Understanding, Developing, and Using Rubrics for Assessing Authentic Learning in Visual Art

Stacy Miller - Middletown Area Middle School

Understanding

   Developing lessons for the SAS has made me consciously aware of the importance of looking at my rubrics through a critical lens. This component of curriculum development, now bears increased importance as states throughout the country begin aligning student achievement to teacher effectiveness. My interest in rubrics and how they function started with the writing of a lesson plan within the SAS portal. I submitted a lesson last year and had it published within the SAS portal last year to review this lesson and rubric go to, (http://pdesas.org/module/content/resources/19454/view.ashx). The repetitive nature of developing a plan within that framework made me consciously aware of measuring tools. It was then I began to ask myself, "What is my rubric measuring within the lesson?" Many of my rubrics until last year were a way of tallying up some point value for different criteria; planning, creation, and reflection. I was aware that a rubric could function as an instructional tool as well as an evaluative tool, but the way my students were using them as an instructional tool was generic more like a check-off list of basic requirements. Rarely, if ever, did my rubrics allow students to see their projects though they were looking through another artist's eyes. As an instructional tool my rubrics informed a very basic level of artistic production and reflection, subsequently, the creative quality of student work was no better than the prescribed rubric.

Developing  

   Developing the lessons I presented to students for PA curriculum framework and standards I began to notice the importance of incorporating terminology, aesthetic issues of culture, time, innovation, symbolism, and communication. I knew in my introductions I was already posing relevant questions dealing with these aesthetics. Craftsmanship and technical application of materials were the most descriptive part of my rubric, (this is the most natural fit for art teachers.) We make objects that connect to a variance of cultural, aesthetic, and critical subject matter. The last category I always include is work habits. I was introduced to the notion of this category from an educator out of Alaska. He communicated the importance of attaching student to work ethic or effort. In each of my rubrics for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades I have made this my final category. This category established ownership between student an artwork for all processes included in art making.

As educators we often times get hung up on the numerical grade or an assigned point value. Because I have been using my rubrics as a pilot plan for the PDE, I created categories to align with our states measuring categories of Advanced, Proficient, Basic,and  in my rubrics.  In process, my last category I defined in this way after having a dialogue with several arts educators. We spoke about the importance of how a student fits into a personal growth model within the arts so they are invested in the arts. When dealing with state measures there are no point values assigned but educators live in the world of the grade book where numbers are relevant and real. My solution is simple; students don't worry about point values on their copy of the rubric. On my copy I have assigned each category into a 10 point spread with in progress measuring below 70 percent.

Descriptors are difficult to establish, especially if your student teacher vocabulary is not established. This might take a lot of revision and thought. Words that I would affix to processes, aesthetics, and craftsmanship issues needed to be redefined in way that my students would understand. Sometimes I noticed when involved in this process that the category became very wordy and long. Keep it simple, easily readable, and understandable by the student. Take notes from student discussions and incorporate student descriptors within your rubric. Sometimes, to jump start this process, we as a class would create a word bank.

Using

   Then, take it for a ride with a class. You will know when reading it through with students for the first time if it can be a instructional device. My first experience with using rubrics at this level happened while attending a bench-marking session in MA last year. Use it as a formative tool while students are working, circulate throughout the room and ask the students to evaluate themselves up to that point. Have them evaluate in pencil. Review the components they might be missing and how they could achieve a higher rating. As students begin to finish their work they will fill out their rubric and hand it in. When you sit down to evaluate, have blank rubrics for you to evaluate their work. Many teachers, including myself, grade on the same rubric as their students' evaluated themselves. The more authentic reading comes when teacher and student do not sway their opinions by viewing one another's grade. Also, when forced to reread the rubric and view each student's work and assess it with no predisposed opinions, you can reveal holes in both the rubric and the instruction given to the student. This is when the ongoing response from many teachers is, "You mean we need to rewrite?"  Yes, this process is a continual cyclical process of reflecting, refining, and rewriting.