As I gathered data and information with respect to this area of the Master of Instruction Portfolio, I immediately became aware of the tremendous growth that I have experienced throughout my eight years of teaching.  I can distinctly relate each and every modification to some influence from either a reading or in-service presentation to my numerous graduate experiences.  Nevertheless, my belief that every child is an artist and should be judged based upon his/her own abilities, rather than talent has remained constant throughout my assessment growth.  I have come to realize the need for multiple forms of assessment in my Essential Arts classrooms.  Through the utilization of a variety of assessment tools, I may better supply my students with feedback that promotes life-long learning and fosters growth as an individual.

The Elements of Art Scoring Rubric was designed to accommodate the growth and achievement of every sixth grade Visual Art class during their investigations of the Elements of Art.  While many projects were created during their 9 week Visual Art block, I have included several pieces of artwork from the students' lesson of the Art and Math of M.C. Escher.   These works exhibit both beautifully and poorly executed designs in addition to those created with average effort.  Each section includes a description of special circumstances that I also consider when attempting to assess my students' artwork. [To access the rubric, click on the 'thumbnail' below ... please note that the pictures are NOT accessible and reside on this page only.]

The two designs above are textbook representations for the Translation type of Tessellation; the design pattern is created by sliding the design side to side, and up and down.  Each student received an 'A' for their efforts in designing, creating, and coloring the first Tessellation project.  Though the design on the left contains more detail than the drawing on the right, the right tessellation meets the requirements of project rubric as well as exhibits true effort from the student who 'struggles' in every aspect of the Visual Art class.  This child completed small renditions of this pattern in several color combinations PRIOR to coloring the large drawing as well as practiced drawing the outlines; suffering from Turrets Syndrome, this child would continuously 'shake' while drawing. However, the effort exhibited in the completion of the above design for a child who has difficulty drawing a straight line with a ruler was outstanding and appropriate.

The drawings above fail to represent the 'true' abilities of these two young ladies.  The drawing on the left was purposely produced carelessly and without effort by a student who frequently exhibits 'laziness!'  Upon hearing that I was disappointed that she did not use her original design (a tropical fish with much detail), she attempted to redeem herself by randomly drawing vertical and horizontal lines to exhibit some sort of precision in the placement of the tessellated shape.  She later stated that someone else told her that 'leaves' would be easier to complete.  The student's final grade for this tessellated piece was a low 'C' based on the Elements of Art and additional Tessellation Rubrics.

The tessellation attempt on the right was created by a student who recently learned that her parents were separating.  I have always found it extremely difficult to assess artwork when I am aware of underlying circumstances that may influence the student's concentration and effort in their studies.  Though the rubric scoring guide as presented to the students prior to starting any art project makes them responsible parties in the creation of their artwork, it does not provide for the consideration of outside influences.  The drawing as completed received a 'D,' but the child was given the opportunity to resubmit another design following a parent conference.