Every spring all the dance teachers at CVDA set aside time to evaluate every student in every class. This takes quite a bit of time and effort outside of regular instruction, but we believe it is time well spent.
Evaluations are based on teacher observations of dancers in their classes since September. We focus on skill achievement primarily, and these assessments are meant to inform the instruction from now until Showcase.
This process helps the teachers to reflect on the areas they need to reinforce skill development and where they can set higher expectations for dancers. The evaluations also help dancers understand where they are progressing well and what they can improve on.
There is a range of scoring and 3 is the average score. It’s important to pay attention to the written comments as well. We have found that our dancers take these evaluations seriously and the evals help them to set appropriate goals.
Regardless of the scores each dancer receives, the important thing to remember is that, just like in life, there is always something to work on and strive toward. This evaluation process is yet another way we live out our mission of “Dance Skills Are Life Skills.”