MAAI Professional Development

Teacher Leaders and Leadership Team meet

On the last week of Spring vacation 25 arts educators met at the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) to participate in a day-long professional development opportunity entitled: Understanding and Implementing Quality Arts Assessment. Earlier this school year 4 of the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) teacher leaders did some work around the idea of collecting examples of work that all visual and performing arts teachers could access and utilize in their classrooms. They reflected on the items that all of the teacher leaders from phase 1 had contributed to a Depository. After meeting in Google Hangout and building on ideas in a Google doc they determined that professional development was needed on what was meant by “quality”. Hence, on April 19 the day was devoted to the topic.

Facilitator Wendy Cohen who had worked with the MDOE in 1997 as the national consultant on the Maine Learning Results, returned to help guide the work. The work centered around the following questions:

• What do we already know, understand, and do related to high quality arts assessment?
• What more can we learn?
• What do we agree are high quality criteria for arts lessons and assessments? What criteria will MAAI commit to using together?
• How do we provide feedback that supports reflection and growth in our collaborative work?

Throughout the day there was plenty of discussion around all of the questions and the pre-reading assignments of articles, chapters in books, and review of websites helped guide segments of the day as well.

Below are some of the items that participants found useful from the day for their own teaching practices:

• I’m excited by having a framework to work from in developing meta-rubrics for depository and future work for MAAI
• Continue the development of assessment partnership between teacher and student
• Creating a deeper understanding on the part of the student for the importance of assessment
• I am going to take away the idea to make sure i put my own rubrics and assessments through some of the best practice filters
• Discussions are invaluable with colleagues
• Knowledge of creating rubrics of high quality and curiosity for Cornerstone rubrics
• Being part of a larger whole was the most important part of today. I found it useful to talk/debate/discuss differing viewpoints, opinions, and understandings. I am taking with me a sense that there are colleagues out there who I can network with and that we share and informed opinion about arts assessment.  And of course there is more material on assessment out there to read than I can imagine.

A great deal was accomplished and at the end of the day it was clear what needs to happen next to continue to collaborate and build on the work during phase 3 of the MAAI.

If you’d like to see a short video of the professional development opportunity please click here. If you are interested in participating in phase 3 please send me an email at argy.nestor@maine.gov.