Assessment of Student Learning

The Arts World Wide curriculum recognizes that learning is holistic and contextual. Students will engage in heuristic processes in order to creatively express themselves in a work of art that is personally meaningful to them, to develop their expository writing abilities, and to achieve other curriculum objectives. For these reasons alternative assessments, including portfolio assessment, are highly recommended for use.

Teachers can conduct formative assessment of each student’s creative progress, knowledge, skills, and attitudes by observing them as they work, having formal and informal discussions with them, and periodically reviewing their portfolio of artworks and their written journal of their thoughts and actions. The students also will participate in formative assessment by providing feedback on the preliminary ideas and sketches of their peers.

Summative assessment of student learning can be based on each student’s final artwork, papers, and oral presentations in addition to their cumulative portfolio of artworks and their written journals. Again, the students contribute to the assessment process by jurying the exhibition of student artworks.

Federal Recommendations

An increasing number of states in the United States are requiring art education for high school graduation and college entrance. The prospects for art education have also improved at the federal level with the Goals 2000: Educate America Act which passed with strong bipartisan support in 1994. The Goals 2000 Act sets education improvement as a national priority to be accomplished through local and state initiatives. One of the primary goals of this legislation is that all students will leave grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter including history and the arts. The Act also calls for the development of a national vision and strategy to infuse technology and technology planning into all educational programs and training functions carried out within school systems at the State and local levels. Taken together, these goals of the Goals 2000 Act speak directly to the aim of this curriculum.