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 the objectives of the particular program. Evaluation in Visual Art 10, 20, 30 is undertaken for the same reasons as in other school subjects: to recognize progress and identify areas that 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 | Program Evaluation and Curriculum Evaluation | Student Assessment and Evaluation |
An important aspect of good teaching practice is 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 their visual art programs, 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. Visual art teachers can address their professional growth by reflecting on their 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.
In planning a module of study, criteria for assessment of each 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 Visual Art Program
When reflecting on the types of support available for Visual Art 10, 20, 30 teachers could ask the following questions:
| Teacher Reflection | Program Evaluation and Curriculum Evaluation | Student Assessment and Evaluation |
In order to fulfil the needs of all students and to provide the kinds of support necessary to help teachers achieve the objectives of the curriculum, evaluation of the Visual Art 10, 20, 30 program is essential. 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 module 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.
Formal program evaluation projects use a step-by-step problem-solving approach to identify the purpose of the evaluation, draft a proposal, collect and analyze 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 is available and the work can be distributed. Formal program evaluations should be undertaken regularly to ensure programs are current.
To support formal school-based program evaluation activities, Saskatchewan Education has 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 Evaluation and Student Services Division, Saskatchewan Education.
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 involves gathering information (the assessment phase) and making judgements or decisions based on the information collected (the evaluation phase), to determine how well the curriculum is performing. The principal reason for curriculum evaluation is to plan improvements to the curriculum. Such improvements might involve changes to the curriculum document and/or the provision of resources or inservice to teachers.
| Teacher Reflection | Program Evaluation and Curriculum Evaluation | Student Assessment and Evaluation |
Assessment is a broad term that refers to 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 that result from their involvement in the program. While the comments that follow relate specifically to the Visual Art program, teachers may also refer to Saskatchewan Education's Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook (1991) for further information.
The following principles will guide teachers in the development of plans for student assessment in Visual Art 10, 20 and 30:
Observation
For teachers to become good observers, they must have clear ideas of what they will be observing. While observation should always be based upon the objectives, recognizing evidence indicating 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, suggested in the curriculum guide and determined by the teacher and the 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 Visual Art Curriculum Requirements.
Perception
In order to develop further their interests and abilities in visual art, students must continually be challenged to develop their perceptional abilities. It is important to include activities that are intended to develop perception even though evidence of perceptional development may be apparent only over an extended period of time.
Procedures
Understanding processes and procedures in visual art enables students to create and respond to visual art works. When creating art works, successful completion of the product depends on understanding the procedures involved. Teachers can evaluate this understanding by observing the students' process and the final product. When assessing the development of students' ability to respond to various art forms and works of art, teachers must observe students over an extended period of time and encourage student self-evaluation.
Conceptual Understanding
Conceptual understanding contains a strong knowledge component and can be assessed, for the most part, using easily observable criteria. Assessment of conceptual understanding is focused upon the following:
Personal Expression
The students' conceptual understanding will form the basis for the development of their expressive abilities. However, where conceptual understanding 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. Teachers will need to know their students in order to recognize growth and development. They will need to include opportunities for students to reflect on and respond to the expressive work they view. Students should engage in discussions about their processes and the processes of others. The "Sample Checklist or Rating Scale for Evaluating Creative Processes" found in this guide will provide general criteria for evaluating expressiveness.
Student Reflection
Student reflection is an extremely valuable element of student assessment. Daily opportunities for individual student comments in discussions, interviews and written reflections (quizzes or tests, journals entries, self-evaluation forms, etc.) can assist the teacher in assessing the student's understanding of visual art concepts. These comments may also reveal difficulties the student is experiencing and the reasons for some objectives not being achieved. Teachers may want to give a reflective exam at the end of the course of study to encourage students to reflect upon their entire course of study and synthesize their ideas, knowledge and understanding.
Assessing Process and Product
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 visual art experiences. Artistic products or final projects, presentations, performances, essays or research papers will give only a partial view of each student's experiences, understanding and development in visual art. Ongoing observation is essential to achieving a complete and balanced assessment and report of the students' overall learning. The teacher should also observe students' struggles with creative problem solving, their willingness to try new things, and their application of critical and reflective thinking.
Process
When assessing each student's learning processes in visual art, teachers may determine the extent to which students are achieving the learning objectives by observing the following:
Some assessment techniques to use when evaluating the achievement of 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 visual art 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 the achievement of objectives related to arts products or presentations include: anecdotal records, observation checklists, performance tests, written and oral tests, portfolios, written assignments, homework, individual and group assessments, contracts, conferences, and peer and self-evaluation.
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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 foundational and learning objectives as outlined by the teacher. 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 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. For example, the student who produces many technically proficient watercolour landscapes will have a collection of attractive paintings but will not have learned about or experimented with a variety of materials, methods, styles, concepts, etc., which will be valuable in his or her artistic development. 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 visual art will be process oriented and of a problem-solving nature, it should be made clear to students that not all of their work will 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 the 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. |
Portfolios
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 when 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, etc. helps students refine their arts expressions. Refer to the Planning Guide section "Discussing Student Work".
Portfolios may contain notes, comments, questions, rough sketches, art critiques, research, essays, video recordings, student journals and various examples of students' work. Portfolios should have a wide selection of works that show evidence of risk taking and experimentation with new methods and materials. 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. 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 provide opportunities for discussion between teacher and student; student and peer; teacher and parent/guardian; teacher, student and parent/guardian; or members of an interdisciplinary teaching team which may sometimes include visiting artists. Some schools make a practice of maintaining student portfolios over a number of semesters or years. This practice allows students, teachers and parents/guardians to see direct evidence of real growth. Students feel satisfaction and pride, as their progress is readily apparent.
Record Keeping
Reports to students and parents must be based upon real evidence. In order to build 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. As journal entries are often of a personal nature, students and teacher should establish guidelines for their use in the visual art class and in student assessment. In visual art, student portfolios of work and work in progress should be maintained. Written tasks and projects such as essays and critiques should also be included.
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. To facilitate assessment of students, teachers will need to:
Sample Assessment Forms
There are several examples of different assessment forms on the following pages, including checklists, rating scales and anecdotal record-keeping forms. Teachers will need to adjust or redesign these forms for their specific purposes. Please note the following:
These forms require Acrobat Reader for viewing and printing.
It is important for teachers 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 Visual Art 10, 20, 30 program and of the benefits that 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 the necessity of designing the most efficient and time-saving record-keeping forms prior to teaching a module.
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 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 module 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.
Student progress reports may take the form of descriptive reports and/or 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. The year's experiences should also reflect a balance among the three components of the curriculum.
The complexity of individual student development in visual art, as in many other subjects, cannot easily be represented by one single symbol and teachers may decide to supplement grades with descriptive comments. Whatever reporting method is used, the teacher and the report card must indicate clearly to both students and parents that the visual art program is developing important understanding, abilities and attitudes that have been developed for Arts Education in Saskatchewan.