| Teacher Reflection | Program Evaluation | Curriculum Evaluation | Student Evaluation |
Evaluation includes teacher reflection, program and curriculum evaluation, and student assessment and evaluation. All of these have the same general goal. They are intended to enhance learning and foster further student growth in achieving the objectives of the Arts Education program. Evaluation in Arts Education is undertaken for the same reasons as in other school subjects: to recognize progress and identify areas which need further learning. Educators may refer to Saskatchewan Education's Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook, 1991, and Curriculum Evaluation in Saskatchewan, 1991, for support in these areas.
Teacher Reflection
An important aspect of good teaching practice is that of teacher reflection. There are two levels of teacher self-evaluation: reflection on day-to-day classroom instruction by the teacher and reflection that is done through peer coaching. In the Arts Education program teachers should assess their strengths and identify areas for improvement. They can ask themselves the following questions:
It is important for teachers, as professionals, to engage in reflection. Teachers should take stock of their professional capabilities, set improvement targets and participate in professional development activities. Teachers can address their professional growth by reflecting on their arts programs and their own teaching practice; reading professional documents (for example, articles, journals and books); attending workshops, professional conferences and courses; and developing networks with other professionals in their field.
During peer coaching sessions, criteria for assessment of the lesson or series of lessons should focus upon the intended curriculum and its objectives, recommended content, types of activities and instructional methods. Questions to be asked could include the following:
Supporting The Arts Education Program
When reflecting on the types of support available for the Arts Education program, teachers could ask the following questions:
In order to meet the needs of all students more appropriately and to provide the kinds of support necessary to help teachers achieve the objectives of the Arts Education curriculum, evaluation of the Arts Education program is also essential. Program evaluation is a systematic process of gathering and analysing information about some aspect of a school program in order to make a decision, or to communicate to others involved in the decision-making process. Program evaluation can be conducted at two levels: relatively informally at the classroom level, or more formally at the classroom, school or school division levels.
At the classroom level, program evaluation is used to determine whether the program being presented to the students is meeting both their needs and the objectives prescribed by the province. Program evaluation is not necessarily conducted at the end of the program, but is an ongoing process. For example, if particular lessons appear to be poorly received by students, or if they do not seem to demonstrate the intended learnings from a unit of study, the problem should be investigated and changes made. By evaluating their programs at the classroom level, teachers become reflective practitioners. The information gathered through program evaluation can assist teachers in program planning and in making decisions for improvement. Most program evaluations at the classroom level are relatively informal, but they should be done systematically. Such evaluations should include identification of the area of concern, collection and analysis of information, and judgement or decision making.
Formal program evaluation projects use a step-by-step problem-solving approach to identify the purpose of the evaluation, draft a proposal, collect and analyse information, and report the evaluation results. The initiative to conduct a formal program evaluation may originate from an individual teacher, a group of teachers, the principal, a staff committee, an entire staff or central office. Evaluations are usually done by a team, so that a variety of skills are available and the work can be distributed. Formal program evaluations should be undertaken regularly to ensure programs are current and relevant.
To support formal school-based program evaluation activities, Saskatchewan Education developed the Saskatchewan School-Based Program Evaluation Resource Book (1989) to be used in conjunction with an inservice package. Further information on these support services is available from the Assessment and Evaluation Unit, Saskatchewan Education.
Curriculum Evaluation
As new curricula are developed and implemented in Saskatchewan there will be a need to know whether these new curricula are being effectively implemented and whether they are meeting the needs of students. Curriculum evaluation at the provincial level involves making judgements about the effectiveness of provincially authorized curricula.
Curriculum evaluation includes the gathering of information (assessment phase) and the making of judgements or decisions based on the information collected (evaluation phase). The principal reason for curriculum evaluation is to plan improvements to the curriculum. Such improvements might involve changes to the curriculum guide and/or the provision of resources or inservice to teachers.
All provincial curricula will be included within the scope of curriculum evaluation. Evaluations will be conducted during the implementation phase for new curricula, and regularly on a rotating basis thereafter. Curriculum evaluation is described in greater detail in Curriculum Evaluation in Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Education, 1990).
Student Evaluation
Observation
Assessing Process and Product in Arts Education
Record Keeping
Grading and Reporting
Assessment is a broad term which involves collecting information on the progress of students' learning. Evaluation is making a judgement about the degree of merit or worth of the information collected relative to the learning objectives.
Assessment and evaluation of student progress is as essential in Arts Education as it is in other school subjects. To reinforce to students, parents, administrators and the general public the importance of Arts Education in Saskatchewan's Core Curriculum, the program must include a means to assess the real benefits to students which result from their involvement in the program. While the comments which follow relate specifically to the Arts Education program, teachers may also refer to Saskatchewan Education's Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook for further information.
Student assessment in the Arts Education curriculum is based on the foundational objectives in each module. Following each foundational objective are learning objectives for all four strands. Teachers will need to look at the foundational and learning objectives carefully and develop appropriate record-keeping forms. Sample record-keeping forms are included in this Evaluation section.
While some aspects of the arts program include the development of a concrete product (such as a collage in visual art), many products of learning in the arts are actions or behaviours that take place over time and are not easily captured for later reflection and appraisal. Two major challenges of student assessment in the Arts Education program are determining observation criteria and record keeping. It should be noted also that student peer and self-evaluation are important means to further develop students' abilities in the arts program. Teachers should structure some lessons to provide for these.
Observation
For teachers to become good observers, they must first have clear ideas of what they will be looking for. While observation should always be based upon the objectives, recognizing evidence for the achievement of an objective is not always a straightforward or easily described process. The assessment of an individual student's achievement of a foundational objective will depend upon specific criteria, both suggested in the curriculum guide and determined by the teacher and students.
As well as referring to each foundational objective, teachers should also be aware of four categories of student learning during observation: perception, procedures, conceptual understanding and personal expression. Assessment information collected on these four categories will encompass the development of students' knowledge, processes, skills and abilities, values and attitudes related to the Arts Education curriculum.
Perception
In order for students to develop their abilities and interests in the arts, they must develop their perceptual abilities -- their senses of sight and sound and, in dance, their kinaesthetic sense.
Perceptual abilities should be evaluated in conjunction with other objectives, as the students' abilities to understand concepts and express themselves using the languages of the arts are interdependent with their ability to perceive. It is important to include activities which are intended to develop perception even though teacher observation of perceptual development may be apparent only over an extended period of time.
Procedures
In each strand, students must develop an understanding of procedures and processes. These procedures and processes enable them to create and respond to visual art works, music, drama and dance.
In creating art works, successful completion of the product depends upon an understanding of the procedures involved; for example, the procedures involved in creating a print in visual art. Students' understanding of procedures in this case can be evaluated by observing the project in progress and the final product.
The category of procedures also includes development of the ability to respond to various forms and works of art. This ability continues to develop throughout the school years and may be assessed through teacher observation and student self-evaluation over an extended period of time.
Conceptual Understanding
The assessment of conceptual understanding is focused upon the following:
Conceptual understanding contains a strong knowledge component and can be assessed, for the most part, using easily observable criteria. For example, an objective from the music program may be stated as "identify and describe various styles of music". Conceptual understanding can be observed when students are asked, for example, to indicate whether a selection of music is in the rhythm and blues or jazz style, and to describe the characteristics of each.
Personal Expression
The students' conceptual understanding will form a major basis for development of their expressive abilities. However, unlike conceptual understanding which focuses upon specific desirable outcomes, expressive abilities focus on individual responses, creativity and imagination. They also focus on sensitivity to one's own feelings, contextual features, and personal meanings and interpretations. What teachers need to guide them here is a range of appropriate criteria that might apply to students' visual art, dance, music or drama experiences. This type of criterion is described in numerous sections throughout the document.
Teachers should remember that a foundational objective such as "convey ideas through dance expressions" is an objective which could be achieved by students in a variety of ways. Responses by students will and should be idiosyncratic and there will be no one correct response. Teachers should not ask, then, "Was this student conveying his or her ideas in a personally expressive way?". Rather, teachers should ask, "To what extent was this student conveying his or her ideas in a personally expressive way?". To answer such questions, teachers must:
When evaluating, teachers should emphasize the assessment of the students' creative and responsive processes, as well as take into account any culminating product which may result from their arts experiences. Artistic products or other final projects will give only a partial view of each student's experiences, understanding and development in the arts. Ongoing observation is essential to achieving a complete and balanced assessment and report of the students' overall learning. The teacher should observe students' struggles with creative problem solving, their willingness to try new things, and their application of critical and reflective thinking.
Process
When assessing students' learning processes in the arts, teachers may determine the extent to which students are achieving the learning objectives by observing the following:
Some assessment techniques to use when evaluating objectives related to process include: anecdotal records, observation checklists, portfolios, contracts, conferences, individual and group assessments, written assignments, homework, and peer and self-assessments.
Products
When assessing products or presentations in the arts the teacher may determine the extent to which students are achieving the learning objectives by observing the following:
Some assessment techniques to use when evaluating objectives related to arts products or presentations include: anecdotal records; observation checklists; performance assessments; written, oral and other tests; portfolios; written assignments; homework; individual and group assessments; contracts; conferences; and peer and self-evaluation.
Portfolio Assessment
Students responding to their own and their peers' work is an important part of the creative and evaluative process. Responding can occur during the creative process, where the creations are presented as works-in-progress, as well as at the end of the project. Discussing their works-in-progress with other students, the teachers, parents, guest artists or Work Study employers helps students refine their arts expressions. Refer to the Planning Guide section "Discussing Student Work".
As students will be critiquing and responding to their own work on a regular basis, the portfolios should reflect works-in-progress as well as completed projects. Portfolios may contain notes, comments, questions, rough sketches, arts critiques, research, essays, video recordings, student journals, audio cassettes and various examples of the student's work. They need not include only the student's best work; rough drafts and early versions are excellent vehicles to spark dialogue during teacher-student conferences and to allow for reflection upon personal growth and development. By considering portfolios when teaching and assessing, teachers encourage students to develop critical thinking and creative abilities similar to those used by professional artists, and motivate students to take responsibility for their own learning.
Portfolio Conferences
Individual portfolio review sessions should be held as part of ongoing assessment practices throughout the course. Portfolio conferences may be used in many ways and are a good focus for discussion between and among the following: teacher and student; student and peer; teacher and parent/guardian; teacher, student and parent/guardian; or an interdisciplinary teaching team which may sometimes include visiting artists or Work Study employers. Some schools are now making a common practice of maintaining student portfolios over a number of semesters or years. This practice allows students, teachers and parents/guardians to see compiled direct evidence of real growth which can be a great source of satisfaction and pride as progress is readily apparent for every student.
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Teacher Note: Artistic products or presentations should not be evaluated in isolation, but must always be evaluated in conjunction with the students' creative problem-solving process, their intentions, their previous work that year and the Arts Education objectives. It is important to note that this curriculum recognizes that challenging oneself personally and exploring new ideas and ways of working are essential factors in artistic development. This way of working presents a risk to the students in that the final product or presentation may not turn out as well as it might have if they had "played it safe" and worked in a more repetitive or familiar way. Students may be reluctant to challenge themselves or take risks with their work if they know that all their work will eventually be on display or presented to others publicly. Because much of their daily work in Arts Education will be process-oriented and of a problem-solving nature, it should be made clear to students that all of their work will not result in a public presentation. Should a teacher or the students themselves desire on occasion to show some of their work to others, it is essential to involve the students in this selection and decision-making process. It is very important for both teacher and students to note that, while students must be encouraged to take pride in their artistic products, the creative problem-solving process is equal in importance to the resulting product at this age level. |
Reports to students and parents must be based upon real evidence. In order to build up a comprehensive record of growth, teachers will have to rely upon a wide variety of assessment techniques and to a great extent upon accurate observation and record keeping. In addition to the assessment techniques suggested in this curriculum, Chapter Four in Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook outlines a variety of general assessment techniques that teachers may wish to include in their student assessment practices.
Teachers should supplement their observation-based records with students' journal writing and other written or oral descriptions of their processes of decision making and problem solving related to specific tasks. Since journal entries are often of a personal nature, students and teachers should establish guidelines for their use in the class and in student assessment. In the visual arts, student portfolios of work and work-in-progress should be maintained. Larger work and three-dimensional work may be more difficult to maintain due to lack of storage space; therefore, accurate record keeping must usually suffice. Written tasks and projects such as essays and critiques
should also be included. Audio and video cassettes in music, dance, visual art or drama, when used judiciously and appropriately, can also be helpful for record keeping.
A practical tool for observation-based record keeping is a checklist. Teachers should devise individualized checklists for their units and lessons based upon the objectives and specific criteria developed from the task at hand.
The number of criteria on any type of form should be kept to two or three at the most for any one observation. Teachers' skill at observing and knowing what they are looking for will increase as they become more familiar with the curriculum. Initially, teachers may choose to record observations of no more than five students during the course of a lesson.
Checklists similar to the samples on the following pages should make it easier for the teacher to record information while still being attentive to other students and the co-ordination of the lesson-in-progress. Teachers should always provide themselves with a means of noting progress by any student, which may not relate to specific criteria on their forms. They can either design spaces for open-ended comments on their forms, or keep notepaper handy for this purpose.
Teachers will need to:
There are several examples of different assessment forms on the following pages, including blank templates for checklists, rating scales and anecdotal record keeping. Teachers will need to adjust or redesign these forms for their specific purposes. Please note the following:
Student Profiles
It is important to develop a composite profile of each student's progress for each reporting period in order to provide concrete information to students and parents. Report cards and parent-teacher interviews provide excellent opportunities to increase parents' awareness of the substantive content of the Arts Education program and of the benefits which students derive from their involvement in it.
Students and their parents will want to know the objectives and criteria upon which an evaluation was made. Observation forms and other pertinent material should be maintained whenever possible for reference and discussion. This is particularly valuable when reporting student progress that was not assessed through more familiar methods such as written tests or essays.
The main purpose of evaluation, of course, is to improve student learning. The time-consuming task of reporting student progress can often overshadow this objective; hence, teachers need to design the most efficient and time-saving record-keeping forms prior to teaching the module or unit of study.
It is the responsibility of the school division, school principal and teaching staff to establish student evaluation and reporting procedures consistent with the philosophy, goals and objectives of the curriculum.
Evaluation and grading criteria should be derived from the foundational objectives and the learning objectives which they encompass. It is important that teachers make clear to students, in advance, the purpose of the assessments and whether they will be used as part of a final grade or summative comment. Students need to know what is being evaluated as well as how it is evaluated. Evaluation criteria should be discussed with students throughout the year, before, during and after each unit of study, so that students may be active participants in their own evaluation process. In fact, the students themselves may help to set the assessment and evaluation criteria once they understand the objectives.
The reporting of student progress may take the form of descriptive reports in addition to a final grade. When translating assessment data into marks or summative comments, teachers should ensure that each of the foundational objectives has been assessed over the course of the year. At times during the year, teachers may place more emphasis or weight on certain foundational objectives depending upon the particular activity, project, or classroom experience in which the students have been involved. The final mark or summative comments should reflect a balance among the foundational objectives, and the year's experiences should also reflect a balance among the three components of the curriculum.
The complexity of individual student development in the arts, as in many other subjects, cannot easily be represented by one single symbol and teachers may decide to replace or supplement grades with descriptive comments. Whether a letter grade, percentage mark or a descriptive report is used, the teacher and the report card must indicate clearly to both students and parents that Arts Education is a core subject that is developing important understanding, abilities and attitudes.