Philosophy of Assessment Art teachers are challenged with balancing the need to meet arts learning objectives while also supporting open-ended, creative production of artwork. There is a need for assessment models that are not overly rigid or limiting to teacher and student creativity which can still yield ample data for demonstrating what art students know and are able to do. Teaching is an interactive process with learning a by-product of that interaction. Using a constructivist approach, I seek to demonstrate that students do more than consume the knowledge conveyed to them. Instead, students create their own understanding and meaning based on life experiences. In my classroom, I practice choice-based art education which is described as teaching students to learn about art in the manner a working artist does through authentic learning opportunities and responsive teaching. Rather than assign projects to the whole class students are briefly introduced to a skill or technique then they get to choose whether or not they will use this new knowledge or continue in some other pursuit available at various media stations or centers. Using these ideas the art room should be a place where students engage in work that has personal relevance and most importantly, is not teacher-directed. Compared to other more teacher-directed art education experiences, there is more analyzing of student learning episodes and of the process an artist goes through in the act of creating. I view assessment as a joint venture through which both student and teacher understanding is enhanced. My curriculum is planned to provide opportunities for students to assess their own knowledge and skills and to demonstrate a pragmatic understanding of the visual arts standards. Students maintain journals that reflect on-going creative work and thought. Journals also create a communication channel between teachers and students. As a teacher, I add removable notes to their journals to entertain with art, provoke new ideas, encourage the paving of their own process, and share my own perspectives on their efforts.
Summative assessments are based largely on choices of attitudes and behaviors in the studio. The rubric includes the following sections: Daily Participation, Creative Choice, Studio Responsibility, and Artistic Attitudes. This rubric is static from week to week, project to project and is posted prominently in the classroom in order to continually remind students of art studio expectations. The grading rubric is also shared digitally for teachers and parents to understand how to help their students succeed in art and to be aware of what new skills or materials we are working with. Standards related to projects are posted in the classroom to help students, teachers, and administration to connect out apparent madness to some sort of method. With those standards in mind, lessons are designed based on community goals, student preferences, as well as the successes and gaps in understanding demonstrated by previous projects. As a means of record-keeping, I maintain detailed notes on individual students as well as classroom dynamics. I note student interests and problematic situations that distract from our learning space. These notes help me to prepare appropriate and individualized options available to our exceptional population of students. Summative grades are entered on a weekly basis for each student. These grades reflect our studio participation rubric rather than a student’s technical performance. Students receive informal formative feedback in their journals. Students may select work to temporarily display in the art studio. Besides final products taken home, art studio projects are shared with parents via our monthly school newsletter. Work is also shared with the community on a featured gallery wall in the front office. Providing formative feedback directly to students, grading according to studio attitudes, and maintain notes on individual choices and project outcomes allows me to align greater community needs to real classroom practices.