Assessment

Chapter 12 Reflection

In this chapter, we begin discussing assessment in the art classroom. Assessment and grading can be difficult at first as they follow a different set of guidelines from traditional forms of assessment. One of the first key points mentioned by the authors is the importance of having open ended outcomes. The art classroom is one of few places at school where the outcomes don’t have to stick strictly to what the objective states. It is important to keep in mind the context of where students' ideas are coming from and then assessing from there. The authors also discuss some of the differences between assessment and evaluation with one considering more student progress and the latter focusing on the curriculum itself. There needs to be a balance between these to ensure an adequate curriculum that meets educational standards while also maintaining a good form of assessment for the students. Assessment in the art classroom is particularly important to help students with their artistic development. Formative assessments provide the students with individual feedback on their work and help them measure progress. Setting up a rubric is a good way to communicate the criteria for a project to students with the direct information that will be used for their summative assessment. They also discuss some of the problems that can come with assessment in the art classroom, connecting in particular to the idea of grading, which is commonly required in most schools. The authors say, “The most helpful and practical assessments do not employ grades”(Freedman & Boughton, 2023, ch.12 p. 21). This makes it difficult for art teachers who are trying to provide students with constructive feedback through formative and summative assessments in order to improve while also having to assign their conceptual work with a nonconceptual number or grade.

It is interesting to read about how art students are assessed when you have the viewpoint of both an art student and art educator. Before I started on the path to teaching, how I was assessed in the art classroom isn’t something I put too much thought into. In high school, my art teacher would just give us a grade and very little feedback and it wasn’t until I got into higher education that I received any type of constructive feedback with my grades. I also think it was very important that the authors mentioned inappropriate use of assessment, such as trying to use it for psychological analysis. I’ve experienced this before with past teachers and I remember it made me more reluctant to keep making art and sharing it. The use of the portfolio as a tool for assessment was also informative. I never really considered a portfolio as a form of assessment but with the author's explanation, it really makes sense why some art educators are turning towards this method for their assessment process. It makes it a lot easier for the art teacher to see a student's collective body of work and to notice any improvements and changes.

For my own art classroom, I would really like to bring this idea of portfolios to the classroom. I think it’s a great way to view a student's progress while also giving them a space to collect all of their art pieces. I never had to put together a portfolio of my own until I was trying to get into my art education courses and with so many art classes that I had already taken, it was hard to try and find where I had placed everything. Having not been prepared for this, I want to make sure my students have at least an electronic portfolio so that everything is compiled in an easy to find place. Doing this will also open the communication between student and teacher as we discuss what works are going into their portfolio and why. I also want to establish a more open type of assessment where I discuss students' grades with them one on one. Giving them direct feedback on their work, their strengths, and what they could continue to work on will be beneficial in establishing trust while also pushing them forward in the right direction. I want my students to be able to get the feedback they need in order to keep improving.

AP Portfolio Work by Bloom-Carroll High School (Grade 12)

References:

AP Portfolio Work. Artsonia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.artsonia.com/museum/art.asp?id=112491406&artist=11093904&gallery=y

Freedman, K. & Boughton, D. (2023). Elementary Art Education: A Practical Approach to Teaching Visual Culture [Unpublished manuscript]. Art and Design Education, Northern Illinois University.