ASSESSMENT PLAN
Student learning outcomes per unit and lesson will be assessed through various performance-based assessments strategies:
Criteria based rubrics
Student writing
Critiques
Class discussion and questioning
Quizzes
Criteria based rubrics are project specific, but always include 4-5 sections describing what is required. Craftsmanship, described as “my time and effort shows,” is always on each rubric. Each project is worth a total of 100 points, with each of the 4-5 sections worth points adding up to 100. At the end of each project, students are to give themselves a grade for each section on the rubric, and give themselves a total grade. Looking at that, the teacher can then assess their work and compare the students’ grades to the teacher grade. This especially helps with the “craftsmanship” section because the students’ grades can give a guideline for how they actually did on the project. A major aspect of grading the projects is to pay attention to how each student is working throughout the process of the project. It is stressed that students’ artwork is never graded based on whether they are a good artist or not. Artwork is graded based on completion of the requirements on the rubric, and craftsmanship (time and effort).
Student writing can occur through self-reflection or essays. Self-reflection is sometimes done as a quick warm-up, reflection questions, or an essay that entails reflecting on a lesson or questions asked about a lesson.
Critiques will occasionally be done by students via either peer or self-critiques. This can happen through small group discussions, class discussion or individual writing.
Class discussions and questioning is another way of assessing students learning. One challenge with this is participation. Techniques that can be used are cold calling and no opt out. Cold calling is not only a great way to keep students engaged, but it is a quick, informal way of assessing students learning. No opt out is a strategy that does not allow students to opt out of answering a question by saying that they don’t know. If a student does not have an answer, call on someone else who has the correct answer, and go back to the first student and ask them to repeat the correct answer. Also, it is important to get a completely correct answer, not a partially correct answer.
Quizzes are a great way to assess previous knowledge about a topic, or assess knowledge in the middle or end of a lesson.
Lauren|Anderson 