Measuring Student Learning in Michigan

Abstract

States have pursued various paths in their quest for high-quality assessments that would facilitate measures of student achievement/growth in traditionally nontested subjects and grades. In 2012, Michigan began an ambitious arts assessment program, termed the Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment project (MAEIA), which produced three tools: an arts education blueprint, a program review tool, and arts assessment specifications/prototypes. Projects like MAEIA present opportunities to understand and contextualize current trends and the broader context of arts assessment and arts standards. This chapter discusses the local and national context for the MAEIA work and reviews the components of the project. It details the project work to date, offering a critical analysis of the project’s process, goals, outcomes, and the successes and challenges inherent to the work. Last, it offers conclusions and discusses the implications and unresolved questions surrounding the MAEIA project.