A Word About Assessment

Like all other subjects and tasks, it is extremely important to evaluate and assess art projects. Because students can sometimes feel very attached and/or even vulnerable when presenting artwork, it is important to keep a few key strategies in mind:

Involve students in the assessment process.

I first ask the students to assess their project. Then, I assess their work and discuss any differences of opinion. This allows me to get a heads up about how they are feeling regarding the project and helps students really understand that art can be judged against criteria.

Define exactly how the project is to be graded.

Before students start their work, I always ask them to fill out a mini-rubric (example below) first. Not only is the assessment tool all ready to go, but it affords the students focus during the project. We discuss any questions at the beginning and then if a student gets sidetracked, I refer them to the rubric sitting on their desk.

Concepts being graded should be related to the art image, discussion, and/or previously learned concepts. Criteria should provide some structure, but not too much. Criteria should sound objective.

Give some requirement options. I usual choose 2 or 3 of the criteria and allow the students to choose 1 or 2. In this way, students can highlight their strong points if they need validation, or, they can choose new skills they are working on to give extra direction and to feel challenged.
 
 

Sample Mini Rubric

A few comments:

--I put four blank mini rubrics on a master sheet to be copied. At the top is a space for name, date, and project. You can create different sets to include any amount of criteria--I usually include 3 to 5. Copy and cut several, then they are ready to go. Remember, even though it takes longer for the students to fill them out, it really helps them to understand how they are being graded.

--Here I have included the numbers 7 - 10 as levels of evaluation. This is intended for programs where you are required to use percentages for grades and where students understand what each number really means. You can easily add or replace these with whichever words or phrases are meaningful to you and your students, such as: excellent, meets expectations, etc.
 
 
 

Art Project Criteria	7	8	9	10
Image touches four edges of the paper.	aa	aa	aa	aa
Used nonstandard colors to create shadows.	aa	aa	aa	aa
Used limited color palette (5 colors or less).	aa	aa	aa	aa
(choice criteria)	aa	aa	aa	aa

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