Teachers were surveyed regarding the regularity of meetings with Teaching Artists to develop student assessment tools (mean=6). Statistical analysis of the data substantiates statistically significant relations between this frequency, and teachers’ perceptions of the project’s success. Teachers who did not participate in any assessment meetings, rated “planning time for TA’s”, “PD time for teachers” and “PD time for TA’s” as greater obstacles (effect sizes 0.51, 0.52, 0.63). They agreed less strongly with “students apply themselves longer” (effect size 0.59), “students work more collaboratively” (0.68), “students communicate better with adults” (0.72) and “students feel more successful/positive” (0.62). And lastly, they were more unfavorable regarding the planning team’s performance. They agreed less strongly with “team communicates successfully with school staff” (0.59), “team has secured teacher buy-in” (0.7) and “team has secured parent buy-in” (0.55).

These findings generate three possible explanations:

1. Causal relationship: Teachers’ involvement in the assessment process affects their perceptions of the project’s success. Through involvement in assessment, teachers appreciate the project more.
2. Spurious relationship: More successful projects tend to embody both greater involvement of teachers in assessment as well as favorable teacher notions of the project’s success. (In this case, the teachers’ approach reflects the project’s real condition.)
3. Reversed relationship: Teachers who hold a more positive approach toward the project, tend also to be more involved in it.

A future study may help us accept possible explanation #1 and reject the alternative explanations, thus leading us to the general recognition of causal relationship between attending assessment meetings and a positive approach toward the arts project. This logical conclusion, if proven to be statistically grounded, may be used to advocate the centrality and importance of assessment in arts projects in general.