A collaborative journey to better music teaching through authentic assessment and evaluation: A narrative inquiry

Assessment and evaluation in music education has been a topic of great discussion over the past number of years. This study investigates the practices and experiences of four music teachers from the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board in Nova Scotia, Canada. The narratives of one teacher's experiences and understandings will serve to inform the development and implementation of more authentic assessments in classrooms where the integrated arts are promoted. Her reflections will be supported by direct quotes from the other three. It is hoped that the reflections shared will prompt others to examine their practices and to explore the assessment and evaluation methods that work best for their students.

Strategies explored by these teachers include portfolio assessment, performance-based assessment, rubric design and implementation, self and peer assessment, and managing assessment with large numbers of students. These strategies developed by the four teacher participants and the story of their journey together during their school district pilot shed important light on where we are with assessing students' learning through the arts and where we need to go. The narrative quality of this study will enhance the reader's understanding of the personal journey of each participant.

The arts community is one of sharing. Hopefully, the experiences shared here will inspire other teachers to step beyond their comfort zones, challenge the status quo, and transform current practices toward a more meaningful, authentic assessment process in music education and beyond.