10/15/2018 NAEP - 2016 Arts Assessment - Music - Sample Questions

ReportsDashboardData ToolsNews Room </media.aspx>

Focus on NAEP </focus_on_naep/>
Sample Questions </sample_questions.aspx>
</>
Arts Assessment
2016 | Grade 8
PRINT

Student Group Scores and

Overall Results Score Gaps Opportunities and Access Sample Questions

ON THIS PAGE

Open
SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Sample Questions in Music

Examples of music responding and creating questions from the 2016 NAEP arts assessment, including how
students performed on them, are presented below. Select from the list below to see each sample question
including correct answers, student performance data, sample student responses, and scoring guides. Learn
more about the discipline of music in the NAEP arts assessment.

The music portion of the 2016 arts assessment measured students’ ability to respond to music, which included
analyzing and critiquing musical performances, identifying and explaining musical notation, describing the
emotion or mood of a composition, and identifying the region of origin or social context of a musical excerpt.
The music portion also included one creating question that asked students to use music notation to write an
ending to a rhythmic pattern.

There were a total of four music sections in the arts assessment. Each student who was assessed in music was
presented with two of the four sections. In total, students were asked to answer between 19 and 31 multiple-
choice and constructed-response (or open-ended) questions. Many of the music questions in the assessment
included multiple parts. Because the length of the recorded music that was played for students varied in each
section, the amount of time provided for students to complete two music sections ranged from 58 minutes to 63
minutes.

The list below shows the percentage of students who answered a multiple-choice question correctly or who
received full credit for their answer to a constructed-response question. Trend results for multiple-choice
questions from the 1997, 2008, and 2016 arts assessments are available in the data tables at the bottom of this
report.

Select a line drawing

Responding
re ective of the texture of
Multiple choice 56 % Correct
an example of music show

Identify the solo instrument

Responding
beginning "Rhapsody in
Multiple choice 51 % Correct
Blue" show

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/arts_2016/#/music/sample-questions 1/6
10/15/2018 NAEP - 2016 Arts Assessment - Music - Sample Questions

Identify a correct time

Responding
signature for a piece of
Multiple choice 48 % Correct
music show

Identify the name of piano Responding

dynamic marking and Constructed 18 % Adequate
explain its meaning response show

Identify type of note Responding

duration Multiple choice 54 % Correct show

Creating
Use notation to write an
ending to a rhythmic pattern
Constructed 17 % Developed
response show

Identify region where music Responding

comes from and explain its Constructed 49 % Developed
style characteristics response show

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Understanding the knowledge and skills behind the

responding scores
A more in-depth understanding of what students know and can do in relation to the content and processes in
responding to music may be gained by viewing the knowledge and skills demonstrated by student performance
at di erent score points on the music responding scale as shown below. For example, eighth-grade students
who achieved a score of 231 on the music portion of the 2016 arts assessment would be likely to correctly
answer a question that required them to “describe an emotion or mood created by a composition and two ways
in which they were created.” These students would also be likely to correctly answer questions associated with a
score lower than 231.

Questions from the 2016 arts assessment are available in the NAEP Questions Tool
<http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nqt/home/legacygen0bookmark?subject=arts>. See an item map
<http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itemmaps?subj=music&grade=8> with more descriptions of students' music
skills. Read more about the framework <https://www.nagb.org/publications/frameworks/arts/2016-arts-
framework.html> that guided the development of the assessment questions.

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/arts_2016/#/music/sample-questions 2/6
10/15/2018 NAEP - 2016 Arts Assessment - Music - Sample Questions

  Students with an … would be likely to answer this question

average score of … correctly or use this knowledge or skill

Top of scale 300

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/arts_2016/#/music/sample-questions 3/6
10/15/2018 NAEP - 2016 Arts Assessment - Music - Sample Questions

231 Describe an emotion or mood created by a

composition and two ways in which they were
created

230 Identify and describe errors in pitch in an

instrumental solo

227 Describe a similarity and a di erence between

two written vocal parts

226 Identify the solo instrument beginning View sample

"Rhapsody in Blue" question above

196 Identify the type of instrumental ensemble

performing an excerpt

191 Select a line drawing re ective of the texture of View sample

an example of music question above

190 Identify the name of piano dynamic marking View sample

and explain its meaning question above

189 Provide an explanation of why spirituals were

important in people's lives

187 Identify the term for a fermata symbol

181 Identify the name of a pitch shown in the treble

clef

175 Identify a correct time signature for a piece of View sample

music question above

173 Identify region where music comes from and View sample
explain its style characteristics question above

75th Percentile 171  

168 Identify a bass clef symbol

167 Describe a speci c feature of a song that

identi es it as a spiritual

154 Provide an accurate and speci c comparison

between the tone color of two di erent singers

152 Identify the length of the introduction of

"Shalom My Friends"

Average Score 147  

135 Identify directional contour of part of melodic

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/arts_2016/#/music/sample-questions 4/6
10/15/2018 NAEP - 2016 Arts Assessment - Music - Sample Questions

phrase

25th Percentile 125  

125 Identify region where music comes from and

partially explain its style characteristics

86 Describe an emotion or mood created by a

composition and two ways in which they were
created

Bottom of scale 0

Show Notes and Sources

DOWNLOAD DATA TABLES CUSTOMIZE DATA TABLES RELATED LINKS

DATA
QUICK VIEW
Download data tables summarizing:
national sample sizes and participation rates
inclusion rates and other information about
students with disabilities (SD) and English
language learners (ELL)
national average responding scores
About The Nation's Report Card
<http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/about.aspx>
About the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP)
<http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/>
Contacts
<http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/contacts.aspx>
FAQs
<http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/faq.aspx>
Glossary
<http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/glossary.aspx?
ispopup=false>

percentage correct results for multiple–choice

questions Follow Us <htt <htt
ps:// ps://
twitt ww
Excel (.xls) PDF (.pdf)
er.c w.fa
< les/2016_arts < les/2016_arts
om/ ceb
_appendix_tabl _appendix_tabl
nae ook.
es.xls> es.pdf>
p_nc com
es> /nati
onal
asse
ssm
ento
f d

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/arts_2016/#/music/sample-questions 5/6
10/15/2018 NAEP - 2016 Arts Assessment - Music - Sample Questions

fedu
catio
nalp
rogr
ess>

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/arts_2016/#/music/sample-questions 6/6