The visual arts program at Lakeshore Middle School is structured with the following goals:
- a success oriented environment
- exposure to a variety of media
- longer, more indepth projects
- project backgrounds in art history, art style and/or artist
- instruction through a variety of methods for different learning styles
As we embark on learning in the 21st century, I will be including an assessment system that transforms the way we look at assessments and grading practices. This system moves from a focus on point accumulation and “playing the game of school” to a more meaningful reporting system that accurately reflects and supports student learning.
Grading presents a number of challenges, especially in art. As the traditional method of marking answers wrong, adding up points, calculating a percentage, and believing that this percentage accurately reflects student learning misses the mark. Unless we track each item that a student does not understand and cross-reference it with the standard it targets, there is little concrete meaning to a percentage or its corresponding grade. And more importantly, this common disconnect in our practice does not move us toward the goal of supporting and improving student learning. To remedy this issue, this system defines the targets to be assessed, defines the terms of achievement, and provides students and teachers with meaningful feedback.
Students will receive lesson learning targets that specifically outline what they are expected to know and be able to do. These are based on the 8-10 goals students need to know by the end of the quarter. There will also be two forms of assessment: formative and summative (benchmark). Formative assessments will be used to monitor student learning in progress and will include preliminary sketches, self and peer evaluation, classroom activities, and quizzes. It will allow for more immediate interventions for the student. The results of these formative assessments will not be calculated into a student’s grade, but will instead be used for feedback and remediation purposes for both student and teacher. However, the data from these formative assessments will still be recorded in and given to the student so that students may track their learning.
Summative assessments will be used to assess learning at the conclusion of a unit of study. These assessments will generally be graded using a rubric for the project that has been completed. There will also be a cumulative test at the end of each quarter. To easily identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses, each summative assessment will be graded and categorized under specific learning targets for that quarter. Any learning below 70% (average) will be considered failing and relearning of objectives will take place.
It is important to note that although some of our work will not be graded, un-graded does not mean irrelevant. All un-graded formative assessments will align to the course’s learning targets, and with active student engagement and a constant focus on the learning targets, the likelihood of success on the benchmark assessments will increase dramatically. Please understand that if your student does not focus on these activities and reflect upon his/her learning, he/she will head into the summative assessments unprepared.
Lastly, behavior, effort, attitude, and meeting deadlines will never be factored into a student’s grade. Responsibility, respect, hard work, and a positive attitude are expected. And while students will be held accountable for these issues, their grades will only reflect their understanding of the learning targets.
I am extremely excited about this grading and reporting system, as I believe it will more accurately reflect student achievement. Grades are important, but the value of a grade must not lie in the grade itself, but in what it tells us about a student’s learning.
The grades students do earn in class fit into one of three categories with each category having a different weight in the final total of the grade. Projects are generally weighted at 50% of the total grade. These works take a longer amount of time, thought and preparation. They are usually graded using a rubric aligned with the objectivs so the students know how they earned their grade. Assignments are 30% of the total grade. These works usually take only 1 or 2 days to complete are are sometimes as preparation to a project. The last 20% of the grade is for vocabulary, writing and quizes.
Student work is generally allowed to be handed in at any time before the end of the marking period without loss of points. Any work not finished during class will need to be worked on after school, during Homework lunch, or taken home to finish.
Grading presents a number of challenges, especially in art. As the traditional method of marking answers wrong, adding up points, calculating a percentage, and believing that this percentage accurately reflects student learning misses the mark. Unless we track each item that a student does not understand and cross-reference it with the standard it targets, there is little concrete meaning to a percentage or its corresponding grade. And more importantly, this common disconnect in our practice does not move us toward the goal of supporting and improving student learning. To remedy this issue, this system defines the targets to be assessed, defines the terms of achievement, and provides students and teachers with meaningful feedback.
Students will receive lesson learning targets that specifically outline what they are expected to know and be able to do. These are based on the 8-10 goals students need to know by the end of the quarter. There will also be two forms of assessment: formative and summative (benchmark). Formative assessments will be used to monitor student learning in progress and will include preliminary sketches, self and peer evaluation, classroom activities, and quizzes. It will allow for more immediate interventions for the student. The results of these formative assessments will not be calculated into a student’s grade, but will instead be used for feedback and remediation purposes for both student and teacher. However, the data from these formative assessments will still be recorded in and given to the student so that students may track their learning.
Summative assessments will be used to assess learning at the conclusion of a unit of study. These assessments will generally be graded using a rubric for the project that has been completed. There will also be a cumulative test at the end of each quarter. To easily identify a student’s strengths and weaknesses, each summative assessment will be graded and categorized under specific learning targets for that quarter. Any learning below 70% (average) will be considered failing and relearning of objectives will take place.
It is important to note that although some of our work will not be graded, un-graded does not mean irrelevant. All un-graded formative assessments will align to the course’s learning targets, and with active student engagement and a constant focus on the learning targets, the likelihood of success on the benchmark assessments will increase dramatically. Please understand that if your student does not focus on these activities and reflect upon his/her learning, he/she will head into the summative assessments unprepared.
Lastly, behavior, effort, attitude, and meeting deadlines will never be factored into a student’s grade. Responsibility, respect, hard work, and a positive attitude are expected. And while students will be held accountable for these issues, their grades will only reflect their understanding of the learning targets.
I am extremely excited about this grading and reporting system, as I believe it will more accurately reflect student achievement. Grades are important, but the value of a grade must not lie in the grade itself, but in what it tells us about a student’s learning.
The grades students do earn in class fit into one of three categories with each category having a different weight in the final total of the grade. Projects are generally weighted at 50% of the total grade. These works take a longer amount of time, thought and preparation. They are usually graded using a rubric aligned with the objectivs so the students know how they earned their grade. Assignments are 30% of the total grade. These works usually take only 1 or 2 days to complete are are sometimes as preparation to a project. The last 20% of the grade is for vocabulary, writing and quizes.
Student work is generally allowed to be handed in at any time before the end of the marking period without loss of points. Any work not finished during class will need to be worked on after school, during Homework lunch, or taken home to finish.
The art room structure is different from the more academic classes and therefore the behavior of the student is important. Students are required to gather materials that are located in various places around the room requiring students to leave their seats frequently. The following requirements help students to stay on task and keep disruption at a minimum.
- Come to class quietly and quickly and get to work on posted assignment
- Bring a pencil to class every day
- Sit in your assigned seat daily
- Follow directions the first time they are given
- DO NOT TALK OR GET OUT OF YOUR SEAT WHILE THE TEACHER IS GIVING INSTRUCTIONS.
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