The role of assessment in art education is just as important as assessment in any other subject. As in other classes, effective assessment techniques improve classroom instruction, hold students accountable, provide teachers ongoing feedback on student progress, and more. Assessment allows the teacher to diagnose student weaknesses and strengths, and to address weaknesses early on.
Authentic Assessment
Assessment in my instruction focuses on the development of transferrable lifelong skills, critical thinking, and reflecting in the form of authentic assessment. Authentic assessment means I don’t just look at the end product, I look at every part of this project they did, including studio work habits. I look at process versus product.
Forms of Assessment
Each form of assessment has their own advantages and is used at different times, and each type of assessment informs the other, all work together to have students reflect.
Pre-assessment
Pre-assessment is important in my instruction because it allows me to know where students are starting at the beginning of a unit and where there are gaps, if there are gaps or if students are ahead, I am able to alter my instruction to best fit the students’ needs.
Formative Assessment
Formative assessments are especially important when I am trying to assess process, specifically critical thinking and planning. I like to use formative assessment because I need to know that my students understand the project at every step. Formative assessment allows me to check for understanding, and address students who may be struggling and get them on track before the end of the lesson or unit.
One type of formative assessment I use is a check-in sheet. This sheet has many questions on it, questions about self-management, social skills (working with and around others in the class), Communication, Creative thinking, Critical thinking, and Research. Often through the project, I will choose a question or two for students to think about, and I will have a “check in” with every student in the class and have them answer the question.
Summative Assessment
For summative assessment I have a formal rubric made from the official IB criterion along with the criterion reworded in “kid friendly” language. During a summative assessment I can look for the steps of a project through worksheets or planning, but
Aligning Assessment to Standards and Criteria
The four Colorado State Visual Arts Standards; comprehend, create, reflect, and transfer, are naturally ingrained in art making. Part of aligning to the standards means grading more than the final product. IB schools, such as my Secondary placement at Lincoln Middle School, have criteria specifically based on process and product. In my assessments I include the formal IB language and criteria, as well as a “translation” in student language and how it applies to our current project.
Differentiation in Assessment
Many of my ED, IS, and ELD learners answer assessments vocally by working with me, having a partner help them write, having modified instructions, or drawing pictures. I also present information/ instruction in multiple ways, written, verbal, and using imagery, this allows students to process instructions in a variety of ways for best understanding. Assessing artwork naturally lends itself to differentiation, instead of grading only the final product, my large assessment grades are based on process and product, reflections, and participation. This allows for multiple opportunities for points in various areas of work.