Assessment in Secondary Music Classrooms: A Replication Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine assessment practices of secondary school music teachers in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States by replicating the research methods of Russell & Austin (2010). A total of 4,083 invitation emails were sent once a week over the course of three weeks, 840 emails were reported opened by recipients. Though a total 291 responses were received, only 185 questionnaires were usable for analysis. As in Russell & Austin (2010), the majority of respondents reported using traditional letter grades and that their classes are weighted equally with other general education classes for calculating students’ overall grade point average (GPA) and count towards graduation requirements. Participants used both achievement and non-achievement criteria for determining students’ grades. However, on average, the aggregate of non-achievement criteria was weightily slightly heavier than achievement criteria. Regarding influence of respondents specific teaching contexts on grading methods, significant influences were found for teaching specialization, assessment confidence, and instructional time.