ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore the institutional implications for student-centered music education by analyzing New York State’s Individual Arts Assessment Pathway (IAAP). Through an analysis of IAAP’s operational and assessment framework, three key characteristics were identified: establishment of a coherent credit-based course completion structure for music subjects along with student-centered credit recognition; portfolio-based assessment that enables the cumulative examination of students’ musical growth; and development of a region-based, flexible assessment system accompanied by mechanisms for ensuring fairness. In addition, by reviewing operational outcomes and regional implementation cases of IAAP, this study examined how values of diversity, equity, and inclusion embedded in its design and operation are being realized in practice. Based on these findings, the study presents and discusses three institutional implications for realizing student-centered music education in the context of Korean high schools: securing continuity in music learning pathways that reflect students’ interests and career aspirations; supporting musical growth through the design of integrated portfolio-based assessment; and establishing an institutional foundation for music education that contributes to students’ lives and career development.

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