Differing class size/classroom space
• Time to reteach students
• Different teaching styles
Begin in 4th
Grade
Small
Group
Instruction
Orchestras
4th (some)
5th (all)
Process
Establish Norms
Identify Essential Outcomes
Posture/
Position
Rhythm
Note Names
Create Assessments
(4th grade beginners)
Note Names/Fingerings
• D major scale
• No key signature
Rhythm Counting
• Quarter notes
• Eighth notes
• Written
• Traditional counting
“Knowing what
you want to
accomplish is
half the battle.
The other half
is the room full
of fourth
graders.”
Assessment Examples
(Beginners)
Note Names and Fingerings
Beginning NNF has stayed the same since 2008
(Version #1)
Note Names and Fingerings
(Version #2)
Note Names and Fingerings
All lines start with 4 quarter notes
Additional measure for all rhythms taught
Challenge: too long and confusing for some students
(Version #3)
Note Names and Fingerings
Eliminated a measure
Customized rhythm
More manageable for beginners
Teachers recording the playing tests
Scoring Sheet
Bowing Assessment
New essential outcome based on ASTA curriculum
New district-implemented data gathering process
Committee created examples
Group decision on selected assessment tool
(2nd Year)
Bowing Assessment - Scoring
Sharing Teaching
Strategies and Best
Practices
Note Name Fingering
(Worksheet)
One strip
per week
Note Words
Higher
order
thinking
Analyze
visually,
mentally
Traditional Counting
(Worksheet)
Use after
pretest
Rules for Counting
(Worksheet)
Counting / Performance
New line each week at lessons
Practice writing the counting, then playing
(Worksheet)
5th Grade Bowing Practice
Same measures, different order
Measuring Results - Data
“The new data
analysis
software is
here, Ms.
Riggs. Could
you send one
of the third
graders down
to install it?”
Results: Fingering
92%
90%
1300
88%
86%
800
84%
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
82%
2008
300
Avg Score
# Students
1800
Results: Note Names
96%
94%
92%
90%
88%
86%
84%
82%
1300
800
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
300
Avg Score
# Students
1800
Results: Individual Students
Growth from pre-test to post-test
Results: Measuring Schools
Data Gathering in Google Docs
Thriving
“We need to
choose
somebody to
plan a little
celebration.
Did anyone
here go to a
party school?”
“That’s who
the principal
thinks I am.”
PLC Positives
Common
vocabulary
Common
curriculum and
pacing
Develop
teaching
strategies
Identify
students who
need reteaching
Collegiality /
Respect among
teachers
Teacher
accountability
Our Team
15 Elementary String Specialists in Lincoln Public Schools
Lincoln, NE
Group Activity:
Scoring Assessments
Group Activity
Resources
Resources
Website wp.lps.org/rneely/
Resources
• Dottie Ladman – dladman@lps.org
• Rhonda Neely – rneely@lps.org
• ASTA Curriculum Guide
• Cartoons from The PLC at Work Cartoon Book by
Martha F. Campbell
• Essential Elements 2000 for Strings. Allen, M.,
Gillespie, R., and Tellejohn Hayes, P.
• Renee Alexander, Alexander & Associates,
dnralex@gmail.com -- PowerPoint designer
LPS Administration
Dr. Jane Stavem
Associate Superintendent for Instruction
Dr. Jadi Miller
Director of Curriculum and Professional Development
Dr. Raymond Lowther
Supervisor of Music