Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T03:50:04.580Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Assessment of composing in the lower secondary school in the English National Curriculum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2011

Martin Fautley  and
Jonathan Savage
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article reports the results of research into teachers’ practices concerning the assessment of composing at Key Stage 3 in the National Curriculum for Music in England. It finds that many teachers are using NC levels for assessing individual pieces of work, a process for which they were never intended. It also finds that teachers find it difficult to show progress using NC levels, and that many teachers have rewritten the levels into child-friendly language, thus causing further difficulties.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Music Education , Volume 28 , Issue 01: John Paynter: Music Educator 1931–2010 , March 2011 , pp. 51 - 67
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

This research was funded by a grant from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, to whom the authors are most grateful.

References

ADAMS, P. (2000) Assessment in the music classroom. In Philpott, C. (Ed.), Learning to Teach Music in the Secondary School. 1st Edition. London: RoutledgeFalmer.Google Scholar
Assessment Reform Group (1999) Assessment for Learning – Beyond the Black Box. Cambridge: University of Cambridge School of Education.Google Scholar
Assessment Reform Group (2002) Assessment for Learning: 10 Principles. ARG. http://k1.ioe.ac.uk/tlrp/arg/publications.htmlGoogle Scholar
BALL, S. J. (2003) The teacher's soul and the terrors of performativity. Journal of Education Policy, 18, 215–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BERKLEY, R. (2001) Why is teaching composing so challenging? A survey of classroom observation and teachers’ opinions. British Journal of Music Education, 18, 119–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BLACK, P. (1995) Can teachers use assessment to improve learning. British Journal of Curriculum and Assessment, 5 (2), 7–11.Google Scholar
BLACK, P. & WILIAM, D. (1998) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment. London: School of Education, King's College.Google Scholar
BLACK, P. & WILIAM, D. (2006) Assessment for learning in the classroom. In Gardner, J. (Ed.), Assessment and Learning (pp. 9–25). London: Sage.Google Scholar
BLACK, P., HARRISON, C., LEE, C., MARSHALL, B. & WILIAM, D. (2003a) Assessment for Learning: Putting it into Practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press.Google Scholar
BLACK, P., HARRISON, C., LEE, C., MARSHALL, B. & WILIAM, D. (2003b) The nature and value of formative assessment for learning. Improving Schools, 6 (3), 7–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BLACK, P., HARRISON, C., LEE, C., MARSHALL, B. & WILIAM, D. (2004) Working inside the Black Box. Phi Delta Kappan, 86 (1), 8–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BOUD, D. (2000) Sustainable assessment: rethinking assessment for the learning society. Studies in Continuing Education, 22, 151–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BRAY, D. (2000) Teaching Music in the Secondary School. Oxford: Heinemann Educational.Google Scholar
BRAY, D. (2002) Assessment in music education. In Spruce, G. (Ed.), Aspects of Teaching Secondary Music (pp. 79–93). London: RoutledgeFalmer.Google Scholar
BROPHY, T. S. (2000) Assessing the Developing Child Musician: A Guide for General Music Teachers. Chicago: GIA Publications.Google Scholar
BURLAND, K. & DAVIDSON, J. W. (2001) Investigating social processes in group musical composition. Research Studies in Music Education, 16, 46–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. (2000a) Examining experiential differences between improvisation and composition in children's music-making. British Journal of Music Education, 17, 227–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. (2000b) How children ascribe meaning to improvisation and composition. Music Education Research, 2, 7–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. (2002) Investigating children's meaning-making and the emergence of musical interaction in group improvisation. British Journal of Music Education, 19, 157–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. (2006) The individual and social worlds of children's musical creativity. In Mcpherson, C. (Ed.), The Child As Musician: A Handbook of Musical Development (pp. 353–374). Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. & YOUNKER, B. A. (2002) Mapping pathways: fostering creativity in composition. Music Education Research, 4, 245–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. & YOUNKER, B. A. (2004) Problem-solving and creativity: insights from students’ individual composing pathways. International Journal of Music Education, 22, 59–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. & YOUNKER, B. A. (2008) Investigating children's musical interactions within the activities systems of group composing and arranging: an application of Engeström's Activity Theory. International Journal of Educational Research, 47, 60–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BYRNE, C. & SHERIDAN, M. (2001) The SCARLATTI papers: development of an action research project in music. British Journal of Music Education, 18, 173–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BYRNE, C., MACDONALD, R. A. R. & CARLTON, L. (2003) Assessing creativity in musical compositions: the importance of flow. British Journal of Music Education, 20, 277–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COHEN, L., MANION, L. & MORRISON, K. (2007) Research Methods in Education. 6th edition. London: RoutledgeFalmer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COLWELL, R. (2002) Assessment's potential in music education. In Colwell, R. & Richardson, C. P. (Eds), The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning: a Project of the Music Educators National Conference. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
COLWELL, R. (2007) Music assessment in an increasingly politicized, accountability educational environment. In Brophy, T. S. (Ed.), Assessment in Music Education. Integrating Theory and Practice. Proceedings of the 2007 Symposium on Assessment in Music Education. University of Florida. Chicago: GIA Publications.Google Scholar
CRAFT, A. (2003) The limits to creativity in education: dilemmas for the educator. British Journal of Educational Studies, 51, 113–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CRAFT, A. (2005) Creativity in Schools – Tensions and Dilemmas. Abingdon: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CRAFT, A., CREMIN, T., BURNARD, P. & CHAPPELL, K. (2007) Teacher stance in creative learning: a study of progression. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 2, 136–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CRESWELL, J. W. (2009) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 3rd Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage.Google Scholar
DENSCOMBE, M. (2007) The Good Research Guide: For Small-Scale Social Research Projects. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.Google Scholar
DfES (2002) Training Materials for the Foundation Subjects. London: DfES.Google Scholar
DfES (2003) Key Messages – Pedagogy and Practice. London: DfES.Google Scholar
DfES (2004a) Assessment for Learning: Guidance for Senior Leaders. Norwich: HMSO.Google Scholar
DfES (2004b) Assessment for Learning: Whole School Training Materials. Norwich: HMSO.Google Scholar
FAUTLEY, M. (2004) Teacher intervention strategies in the composing processes of lower secondary school students. International Journal of Music Education, 22, 201–218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FAUTLEY, M. (2005) A new model of the group composing process of lower secondary school students. Music Education Research, 7, 39–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FAUTLEY, M. (2008) Assessment in Music Education – Questions and Answers. Matlock: NAME (National Association of Music Educators).Google Scholar
FAUTLEY, M. (2009) Assessment for learning in music. In Evans, J. & Philpott, C. (Eds), A Practical Guide to Teaching Music in the Secondary School (pp. 63–72). Abingdon: Routledge.Google Scholar
FAUTLEY, M. (2010) Assessment in Music Education. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
FELDHUSEN, J. F. & GOH, B. E. (1995) Assessing and accessing creativity: an integrative review of theory, research, and development. Creativity Research Journal, 8, 231–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FOWLER, A. (2008) Assessment – A view from the classroom. NAME (National Association of Music Educators) Journal, 23, 10–12.Google Scholar
GLASER, B. & STRAUSS, A. (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.Google Scholar
GORARD, S. & TAYLOR, C. (2004) Combining Methods in Educational and Social Research. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.Google Scholar
HARLEN, W. (2005) Teachers’ summative practices and assessment for learning – tensions and synergies. The Curriculum Journal, 16, 207–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HARLEN, W. (2007) Assessment of Learning. London: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JAMES, M. (1998) Using Assessment for School Improvement. Oxford: Heinemann Educational.Google Scholar
JEFFREY, B. (2006) Creative teaching and learning: towards a common discourse and practice. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36, 399–414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JOHNSON, R. & ONWUEGBUZIE, A. (2004) Mixed methods research: a research paradigm whose time has come. Educational Researcher, 33 (7), 14–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
KASCHUB, M. & SMITH, J. (2009) Minds on Music. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
MACDONALD, R., MIELL, D. & MITCHELL, L. (2002) An investigation of children's musical collaborations: the effects of friendship and age. Psychology of Music, 30, 148–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MACDONALD, R., BYRNE, C. & CARLTON, L. (2006) Creativity and flow in musical composition: an empirical investigation. Psychology of Music, 34, 292–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MAJOR, A. (2007) Talking about composing in secondary school music lessons. British Journal of Music Education, 24, 165–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MAJOR, A. (2008) Appraising composing in secondary-school music lessons. Music Education Research, 10, 307–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MANSELL, W., JAMES, M. & Assessment Reform Group (2009) Assessment in Schools. Fit for purpose? A Commentary by the Teaching and Learning Research Programme. London: Economic and Social Research Council, Teaching and Learning Research Programme.Google Scholar
MARSHALL, C. & ROSSMAN, G. B. (2006) Designing Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage.Google Scholar
MIELL, D. & MACDONALD, R. (2000) Children's creative collaborations: the importance of friendship when working together on a musical composition. Social Development, 9, 348–369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MILLS, J. (1991) Assessing musical performance musically. Educational Studies, 17, 173–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MURPHY, R. (2007). Harmonising assessment and music in the classroom. In Bresler, L. (Ed.), International Handbook of Research in Arts Education (Vol. 16, Part 1, pp. 361–380). Dordrecht: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MURPHY, R. & ESPELAND, M. (2007) Making connections in assessment and evaluation in arts education. In Bresler, L. (Ed.), International Handbook of Research in Arts Education (Vol. 16, Part 1, pp. 337–446). Dordrecht: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
NEWTON, P. E. (2007) Clarifying the purposes of educational assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 14, 149–170.Google Scholar
ODAM, G. (2000) Teaching composing in secondary schools: the creative dream. British Journal of Music Education, 17, 109–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ofsted (2009) Making More of Music. London: Ofsted.Google Scholar
PAYNTER, J. (2000) Making progress with composing. British Journal of Music Education, 17, 5–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PUNCH, K. (2009) Introduction to Research Methods in Education. London: Sage.Google Scholar
QCA (2007) Music – Programme of Study: Key Stage 3, QCA. www.qca.org.uk/curriculum.Google Scholar
QCA (2008) Music Key Stage 3. http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/subjects/music/index.aspx.Google Scholar
RUTHVEN, K. (1995) Beyond common sense: reconceptualizing National Curriculum assessment. Curriculum Journal, 6, 5–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SAINSBURY, M. & SIZMUR, S. (1998) Level descriptions in the national curriculum: what kind of criterion referencing is this? Oxford Review of Education, 24, 181–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
STEPHENS, J. (2003) Imagination in education: strategies and models in the teaching and assessment of composition. In Hickey, M. (Ed.), Why and How to Teach Music Composition: A New Horizon for Music Education (pp. 113–138). Reston: MENC.Google Scholar
STRAUSS, A. & CORBIN, J. (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques: Newbury Park: Sage.Google Scholar
WILIAM, D. (2003) National curriculum assessment: how to make it better. Research Papers in Education, 18, 129–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WRIGHT, D. (2003) Making friends with your data: improving how statistics are conducted and reported. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 123–136.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed