Assessmentaslearning in music education: The risk of “criteria compliance” replacing “learning” in the Scandinavian countries

Abstract

Recent reforms in England and the USA give evidence that teaching methods and content can change rapidly, given a strong external pressure, for example through economic incentives, inspections, school choice, and public display of schools’ and pupils’ performances. Educational activities in the Scandinavian countries have increasingly become dominated by obligations regarding assessment and grading. A common thread is the demand for equal and just assessment and grading through clear criteria and transparent processes. Torrance states that clarity in assessment procedures, processes, and criteria has underpinned widespread use of coaching, practice, and provision of formative feedback to boost achievement, but that such transparency encourages instrumentalism. He concludes that the practice of assessment has moved from assessment of learning, through assessment for learning, to assessment as learning, with “assessment procedures and practices coming completely to dominate the learning experience” and “criteria compliance” replacing “learning”. Thus, formative assessment, in spite of its proven educational potential, threatens to be deformative. In this article we will explore to what extent and how this development is visible in two cases, presenting music education in one Norwegian and one Swedish compulsory school setting. Three thematic threads run through this exploration: quality, power, and instrumentalism.

Improvisation i musikundervisningen: Tre lärares didaktiska förhållningssätt

“…En annan aspekt av kursplanens uppbyggnad är den styrande funktion som kunskapskraven i Lgr 11 förefaller ha fått. Enligt en forskningsstudie inverkar detta på vilket innehåll som privilegieras i undervisningen (Ferm Almqvist, Vinge, Väkevä & Zandén, 2016). I skapande musikaliska aktiviteter ligger att resultaten inte kan vara förutsedda, vilket också innebär att de är svåra att bedöma och betygsätta utifrån på förhand givna mål (Higgins & Mantie, 2013;Johansen, Holdhus, Larsson & MacGlone, 2019).…”

Skolforskningsinstitutet, konfigurativa översikter och undervisningens komplexitet

“…Ett exempel på översiktsfråga skulle kunna vara: "vilka problem kan uppstå när formativ bedömning ligger till grund för genomförande av undervisning?" Inom området finns det ett växande antal fallstudier som uppmärksammar att användningen av formativ bedömning kan ge upphov till vad Torrance (2007) benämner som "bedömning som lärande" (se också Hume & Coll, 2009;Ferm Almqvist, Vinge, Väkevä & Zandén, 2016;Torrance, 2012). Torrance (2007) använder beteckningen "bedömning som lärande" för att beskriva hur formativ bedömning kan ge upphov till instrumentella undervisningskulturer, där synliggörandet av mål och kriterier förefaller att prägla elevernas lärandeerfarenheter på bekostnad av ämnesinnehållet (jfr Hume & Coll, 2009).…”

Assessment in Music: A Practitioner Introduction to Assessing Students

“…In a qualitative study of three purposely selected elementary music teachers, Salvador (2011) noted that participants viewed the number of students taught, time constraints, and the lack of administrator support as being obstacles to improved assessment. Similarly, Harrison et al (2013), Lehman (2008), and Ferm Almqvist et al (2017) all echoed the concern over class size issues and their impact on effective assessment. Russell and Austin (2010) also found that administrative guidance or assistance with assessment was rare, yet when administrators provided help, nonmusic assessments were less likely to be present in the classroom.…”

“…Logistical challenges may also influence assessment decisions and impede improvement in assessment practice (Ferm Almqvist, Vinge, Väkevä, & Zandén, 2017; Harrison et al, 2013; Russell & Austin, 2010; Salvador, 2011). In a qualitative study of three purposely selected elementary music teachers, Salvador (2011) noted that participants viewed the number of students taught, time constraints, and the lack of administrator support as being obstacles to improved assessment.…”