In the world of education, Piano Adventures Unit Assessments are what is known as formative assessments. They help to form students’ learning in two ways: first, by confirming what they do know, and second, by quickly finding and bringing to light what is weak or unknown. The beauty of this is that confusion or struggles can be swiftly caught and addressed. The bump in the roadbecomes smooth, so to speak. Understanding is enlightened. Both student and teacher benefit. For the Piano Adventures method, the books in each level are divided into units. Each unit presents new musical concepts while reviewing and reinforcing previous material. The units give focused content to assess. The Primer Unit Assessments cover areas such as reading, rhythm, symbols, patterns, and musical questions and answers. In addition, at the end of each Unit, the mascot “Trophy” has an Adventure Challenge that leads to a reward star of accomplishment. These stars build throughout the Unit Assessments, resulting in 10 achievement stars at the end. Teachers may enjoy giving students a special sticker for each unit in their practice book.

The Unit Assessments are not graded with points. Rather they are an informal but committed way to make sure the student knows that they know and, as a result, have a growing confidence. The teacher confirms that what was taught was indeed learned by the student. Accountability is being taken by both the teacher and the student at planned, regular intervals. And, it’s fun! The colorful pages move at a fast pace. The Unit Assessments can be done using this book for in-person lessons. Or, they can be used for online lessons. Access any page for screen sharing in the Teacher Atlas.

No more guessing happy assessing! This confirms that with the teacher’s dedication and commitment to good teaching, “content to learn is content to earn” and this includes the valuable process of assessment.