Assessment+and+Evaluation


 * Assessment and Evaluation **

As students begin exploring the visual arts, the evaluative process is critical to the growth and development of ideas and personal artistic vision. Initially students are content to make judgments such as “I like it” or “I don’t like it”, which are opinions unsupported by sound reasoning. Students must develop informed judgments, supported by thoughtful reasons for understanding why an artwork is successful, engaging, evocative, and memorable. Informed judgments allow students to improve their individual artworks and also have critical discussions about the work of other artists.

The assessment process is ongoing in a studio environment. Assessment rubrics for assignments will help students develop critical thinking skills which aid them in engaging in the evaluative processes and making informed judgments. Rubrics are criteria designed to inform students of the parameters of the assignment and assist teachers and peers in providing feedback. Rubrics also provide teachers with ongoing information to diagnose students’ knowledge bases and needs and to revise instruction. The criteria for assessments are given before any work is undertaken since assessments should not be a guessing game for students.

Concrete and explicit rubrics help students understand what they are being asked to accomplish. Rubrics may be customized to fit a specific assignment by adding categories for the use of a color scheme, format, or negative space. Rubrics help students make informed judgments about their artwork, the work of their peers, and other artists, since often an artwork may be more successful in one area than in another. Rubrics also help remove personal bias when making judgments about artworks.

When using rubrics, it is critical to engage students in discussion of each level, so that everyone has a clear understanding of what is implied by use of the terms emerging, proficient, and advanced. Other ideas for rubrics may be found in the AP Studio Art Scoring Guidelines posted on AP Central at __apcentral.collegeboard.com.__

Basic rubrics for an assignment could be structured as below:

Craftsmanship: Emerging Proficient Advanced Execution – Technical Skill and Process: Emerging Proficient Advanced Compositional Elements: Emerging Proficient Advanced Concept: Emerging Proficient Advanced Use of the Principles of Design: Emerging Proficient Advanced