Sharon Cho

EdTPA: Task 3, Part C

Assessment Commentary
1.
Analyzing Student Learning
a.
Identify the specific learning objectives and standards measured by the assessment you
chose for analysis.
Through the assessments the students are asked to analyze not only themselves, but a
different performance group. They are listening for their own sound, blend, incorporation of the
elements, and overall expressive ideas and meaning. This parallels the Illinois Learning
Standards for the Fine Arts, 25.A.5. Similarly, they are hitting standards 1, 6, 7, and 9 in the
National Standards for Music Education through singing through the Madrigal and evaluating
their performance, listening, analyzing, and describing the music to give themselves a grade,
and through understanding why certain notes are arranged and notated a way in relation to the
context of the lyrics and in relation to the culture of the Renaissance/ Madrigals.
b.

Provide a graphic (table or chart) or narrative that summarizes student learning for your
whole class. Be sure to summarize student learning for all evaluation criteria submitted in
Task 3, Part D.

Student learning for the whole class is done through participation in discussion and
through recording and completing the assessment worksheet. The formal assessment is
through quality completion of the worksheet, and not by how high the scores total to be. Quality
completion includes a fair and honest assessment of their singing, a reason and solution that
used Academic Language and was achievable and well thought out, and finally demonstrates
the ability to build and improve their sound while contributing to the grow of the ensemble. The
performance is not only graded by the one recording. It is also done throughout the week. I keep
in mind the students that participated in the essential question discussion, the evaluation
segment of the recording, and when singing through the piece as a class.
Students build their learning through the elements listed in the rubric and assessment
sheet. They are given the time to write down how they will improve each category and element.
The answers may come from an individual suggestion, or through rehearsal suggestions and
techniques we rehearsed and discussed in class.
Use evidence found in the 3 student work samples and the whole class summary
to analyze the patterns of learning for the whole class and differences for groups or
individual learners relative to creating, performing, or responding to music/ dance/ theater by
applying
artistic skills (e.g., self-expression, creativity, exploration/ improvisation)
knowledge (e.g., tools/instruments, technical proficiencies, processes, elements,
organizational principles)
contextual understandings (e.g., social, cultural, historical, global, personal reflection)
c.

Consider what students understand and do well, and where they continue to struggle (e.g.,
common errors, weaknesses, confusions, need for greater challenge).
I chose three students of three different levels: One that has been in many music
ensembles and demonstrates advanced knowledge of music theory and reading, one that is
right on track with the learning curve, and one that is participating in a music group for only the
second year. What is great about these learning segments, is that you dont need to be the most

advanced musician to get a good score, feedback, and/or participate. Musicians of all levels are
able to assess other recordings, themselves, the ensemble, and communicate using academic
language learned and repeated throughout the week. The students are individually asked to
create their own solution plan. This type of response immediately individualizes a students path
towards success. With the guided assistance of how to evaluate their singing and techniques
shared of how to better the sound, students are given the tools to complete the assessment with
quality material.
The students usually have a pattern to learning music. They receive the music and truck
along reading the notes on a neutral syllable, or on solfge. This change up in routine of having
them analyze the notations, articulations and decode the translations allowed the students to
really show their own patterns of thought. For instance, some students were better at picking out
the emotion of a phrase, than figuring out the relationship between the emotion and the notation
and articulation. Some students were better at identifying word/text paint sections than others,
and some students were more comfortable suggesting dynamics. All of these things helped the
ensemble create, evaluate, analyze, respond, and perform as individuals and as a unit.
The students were able to better respond with the context clues and information from
day 1. This helped the rest of the week fly by with note reading. With the incorporation of their
knowledge behind the piece, the historical and cultural context, and with the translation of the
text, the students were more engaged in the piece and better remembered the dynamics.
2.
Feedback to Guide Further Learning
Refer to specific of submitted feedback to support your explanations.
a.
In what form did you submit your evidence of feedback for the 3 focus students?
Written directly on work samples or in a separate document;
In audio files; or
In video clips from the Instruction task (provide a time-stamp reference) or in a separate
video clip
I wrote directly onto their work samples. The actual grades, 4-1, were not shared with the
students.
b.

Explain how feedback provided to the 3 focus students addresses their individual
strengths and needs relative to the standards/ objectives measured.

For the advanced student, most of my comments were to reinforce this students
remarks and suggestions, or to ask to think one level deeper: How to lead the section and
ensemble. With the intermediate student, the feedback given was a reminder of the techniques
and suggestions we discussed in class: How to use the breath to support dynamics and how
marking up the score can help with page turns. The third student received a few more notes to
guide her solution portion of the assessment. For example, instead of just writing practice, I
gave her some notes to think about like- Remembering the starts of the phrases, the importance
of the context, executing tall vowels, or speaking through the text to better nail the word
stresses and text. My comments were to evoke a deeper analysis of the students comments:
Why did this student grade themselves that way? What can we plan and work on to better the
elements? I believe all of my comments reinforce their plans and ask them to take it one step
further in thought.
c.

How will you support students to apply the feedback to guide improvement, either within
the learning segment or at a later time?

Their solutions are things that can be applied to any song that they sing and prepare in
class. We have discussed many times how these elements and techniques can be applied for
any phrases in songs. I returned their sheets to them to keep in their folders so that when they
need a reminder of a certain technique and how to better assist their learning, they can look
back at this sheet and find their solution. I will also support the students through vocal modeling,
immediate vocal feedback, and positive encouragement throughout my stay here.
3.
Evidence of Language Understanding and Use
You may provide evidence of students language use from ONE, TWO, OR ALL THREE of the
following sources:
1.
2.

Use video clips from Task 2 and provide time-stamp references for language use.
Submit an additional video file named Language Use of no more than 5 minutes in
length and provide time-stamp references for student language use (this can be footage of
one more more students language use). Submit the clip in Task 3, Part B.
3.
Use the student work samples analyzed in Task 3 and cite language use.
When responding to the prompt below, use concrete examples from the clips (using time-stamp
references) and/or student work samples as evidence. Evidence from the clips may focus on
one or more students.
a.

Explain and provide evidence for the extent to which your students were able to use or
struggled to use language (selected function, vocabulary, and additional identified demands
from Task 1) to develop content understandings?

The Assessment given on Day 5, incorporated elements and terms we had discussed
throughout the week. They were able to provide understanding through verbal feedback, and
through written responses on the assessment sheet. The students were able to express the
music and knowledge of language and function through multiple mediums: Singing it through,
commenting on a recording, commenting on the ensemble sound, reflecting on their own
singing and figuring out a plan to improve their sound.
The students were given an Introduction sheet on Day 1 to learn or review the terms
before I asked them to use it throughout the week. I am able to then comment on their
assessment worksheets with these terms and lead discussions and phrase questions through
them. In addition, the students can use these terms to assess themselves and put it in writing.
For example, student work sample 2 (Page 2 of 3) explains the lower score was given for not
executing all of the word stresses and performing with dynamic contrast.
4.
a.

Using Assessment to Inform Instruction

Based on your analysis of student learning presented in prompts 1b-c, describe next
steps for instruction
for the whole class
for the 3 focus students and other individuals/groups with specific needs
Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different strategies/support (e.g.,
students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners, struggling readers,
underperforming students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students).
Students can take these terms and learned techniques and apply them in analyzing their
next piece. The class as a whole can openly discuss how to be more musical, how to connect
the sound and emotion to the meaning of the text, how the notes, rhythms and articulations

work together to tell the text, or vice versa, and will be able to analyze another performance as a
class to better their sound.
For the three individual students, the advanced student can start to think about how to
lead the section and discover his/her role and voice in the choir. This student can also execute
the dynamics with more care and focus to the intensity of air, rather than mouth shape, or
volume. The intermediate student will be able to take his/her own notes with the addition of mine
to think about the relationship between notes, how breath support affects the sound, and how to
notate music to strengthen the execution. The third student will be able to give a more detailed
thought of how to practice. The analysis of what needed to be worked on was quite good, but
now to take a step further, I have incorporated notes to share some ideas of how to start
practicing and improve these elements.
b.

Explain how these next steps follow from your analysis of students learning. Support
your explanation with principles from research and/or theory.

These next steps continue their learning and develop of their academic language. It also
builds on the idea that notes, rhythms, articulations, and text need to be taught together to
achieve a great connection between the singer and the emotion of the piece. Through enforcing
and keeping each students success and solution plan accountable, will benefit the overall
ensemble sound as well as their engagement throughout the course. These things also parallel
my philosophy to help guide the students to find their voice in the ensemble and world through
developing healthy habits, and leadership skills.
A 2013 dissertation by Ruth Gurgel, asked a question that I used to build my
assessment. The question asked how student perceptions compared to their teachers
perceptions. Through a formal assessment where the students can evaluate themselves and set
a solution plan for themselves, allows the teacher to see where their view and goals are. With
my comments right on the side of theirs to see, puts the teacher and student eye to eye and
helps build the plan together. The dissertation also mentioned how levels of engagement is
varied class to class, and is multidimensional. Because of this, engagement must be done
through active participation, and through a commitment to build and enforce educational goals
and learning. Through the follow up of their solution plans and having them notate their
evaluations, students are able to build their own educational goals, while being guided by the
teacher. All of these things will help my analysis of student growth and learning. In addition, the
engagement of students is so crucial to the building of their knowledge. Without focus, the
meaning of their sound dissipates. Thus, keeping them engaged through discussion and
through building personal plans, the students are more in tune to the building of the ensemble
sound and are on the same page as to how to improve.