Dr. Steven J Kass

The Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) of the American Psychological Association (APA) appointed a task force to articulate what students should know and be able to do at the conclusion of a master’s program. Professional organizations such as APA have an obligation to lead the discipline in offering guidance about appropriate learning goals and outcomes at all levels of education. APA guidelines outline goals and outcomes at the high school and undergraduate level as well as competencies at the clinical, counseling, and school doctoral level. This document is intended to help bridge the sequence of education and training with core goals and outcomes for psychology master’s programs.

The proceeding report is compiled into three parts to address the assessment of hard-to-measure content areas of performing arts, visual arts, and physical education.
Part I: This section includes a literature review on the background of assessments and its current role in the U.S. education system. Also summarized is the use of value-added models and performance evaluations. This information is then related to teacher effectiveness and evaluation. Next, the current state of hard-to-measure content areas is discussed including curriculum, instruction, and assessment of performing arts, visual arts, and physical education.
Part II: Part II contains the research results from a survey conducted on the curriculum, instruction, and assessment of these areas in all fifty U.S. states and the District of Columbia. To conduct this research, multiple representatives from each state’s department of education were contacted via phone and email to respond to survey questions concerning performing arts, visual arts, and physical education content areas and use of value-added-models. The results of this survey are summarized and additional information is reported concerning the federal government’s framework for student assessment.
Part III: This section draws from the data gathered in Parts I and II to provide general recommendations for assessment. Comprehensive assessment, including both quantitative and qualitative data and multiple assessment methods, is emphasized. Additionally, issues such as involvement of stakeholders, continuous monitoring and improvement, issues of validity and reliability (e.g., rubric-driven assessment), are emphasized. Value-added models are also discussed. In addition to general assessment implications, Part III includes recommendations specific to assessment of performing arts, visual arts, and physical education.