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Session Title: State Policy and Arts Assessment System
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Panel Session 320 to be held in the Agate Room Section B on Thursday, Nov 6, 1:40 PM to 3:10 PM
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Sponsored by the Evaluating the Arts and Culture TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Ching Ching Yap,
University of South Carolina,
ccyap@gwm.sc.edu
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| Abstract:
State policies and mandates that dictate arts instructional requirements are the main factors that influence individual states effort in creating large-scale arts assessments. In addition to adhering to mandates, each state has to determine available resources and establishes the purpose of its assessment programs to develop the program guidelines. Those guidelines determine the design and implementation of the assessment including scoring and results dissemination procedure. Due to the differences in state policies and mandates, the currently available arts assessment programs varied widely from state to state. The purpose of this panel is have state arts representatives present and share their efforts in developing arts assessment programs that best fit their states. The discussion of the approaches taken by each state including successes and challenges in creating the assessments will provide the attendees with additional insights about the developmental process of a state-wide arts assessment program.
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California Arts Assessment Network
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| Nancy Carr,
California Department of Education,
ncarr@cde.ca.gov
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The California Arts Assessment Network (CAAN) has brought together local educational agencies to develop models of arts assessment that can be used for large-scale administration at the school or at the classroom level.
Currently, the CAAN, http://www.teachingarts.org/CAAN, has developed a selected response item pool, and an online process for examining student work (SWOP) based on state standards. The assessment is not mandatory.
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Connecticut's Common Arts Assessment Initiative
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| Scott Shuler,
Connecticut State Department of Education,
scott.shuler@ct.gov
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The goal of Connecticut's Common Arts Assessment Initiative (in Art and
Music) is to develop common tools to measure student art and music learning of the standards at the district and school levels. The pilot and final versions of the assessments will be available to teachers on a voluntary basis in order to (a) monitor and improve student learning in the arts; (b) ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn in the arts; and (c) promote collaboration and exchange of instructional ideas among teachers. In addition, the assessments will also be available to districts as tools to monitor and improve student learning in the arts, including the ability to compare learning across schools and districts. The assessment is not mandatory.
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The Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) in the Arts
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| Phillip Shepherd,
Kentucky Department of Education,
pshepher@kde.state.ky.us
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Kentucky has state mandated assessments in the arts for all students in grades 5, 8, and 11. The Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) includes multiple choice questions and open response questions that require students to apply content knowledge and understanding in greater depth by explaining, using supporting details, and justifying their conclusions.
There are a total of 96 multiple choice items and six open response items spread across six testing forms so that random sampling is employed to arrive at school level accountability scores. These tests are not designed to measure for student level accountability. The arts and humanities assessment scores for each school are factored into the overall school academic index (assessment score).
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Rhode Island Arts Proficiency Assessments
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| Rosemary Burns,
Rhode Island Department of Education,
rosemary.burns@ride.ri.gov
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Arts assessment in Rhode Island is a proficiency-based measure of student's knowledge and skills demonstrated consistently in various settings over time. Proficiency decisions are local, within each district. Fine arts educators and professionals in the state also researched and designed guidelines to assist district as they develop proficiency plans in the arts.
The assessment is not mandatory.
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South Carolina Arts Assessment Program
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| Ching Ching Yap,
University of South Carolina,
ccyap@gwm.sc.edu
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The South Carolina Arts Assessment Program (SCAAP) is a state-wide assessment program that currently has six different assessments in various stages of development. All SCAAP assessments include a web-based multiple-choice section and two performance tasks. Both multiple-choice items include the use of multimedia interpretative materials such as digital images, digital sound files, and streaming video clips. School-level results are disseminated to teachers and principals to inform instruction based on state standards. The assessment is voluntary for some schools, but mandatory for schools that receive state arts grants.
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