Grading Philosophy
My grading philosophy is that all students who make a concerted effort to try in the art classroom should be successful. Because of this, my grading philosophy is heavily impacted by student work habits and participation.
It is my philosophy that art is not just something you make -- a final product. Instead, art is something that you do. It is a process. So if a student spends two weeks working on a painting, he or she should not be graded only on the final product. The student should get credit for all those stays of productivity. Did he stay focused and on-task every day? Did she take creative risks and make intentional artistic choices? Did he seek out input from others, and was he open to the suggestions made? Did she support a classroom of respect by encouraging peers with positive words? These behaviors during the creating process can be measured with daily work habits, which should be built into the gradebook.
In addition to daily work habits, students' works of art are graded upon completion. But how do you know when a piece of art is truly done? For most teachers, the assigned deadline marks the end of a piece of work. I too give deadlines for projects, for the sake of progressing my curriculum in a timely manner. But I do not believe the grade has to be final right then. As part of my grading philosophy, I allow students dissatisfied with their "final grade" to revise their work. In fact, I allow multiple revisions to go into the gradebook. I believe this encourages students to develop persistence. By giving students the opportunity to change their grades, it puts the control back in their hands. They have the power to get the grades they want. This practice rewards students for "sticking with it" and refining their craftsmanship. By supporting persistence in the art room with my grading practices, I hope to instill in my students positive work habits that will support them in all walks of life.
It is my philosophy that art is not just something you make -- a final product. Instead, art is something that you do. It is a process. So if a student spends two weeks working on a painting, he or she should not be graded only on the final product. The student should get credit for all those stays of productivity. Did he stay focused and on-task every day? Did she take creative risks and make intentional artistic choices? Did he seek out input from others, and was he open to the suggestions made? Did she support a classroom of respect by encouraging peers with positive words? These behaviors during the creating process can be measured with daily work habits, which should be built into the gradebook.
In addition to daily work habits, students' works of art are graded upon completion. But how do you know when a piece of art is truly done? For most teachers, the assigned deadline marks the end of a piece of work. I too give deadlines for projects, for the sake of progressing my curriculum in a timely manner. But I do not believe the grade has to be final right then. As part of my grading philosophy, I allow students dissatisfied with their "final grade" to revise their work. In fact, I allow multiple revisions to go into the gradebook. I believe this encourages students to develop persistence. By giving students the opportunity to change their grades, it puts the control back in their hands. They have the power to get the grades they want. This practice rewards students for "sticking with it" and refining their craftsmanship. By supporting persistence in the art room with my grading practices, I hope to instill in my students positive work habits that will support them in all walks of life.