Evaluation and Feedback

Abstract

This chapter includes strategies for evaluating assessment information after it has been collected, and providing useful feedback to students. Using criterion referencing, rather than norm referencing, is the best choice for classroom assessment. Assessments with many levels are less reliable; usually, three or four levels is a good choice. Descriptive feedback, which is focused on student improvement, is more educative than evaluative feedback, which does not always provide students with the information they need. Design of evaluation methods like rubrics, rating scales, checklists, and narratives can facilitate all steps in the assessment process. Evaluation that casts musical elements as unrelated is often problematic and reductionist, as is assessment that attempts to use the same criteria for many possible artistic situations. Assessment design can attenuate these difficulties as well. Even though educational data is often overused and misused, it can still inform teachers’ instruction when thoughtfully and judiciously acquired and analysed.