Assessment map
| When | Evidence | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Before week 1 | 20-minute ungraded diagnostic: pulse imitation, note reading, duration equivalence, contour, and explanation | Plan grouping and optional foundations support |
| Every meeting | One exit response | Reteach, regroup, or advance next meeting |
| Every week | 10–15 point application prompt plus synthesis artifact | Track strand-level growth |
| End week 10 | Written/aural midterm and melody project | Plan weeks 11–13 intervention |
| Weeks 19–20 | Composition, performance stations, written final, portfolio defense | Evaluate transfer and next steps |
Midterm blueprint · 60 points
- Rhythm and meter · 12: complete, rebeam, perform, and explain one simple/compound contrast.
- Staff and pitch · 12: mixed-clef reading, octave labels, ledger lines, and one clef translation.
- Intervals · 12: name, construct, invert, and aurally discriminate.
- Scales and keys · 12: major/minor construction, signature, scale degrees, and relative/parallel relationship.
- Melody · 12: annotate contour/motive/phrase and revise a four-measure continuation.
Use at least 40% transfer items: unfamiliar examples requiring explanation or construction. Provide an aural replay policy in advance and use the same number of hearings for all students unless an accommodation specifies otherwise.
Final blueprint · 100 points
- Rhythm, meter, and notation · 15
- Intervals, scales, keys, and spelling · 15
- Triads, Roman numerals, cadence, and voice leading · 20
- Form and score analysis · 15
- Aural/dictation/sight-singing station · 15
- Acoustics, tuning, clefs, and transposition laboratory · 10
- Synthesis explanation connecting three strands · 10
Common analytic rubric
| Criterion | 4 · Independent transfer | 3 · Secure | 2 · Developing | 1 · Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | Accurate in unfamiliar context; checks work | Accurate in familiar context | Partial pattern with consequential errors | Fragmentary or unsupported |
| Notation/terms | Precise, readable, functionally spelled | Mostly conventional and clear | Meaning visible despite inconsistency | Notation obscures meaning |
| Evidence | Multiple specific musical details | At least one relevant detail | General reference without precision | Assertion only |
| Reasoning | Explains process, limitation, and alternative | Explains correct process | Some steps missing or memorized | No usable reasoning |
Composition project rubric · 40 points
| 10 points each | Look-fors |
|---|---|
| Coherence and development | Recognizable material, purposeful variation, proportion, and arrival |
| Pitch/harmonic understanding | Intentional collection or progression, accurate spelling, defensible choices |
| Rhythm/form | Stable metric logic, readable grouping, contrast and return |
| Craft/revision | Playable parts, conventions, rehearsal response, documented revision |
Answer policy
Weekly unit pages provide concise answer guidance for fixed prompts. For analysis and composition, score the claim against musical evidence rather than matching one teacher interpretation. Alternate formal boundaries, harmonizations, spellings, or voice leadings earn full credit when they satisfy the stated constraints and the student explains tradeoffs.
The published prompts are models and practice-ready assessments, not secure high-stakes forms. Change surface pitches, keys, meters, and excerpts while preserving the construct. Never grade microphone confidence or device quality as student musicianship.