Open Forum

For those teaching Theatre 1 classes - you know, the ones where half of your students are only there because they needed an elective :) 

We are working on a public performance for our end of the year assessment. 

What do you do for an alternative assessment for the student who refuses to participate or has family/work commitments that prevent participation in an after school event?

------------------------------
Ashley Bishop
Director
Birmingham AL
------------------------------

Original Message------

For those teaching Theatre 1 classes - you know, the ones where half of your students are only there because they needed an elective :) 

We are working on a public performance for our end of the year assessment. 

What do you do for an alternative assessment for the student who refuses to participate or has family/work commitments that prevent participation in an after school event?

------------------------------
Ashley Bishop
Director
Birmingham AL
------------------------------

Hello,
I understand your frustration.  However, there are requirements that you have established, and a performance outside of class is one of those requirements.  Would a student take band or chorus and not understand that a concert is a requirement of that class?
At my school, every theatre student presents final projects during the last week of May.  All Drama I students write original 5 minute skits to perform at the "One Act Festival".  It's a hard sell for some of them.  But, they need to pass Drama I to get to Drama II and if a student can't make a single evening performance, I really don't want them in my class at the next level.

That sounds heartless!  I KNOW!  But, I tell these students about this commitment on DAY ONE!  In 13 years, I have had fewer than 5 students dip out on this requirement.  Once the risky kids are in groups and have written their own play and once they realize how crucial their participation is to the success of the whole group, they find a way to participate.  

Students who don't show up receive a zero project grade (0/200 points), which basically ensures that they will fail for the quarter.  
Stand up for what you need these students to do, and push them past what they thought was possible :)
*I tell my students that it's against the law for a business to require a student to work when they have a graded assignment like a chorus concert, theatre performance, or actual school* (I'm not entirely sure that's accurate, but it's worked :)), so I always tell my students that I'll be more than happy to speak with their boss if they're getting a hard time from their job about the show.

After the One Act Festival, it's usually the "risky" kids who are beaming with pride that they got up and did something they didn't think they could do.  They brag about the lines they wrote that got laughs and are usually inspired to do more- like tryout for a show- next year!

Best of luck :)


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Lisa Dyer
Henrico VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-25-2017 05:44
From: Gary Hicks
Subject: Alternative Assessment to Performance Grade

Hello,

I stopped doing performances with my Drama 1 for that very reason.  In the meantime, I would require them to either attend and review another event or perform a piece in class.  What do you have them doing while everyone else is rehearsing the event?  Is it possible that they swing a part in the show and perform a section in class or is the show not structured that way?

For my intermediate class this is sometimes still a problem.  My solution has been to do scene showcases rather than full plays.  That way, if someone drops out or can't participate, they can still rehearse during class and give a performance.  We usually pick a theme, a time period, or a writer and pull scenes from that.  Finding the scripts for the event takes more time, but it saves me time and frustration in the long run.  Some showcases we have done:

Shakespeare - More than once just focusing on different plays

American Masters - Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, Lorraine Hansberry, Arthur Miller

Southern Comedy - Steel Magnolias, Crimes of the Heart, Daddy's Dyin' Whose Got the Will?, Dearly Departed

Gothic Theatre/Comedy - Edgar Allan Poe, Blithe Spirit, Funeral Parlor

Christopher Durang Scenes

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All of my Drama I student are required to have a part in the performance at the end of the semester, even if they don't want one; this gives everyone personal responsibility and the students typically hold each other accountable.  I inform parents at the beginning of the semester that students are required to attend the performance.  Students must take off work and parents must clear clear their schedules.  Most of my students show up, however, I have had a couple of no-shows over the years because they just didn't want to do it.  I have the performance worth 50% of the final and a written exam worth 50% of the final.  So, if they come to the show and participate then they will earn 50 out of the 100 final points. As an alternative, the student's written final will be worth 100% of their final.  Our final are 20% of their overall grade in the class.

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Kayla Wilson
Hillsboro OH
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-24-2017 14:27
From: Ashley Bishop
Subject: Alternative Assessment to Performance Grade

For those teaching Theatre 1 classes - you know, the ones where half of your students are only there because they needed an elective :) 

We are working on a public performance for our end of the year assessment. 

What do you do for an alternative assessment for the student who refuses to participate or has family/work commitments that prevent participation in an after school event?

------------------------------
Ashley Bishop
Director
Birmingham AL
------------------------------

It can be dangerous to require an after school performance, and yes while performing is part of our art form, we cannot expect that everyone can agree on one same day and have it work for all, especially across students who have diverse needs. It's important that we are reasonable. 

That being said, yes an alternative assignment totally works. I suggest a performance of some sort in class. Maybe even invite another class to watch, or ask an administrator or guidance counselors to be a part of your audience for the day. This gives your students who can't do an evening performance a chance to know a little bit of what it feels like to perform for others. 

If you have a student who refuses to perform at all, that is another story, and may need to be addressed more individually with the student. It's important to set that expectation early on in the course, if you are going to require it, and to stick to your guns on it if it's part of your standards.

That's really the answer to all of this though, you have to look to your standards. What are you charged with teaching? Your state, district, or the national arts standards may each be different, but you have to go by what you are charged with teaching by your principal and district. If you have standards that say that students have to perform (we do in Florida for instance) then you must provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate mastery of this. If you do not have standards or course requirements that indicate that students must perform, then you need to come up with a different assessment tool for whatever standards you are actually assessing. At the end of the day, we are grading students on mastery of standards, and it's doubtful that the standard says they have to perform at night or after school in front of a public audience. While we all know these types of performances are drastically different than performing in the classroom for one another, we have to go back to the standards with which we must assess our students to find the answers to what we can and can't grade. Offering extra opportunities outside of that is what we do most of the time as theatre teachers, and we know we are teaching WAY beyond the standards, but it's often not what we have to do to be able to assess mastery for a grade. That's a difficult pill to swallow sometimes, but the standards are there for a reason.

------------------------------
Kathleen McNulty Mann
mcnulkl@bay.k12.fl.us

Arnold High School Theatre
Panama City Beach, FL
Program Director and Thespian Sponsor

Florida Association for Theatre Education
Board Member
Membership Committee Chair
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-24-2017 14:27
From: Ashley Bishop
Subject: Alternative Assessment to Performance Grade

For those teaching Theatre 1 classes - you know, the ones where half of your students are only there because they needed an elective :) 

We are working on a public performance for our end of the year assessment. 

What do you do for an alternative assessment for the student who refuses to participate or has family/work commitments that prevent participation in an after school event?

------------------------------
Ashley Bishop
Director
Birmingham AL
------------------------------

When I first taught theatre in middle school years ago ago, I planned an evening performance for my theatre 1 class.  It was Frankenstein, and on the evening of the performance "Frankenstein" didn't show up and we had to cancel the performance and send the audience home!!  As a result I have never planned an evening performance again for Theatre 1 students even now that I am at the high school level.

i do, however plan in class performance weeks the week before semester finals and invite all the teachers to bring their classes to watch the shows.  This gives the students the experience of performance without coming back in the evening.  For the fall semester they perform original ten-minute plays, and in the spring they do one act plays.  I still do occasionally have students ditch so they don't have to perform, but if it comes down to the final day we explain to the audience that a student is absent and have someone go in with a script to fill in.  This is their semester final exam.  They have to do costumes, props and simple sets.  It works very well.

------------------------------
Vici Anderson
Theatre Director
Coronado High School
El Paso TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-25-2017 09:18
From: Kathleen McNulty
Subject: Alternative Assessment to Performance Grade

It can be dangerous to require an after school performance, and yes while performing is part of our art form, we cannot expect that everyone can agree on one same day and have it work for all, especially across students who have diverse needs. It's important that we are reasonable. 

That being said, yes an alternative assignment totally works. I suggest a performance of some sort in class. Maybe even invite another class to watch, or ask an administrator or guidance counselors to be a part of your audience for the day. This gives your students who can't do an evening performance a chance to know a little bit of what it feels like to perform for others. 

If you have a student who refuses to perform at all, that is another story, and may need to be addressed more individually with the student. It's important to set that expectation early on in the course, if you are going to require it, and to stick to your guns on it if it's part of your standards.

That's really the answer to all of this though, you have to look to your standards. What are you charged with teaching? Your state, district, or the national arts standards may each be different, but you have to go by what you are charged with teaching by your principal and district. If you have standards that say that students have to perform (we do in Florida for instance) then you must provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate mastery of this. If you do not have standards or course requirements that indicate that students must perform, then you need to come up with a different assessment tool for whatever standards you are actually assessing. At the end of the day, we are grading students on mastery of standards, and it's doubtful that the standard says they have to perform at night or after school in front of a public audience. While we all know these types of performances are drastically different than performing in the classroom for one another, we have to go back to the standards with which we must assess our students to find the answers to what we can and can't grade. Offering extra opportunities outside of that is what we do most of the time as theatre teachers, and we know we are teaching WAY beyond the standards, but it's often not what we have to do to be able to assess mastery for a grade. That's a difficult pill to swallow sometimes, but the standards are there for a reason.

------------------------------
Kathleen McNulty Mann
mcnulkl@bay.k12.fl.us

Arnold High School Theatre
Panama City Beach, FL
Program Director and Thespian Sponsor

Florida Association for Theatre Education
Board Member
Membership Committee Chair
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-24-2017 14:27
From: Ashley Bishop
Subject: Alternative Assessment to Performance Grade

For those teaching Theatre 1 classes - you know, the ones where half of your students are only there because they needed an elective :) 

We are working on a public performance for our end of the year assessment. 

What do you do for an alternative assessment for the student who refuses to participate or has family/work commitments that prevent participation in an after school event?

------------------------------
Ashley Bishop
Director
Birmingham AL
------------------------------

Original Message------

For those teaching Theatre 1 classes - you know, the ones where half of your students are only there because they needed an elective :) 

We are working on a public performance for our end of the year assessment. 

What do you do for an alternative assessment for the student who refuses to participate or has family/work commitments that prevent participation in an after school event?

------------------------------
Ashley Bishop
Director
Birmingham AL
------------------------------

If a child is not willing to do a one-minute monologue or a duet (messing with other's grades), I create a written assessment.

The students document the process it takes to go from the page to the stage. On this exam, they must cover and show every aspect of their knowledge of theatre (usually thru osmosis).

1. THEME, PLOT (WHAT), SETTING (WHERE), HOW (PHYSICAL & FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, BODY LANGUAGE, ACTIONS/REACTIONS BUSINESS & BLOCKING), TIME (WHEN). This may be done on a script.

2. CHARACTER: BACKGROUND; OBJECTIVE/PURPOSE/GOAL; MOTIVE; OBSTACLES of CONFLICT and TACTIC(S)

3. Classroom PRODUCTION: floor plan/scenic design (blocking on the floor plan); COSTUMES and MAKE-UP designs on two worksheets taken from a textbook.

Note: We go over this information every time they act on stage. They have to show written assessment to go along with the PERFORMANCE rubrics (from Pantomimes, Lip-Syncs thru monologues, group dynamics and duets). 

A child who may be weak in one area can possibly be strong in the other.

Good luck!

------------------------------
Dr. Joseph DiCicco
Educator: Theatre 6-12
Whitefield Academy
Louisville KY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-24-2017 14:27
From: Ashley Bishop
Subject: Alternative Assessment to Performance Grade

For those teaching Theatre 1 classes - you know, the ones where half of your students are only there because they needed an elective :) 

We are working on a public performance for our end of the year assessment. 

What do you do for an alternative assessment for the student who refuses to participate or has family/work commitments that prevent participation in an after school event?

------------------------------
Ashley Bishop
Director
Birmingham AL
------------------------------

Do you have a requirement for the after school performance in your syllabus that is signed by parents? I'd put one there if you don't already; that will give you a strong foundation for the requirement when dealing with parents and, if someone can't participate, it gives you plenty of time to arrange for an alternative assignment since the syllabus is turned in at the beginning of the course.

I'm attaching a copy of an assignment I usually give my advanced students. It's a very in depth look at a character. You might have them perform a monologue in class for the performance aspect and then have them do the written assignment to ensure that they have spent the same sort of time on character development that occurs when full pieces are performed.

------------------------------
Shira Schwartz
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler AZ
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-24-2017 14:27
From: Ashley Bishop
Subject: Alternative Assessment to Performance Grade

For those teaching Theatre 1 classes - you know, the ones where half of your students are only there because they needed an elective :) 

We are working on a public performance for our end of the year assessment. 

What do you do for an alternative assessment for the student who refuses to participate or has family/work commitments that prevent participation in an after school event?

------------------------------
Ashley Bishop
Director
Birmingham AL
------------------------------

My Theatre I classes do not perform for the public.  We have extracurricular shows that students in those Theatre I classes may audition for, but nothing we do in class is performed outside of class.

I have a couple of reasons for this.  

First, students in this school system are required to have one Arts credit.  That means students sometimes get tucked into courses for which they did not register, just to make sure they have that Arts credit by graduation.  I want them to have a good experience with theatre arts, not dread the performance.

Second, our ever-changing administration staff doesn't support a mandatory performance requirement outside of school hours for first level classes.  The job of designing and grading alternative assignments would fall onto me, and I've got better ways to use my time.

Consequently, I've designed a Theatre I curriculum that meets state standards while skimming through the history of theatre via teacher-made PowerPoints, doing lots of briefly rehearsed on-book performances of short scenes from different time periods, improvising, performing three short memorized monologues, watching and responding to several filmed plays, and reading plays independently and sharing them through oral and written reports.  Theatre I as I teach it supports content in the English, history, and art history courses, as well as helping students to learn self-confidence, better text analysis, and appreciation for the art form.  There are a ton of little grades.  

Those who want to perform publicly can sign up for Theatre II, III, or IV.

 





------------------------------
C. J. Breland
Asheville High School
Asheville NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-24-2017 14:27
From: Ashley Bishop
Subject: Alternative Assessment to Performance Grade

For those teaching Theatre 1 classes - you know, the ones where half of your students are only there because they needed an elective :) 

We are working on a public performance for our end of the year assessment. 

What do you do for an alternative assessment for the student who refuses to participate or has family/work commitments that prevent participation in an after school event?

------------------------------
Ashley Bishop
Director
Birmingham AL
------------------------------