Assessment Practices of American Band Directors

Abstract

American band directors are often tasked with preparing their ensembles (often large) for many performances throughout a year while providing meaningful relevant curricula, creating meaningful and effective assessments, and delivering all of this in an inspirational way. Band directors currently do so in a myriad of ways. To begin to address these challenges, in 2014 the National Core Music Standards (NCMS) were published while Model Cornerstone Assessments (MCAs) continue to be developed. When completed, alongside the NCMSs, the MCAs will serve to maximize the efficacy and efficiency of classroom assessment and provide model assessments and assessment models to teachers. State large ensemble performance assessments serve as summative assessments for many band directors and their ensembles. Some states use the assessment results as a part of yearly teacher evaluations, but there are validity and reliability concerns that must be addressed before this becomes a common practice.