Blog Post #4: Assessment

Responding specifically to chapter six on summative assessment, I was particularly intrigued by the sliding grading system which weights assessment components differently based on ability level.  Students are categorized as novice, apprentice, or veteran and components such as effort, progress, and mastery are weighted differently for each.  This model seems highly appropriate in a subjective assessment context, which is typical for the visual arts.  As Kathy acknowledged last week in class, students will be entering the class at a wide variety of skill and experience levels.  Some students are likely to be committed to art, avidly creating in their free time, having been exposed to extracurricular experiences and encounters with art as well, whereas other students may have had little to no formal training and varying levels of personal interest in the subject upon entering the class.  Given these diverse demographics, it is difficult to devise universal standards that will be fair and attainable, while at the same time challenging and engaging to everyone.  Furthermore, one would expect to see great learning leaps (Ping, Kathy) in a more novice student, while those with sophisticated skills would display much more subtle improvement.  In the novice student, effort and progress are the greater indicators of learning and thinking, while in the more skilled student, refinement of techniques and pushing through increasingly complex problems and concepts says more about their cognition at that level.

In my view, assessment should gauge learning which may or may not be evident in each and every product created in a studio arts class, especially when we consider that risk taking and experimentation should be encouraged and not penalized.  Some projects are bound to "fail", collapse, fall apart, break, or just not pan out as planned.  These are rich learning experiences for both student and teacher.  Therefor, it's important that we find ways of assessing for learning and progress, not just achievement.  One of the most important tools we have for assessing whether or not learning is taking place is through student's own reflections.  Conversations, reflective writings, and portfolios are indispensable in evaluating students meta-cognition and progress.  When students can identify what went wrong in a piece and make educated assertions about how to correct it or better express their ideas in future, self efficacy is enhanced.  When students can reflect on a process, identify their thinking strategies, and support their decisions with reason and course related content, we know that learning has occurred.