Arts Assessment Tools

The arts offer a wide variety of traditional and alternative assessments, some of which are familiar whereas others may be new approaches to assessing student learning. This section is an overview of the different tools available to assess the arts as well as online resources that can provide further information.

These tools are commonly used for classroom assessment by teachers and students. However, these tools can also be used for district-level assessment. Descriptions of the tools are provided along with some illustrations of how they might be used in a large-scale assessment.

Teacher Assessment of Student Learning

Rubrics are a common assessment tool in all content areas, including the arts. There are numerous examples of arts rubrics available online, including those listed below.

One component in the Seattle Public Schools’ districtwide assessment will be a rubric and checklist to document and assess student learning. An example is available at their Web site.

Observations are opportunities for teachers to document their informal study of student work. Observations allow teachers to track progress in student learning that might otherwise go undetected. Observation checklists or guidelines can be useful tools in accomplishing this.  

The Theatre Education Assessment Models (TEAM) is one model that provides a number of observation templates for classroom teachers.  

A more formal and in-depth approach to observation is action research. Action research is where the teacher becomes the researcher, documenting and analyzing student learning. In Alameda County, classroom teachers and teaching artists are conducting action research. Through the Alameda County Office of Education, the Classroom Action Research Tool, teachers and artists can share their findings and learn from each other.

Performance assessment requires students to perform a task. Typically these tasks require preparation, review, and revision. They are often followed by critique or reflection. In the arts, performance assessment can be demonstrated through products and performances.  

Products that could come out of a performance assessment task could be a sculpture, a costume, or a musical score. Stanley Madeja (2004) reminds us that when we think of student artworks in assessment terms, we should think about how we can use these works as evidence of student learning and achievement. Madeja asks us to consider artworks as indicators of progress in our assessment criteria, such as problem solving.  

Examples of performances could be the presentation of a scene from a play, a dance, or a musical recital. The Maryland State Department of Education provides examples of performances that include examples of activities that students engage in, written reflections by students, and video of the performance. All of the Maryland performance assessment activities could be used on a districtwide basis as they are designed to be recorded and scored later.  

Performance tasks are considered authentic assessment as they require a demonstration of skills. Performance assessment offers a more in-depth understanding of student learning and skill acquisition than a paper-and-pencil test; however, it is a more time-consuming process and typically requires multiple steps. Good performance tasks consider student learning and achievement from multiple perspectives. This provides in-depth information but is also a lengthy and complex process.   

Portfolios are a popular assessment tool across the curriculum. A traditional portfolio includes a student’s best work in a subject area. Typically a portfolio is summative – it is an overview of what a student has accomplished at the completion of a course or program. The Theatre Education Assessment Models (TEAM) offer an overview of the use of portfolios in the arts. This particular approach examines the components of a playwriting portfolio and provides a scoring guide for teachers and students.  

An example of a high school photography portfolio is available at the ArtWorks Web site. It includes student artwork, a written statement by the student artist, a rubric, and scoring chart.  

Processfolio was developed by Arts PROPEL at Project Zero within a visual art context; however, it has been adapted for use in the other areas. A processfolio is formative – it charts the development of an artwork’s creation as well as the student artist. From beginning notes, drafts, revisions, edits, all the way through to the completed piece – these are included in the processfolio.

An example of a districtwide processfolio is seen in Farmington (Connecticut) Public Schools, where fifth graders in the district complete a visual art processfolio over the year.   

Madeja, S. (2004). Alternative assessment strategies for schools.  Arts Education Policy Review, 105, 3-13.

Student Self-Assessment

Self and peer assessment in the arts are growing in popularity as useful tools. As we know, and many researchers have noted, self and peer assessment are tools that are frequently used in the arts on the professional level. They have found their way into K-12 settings as well. These assessments can take a variety of forms, including journals and portfolios.

Student Peer Assessment

Critique is a form of self and peer assessment. Essentially, critique in the arts is the analytical and interpretative discussion about a work of art. Elisabeth Soep wrote that an appropriate and successful arts critique for a K-12 setting should include the following dimensions:

• Be purposeful
• Be participatory
• Provide both positive and negative feedback, both of which are supported by specifics
• Encourage more interpretation on the part of the viewer than evaluation
• Recognize the important role of the viewer of the artwork
  
  Soep, E. (2004). Visualizing judgment: Self-assessment and peer assessment in arts education. In EW Eisner and MD Day (Eds.),  Handbook of Research and Policy in Art Education (pp. 667-687).  Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.