A Model Cornerstone Assessment (MCA) is a model assessment with guidance for instruction in your classroom.  The authors of the National Theatre standards created Model Cornerstone Assessments aligned to the standards for grades Pre K-8, and at three levels in high school - proficient, accomplished, and advanced. Model Cornerstone Assessments for all grades were piloted and student work was collected and adjudicated in a national benchmarking process, to be shared as samples showing how the standards come to life in a real classroom.  Since the standards were published in 2014, additional Model Cornerstone Assessments have been created and piloted by EdTA utilizing teams of teachers and teaching artists, offering a full spectrum of models of assessment across diverse areas of instruction. 

MCAs model effective assessment practice and demonstrate that teaching theatre is specific, rigorous, and measurable by sharing a glimpse into one teacher's classroom. Although an MCA places the emphasis on the evaluation tools, each MCA does offer enough information for any teacher to create a similar unit of their own. The MCAs on this website come packaged with a suggested strategy for assessing student learning, types of evidence to collect, model rubrics, and samples of student work demonstrating their process and learning. The samples of student work illustrate the unit in action by providing a snapshot of a moment in time showing student response to instruction.