Assessment and instruction in the art classroom are like two dancing partners that rely on and work together to be successful. In an art lesson, the instruction needs to be clear while allowing for freedom of expression. The assessment needs to focus on every step of the process, not just the final product. When watching a dance, every moment is expressive and important from beginning to end. Similarly, assessment should focus on the many steps students go through in their art-making processes. These formative assessments allow me to see where more instruction is needed, as well as tailor my future instruction to better suite student needs.
If we imagined that our students' creative processes and art-making was a dance, we would not expect every dance to look the same for every student. They need choice and space to express their unique selves. With this being said, they still need the skills and techniques to do so. Without proper training, dancers couldn't fully express themselves through dance. Similarly, art instruction needs to blend teaching the necessary techniques with choice. When students have the tools and skills they need to express themselves they can do so with clarity and confidence.
Summative assessment should look at all of the parts of student processes and products. In my opinion, a summative assessment should look for student growth. If you were a judge for a dance competition, you wouldn't judge it solely off of the first or last 10 seconds of the dance. You would look at the dance as a whole to assess the performance fairly. Student performance needs to be looked at through this same lens. A dancer may slip and fall at any point but that doesn't mean the rest of their performance was a failure. Students will slip up as well, they need a chance to recover to show that they can learn from their failures. When we build our instruction and assessment around growth we create an opportunity for all types of learners in the art classroom.
If we imagined that our students' creative processes and art-making was a dance, we would not expect every dance to look the same for every student. They need choice and space to express their unique selves. With this being said, they still need the skills and techniques to do so. Without proper training, dancers couldn't fully express themselves through dance. Similarly, art instruction needs to blend teaching the necessary techniques with choice. When students have the tools and skills they need to express themselves they can do so with clarity and confidence.
Summative assessment should look at all of the parts of student processes and products. In my opinion, a summative assessment should look for student growth. If you were a judge for a dance competition, you wouldn't judge it solely off of the first or last 10 seconds of the dance. You would look at the dance as a whole to assess the performance fairly. Student performance needs to be looked at through this same lens. A dancer may slip and fall at any point but that doesn't mean the rest of their performance was a failure. Students will slip up as well, they need a chance to recover to show that they can learn from their failures. When we build our instruction and assessment around growth we create an opportunity for all types of learners in the art classroom.