Contributions to Music Education Vol. 44 - Feature - Issue 44 - Music Teacher Educator Assessment Preparation Study

Oct 15, 2026

Exploratory qualitative research investigates how and to what extent music teacher educators are prepared to use and teach assessment, including whether related concerns or assurances are present in music teacher education. A questionnaire (N=149) was completed to determine preparation specifically for assessment use and instruction. Findings indicate more graduate-level preparation experiences than undergraduate ones, and participants reported concerns about sequencing and importance. Recommendations for improving preparation and directions for future research are provided.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Assessment preparation in general education and music teacher preparation

Review of Literature

Research on preparing music teachers and the MTE role

Mentoring, identity, and assessment-related gaps

Contributions to Music Education Vol. 44, pp. 145-165. Kelly a. ParKes Teachers College Columbia University JareD r. rawlings University of Utah The Preparation of Music Teacher Educators to Use and Teach Assessment Preparing to become a music teacher educator is a complex process and one component of this process should be learning to model, demonstrate, and teach assessment practices to preservice music educators . The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to discover how, and to what extent, music teacher educators (MTEs) are educated about assessment . A secondary purpose was to uncover whether related concerns or assurancesexist within the context of music teacher education for MTEs . Respondents (N = 149) completed a questionnaire designed to determine music teacher educators’ preparation to use and teach assessment . We found that more respondents had experience with assessment preparation at the graduate level, rather than the undergraduate level . Respondents described multiple concerns with the sequence and importance of assessment in their preparation and education experiences . Recommendations for enhancing music teacher educator preparation, specifically with respect to assessment, and suggestions for future research are given . Keywords: music teacher educator, assessment, teacher preparation Introduction Assessment preparation for teaching and learning is a prominent topic of interest within general education scholarship (DeLuca & Bellara, 2013). Teacher preparation is a complex process that involves systematic sequencing of content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge (Grossman, Hammerness, & McDonald, 2009) . Likewise, music teacher preparation is equally, and as some researchers may contend, more complex (Forrester, 2018) . It stands to reason that assessment preparation for music teaching and learning may also be a topic of interest Contributions to Music Education within the music teacher preparation literature. Preparing music teacher educators (MTEs) to teach assessment is of equal importance and given the existing accountability movement within the United States (DeLuca & Bellara, 2013), MTE assessment preparation is an arena open for inquiry. Review of Literature Wells and Humphreys (1991) revealed that, nationally, music teacher educators desired to engage in research about preparing music teachers and wanted to know more about the work of becoming a MTE. Wells and Humphreys also determined that almost half of those MTEs surveyed were interested in receiving methods course information and in accessing clearinghouse services. Since then, the Society for Music Teacher Education ([see www.smte.us](see www.smte.us)) was launched as music teacher educators formed their own association with the purpose of improving the quality of teaching and research examining music teacher education. It seems that becoming a music teacher educator, like any other educational position, can be a complex path to navigate for many individuals adopting a new teacher-educator identity and several concomitant skills, such as teaching how to teach, student teaching supervision, and teaching young adult learners. The skillset needed to assess higher education music education student learning in this area is rarely examined. Several researchers (i.e., Draves & Koops, 2011; Martin, 2016; Pellegrino, Conway, & Millican, 2018) have pointed to the general difficulties MTEs may face with respect to this career path. Pellegrino and her colleagues (Pellegrino, Conway, et al., 2018) examined the promotion and tenure processes of MTEs, finding that MTEs understood three aspects of their professional identity: (a) teacher educator,(b) researcher, and (c) musician. Their mixed-methods study illustrated that MTEs (N = 124) reported mentoring played an important role in their professional development; yet, the participants did not report specific elements that made up their well-established MTE identit

FAQs

What is the study’s main purpose regarding assessment preparation?

The study aims to discover how and to what extent music teacher educators are educated about assessment, particularly regarding preparing to use and teach it.

How was the data collected in the study?

Respondents (N=149) completed a questionnaire designed to determine music teacher educators’ preparation to use and teach assessment.

What did the study find about where assessment preparation happens?

More respondents reported experience with assessment preparation at the graduate level than at the undergraduate level, along with concerns about the sequence and importance of assessment.

Oct 15, 2026

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