STEAM Assessment
STEAM Assessment at MCAA
MCAA is committed to providing students with assessment opportunities that prepare them as STEAM learners for a 21st century workplace.
Our Narrative
MCAA teachers are facilitators of learning and students are self-directed during STEAM units and daily instruction. Over the past twenty years, the school has established a solid, reputable STEAM program and the administration is trained to observe and identify good STEAM processes. The school has worked to establish ways to assess the work completed during and after the STEAM units.
Students present their STEAM findings throughout the EDP, with projects, and during informal assessments, extended responses, self-reflections, and rubrics. Students are provided as much choice as possible during the STEAM units. During STEAM units, students are able to choose avenues to extend research and products to create. The students at MCAA are also able to participate in the Science Fair and other STEAM related competitions.
The units all have STEAM rubrics that align with the objectives of the unit. The rubrics were designed by the staff to include self reflection and peer observations. Several of our student explanations are shared in QR codes that peers and visitors can access. During the "improve" stage of our EDP, students are asked to think about their artifacts and results and determine if there are different strategies or outcomes they could have discovered during their inquiry. Staff collaborate with one another during PLC's to discuss assessment results, (MAP and Georgia Milestones), to determine goals and needs for enrichment and/or remediation in STEAM content areas.
In addition, during the past year, we have implemented lessons from Arts Now. Arts Now is a grant that we were awarded that has helped us intentionally implement the Arts in a meaningful and genuine way. The Arts Now lessons are established in each grade level and we are enhancing them as we them this year. Also, we have a career fair annually. During that time, students in fifth grade are exposed to several careers in the STEAM fields.
Students use rubrics to analyze their projects and make recommendations for improvements in their STEAM units. Teachers analyze the environment in which they teach the lessons to increase rigor and relevance throughout, as they expand exposure to real-world connections that are intended to increase engagement, allowing our teachers to gain more knowledge and resources to better implement content standards within their classroom. These PLCs have allowed teachers to share outcomes and evaluate how to adjust the units for the students in the future.
STEAM Performance Assessments
Standard 9: Learners demonstrate their learning through performance-based assessments and have opportunities to develop self-assessment and self-monitoring skills.
- Improve Phase - Student Self-Reflection
- Lake Mead Commercials and Canva Projects
- Reflection on Units and House Challenges
- STEAM Rubric
- Student Video 1
- Student Video 2
- Four-Year STEAM Plan
Demonstrating STEAM Literacy Outcomes
Standard 10: Learners demonstrate STEM literacy outcomes that prepare them for the next level of learning and work.