Assessment in Art
One
important goal I have as the art teacher at CBMS is to support intrinsic
motivation and nurture student-directed learning in an authentic art-studio
setting. What I hope for my students is that they find and develop authentic
interest in making and responding to art. I hope that my students discover meaningful
connections to their lives, interests and personal knowledge-base, that they
challenge themselves to try new things and get better at those they find
rewarding, that they develop individual purposes for making art, and discover
genuine enjoyment and satisfaction from both making art and experiencing the
art of others.
Over the
past several years I have conducted an “action research” study to examine the
effect of grades and grading in art. With the help of the CBMS student body, I
have learned that for most, grades are not an important factor for learning and
growing in art. A minority of students feel grades improved behavior and
participation, and for some, grades are detrimental to the creative process.
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| First I asked students: If you were grading yourself in Art, what grade would it be and why? |
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| Next, I asked students: "If there were no grades in Art, How would this affect your work?" |
Based on
surveys, observation and discussion with students over four years at CBMS, I will
begin to pilot a program that is free of letter grades, number scores and
percentages. Instead of grades, student work and achievement will be assessed
through self-reflection and self-assessment, art sharing/critique/display,
individual consultation and my observation of and interaction with students at
work as artists in the studio. These authentic assessment practices are already
in place in the CBMS art studio so the only change students will notice is that
they will no longer see grade updates in PowerSchool. Students will “know how
they are doing” based on the assessments and reflections they routinely
participate in and will see my comment on their report card at the end of a
term.
This new
initiative in art is at once a small change and a ground-breaking one. By
setting aside grades and scoring, we further support intrinsically motivated
learning and growth. This approach is very well-suited for the learner-directed
studio-classroom that is already well-established at CBMS.
