Submitted by Bruce Schutrum, Ohio

Idea posted February 12, 2002

I send home a parent response form with the students' portfolios. Although the questions are focused on the portfolio, I do receive a lot of feedback which can be thought of as an assessment of the general music program.

  1. My first impression of this portfolio was...
  2. As I read through this portfolio, I was interested to learn...
  3. After talking about some of the work with my child, I began to understand...
  4. I observed growth in my child's ability to...
  5. As I looked through the portfolio, I had the following questions...
  6. Based on this portfolio, I would evaluate my child's progress in music to be O, S, or U for the following reasons...

It is really interesting to read the parents' evaluations of their own children's work - what they see as the basis for a grade.

The items in the portfolio consist of everything that the students have worked on for the grading period, such as their: PROJECTS - which include the journal or goal sheets, evaluation form with rubrics, their music and/or composition and cassette tape of their work; LISTENING JOURNALS and a quiz; INFORMATION SHEETS and NOTES, such as a list of the rhythm words we use, a list of the steps they must take in each project and the special Anacanhana220 decoder, and any work they have done in the Waiting Room. It will also include the Amahl libretto we have been working on, their instrument classification study - ideophone, aerophones, etc., their "straw" instrument, and a write up.

Hope this gives you an idea of the contents.