Assessment, Instruction, and Learning
Explanation of Pre- and Post-Assessment Instrument
PSD Growth Assessment rubric: This rubric outlines the grading scale containing 5 section, planning and ideation, creation and exploration, reflection and connection, and pre and posttest assessment scores. These sections relate directly to the Colorado State Art Standards for fourth and fifth grade students in the Poudre School District. Each of these sections is broken down into four grading scales, ranging from in progress (1) to advanced (4). Each student’s work is graded on this same scale and with feedback on his or her whole artistic performance. This allows us to show learning, comprehension, growth and understanding. With the use of a pre and post assessment we can assemble data and show students growth.
Assessment Instruments:
Questioning:
Students will be asked how they can tell where each mask is from?
What building techniques were used to make it?
What is the masks purpose?
How could these masks be used? (Ceremonial dances, home decor, in an art exhibit, or religious sacrament?
Can both men and women wear masks?
Do we wear masks at all? (Think baseball, spa masks, and Halloween masks.)
How are these masks different from the one we looked at before?
Pre-assessment with clay sculpture will include a beginning exploration of the material. The students will be given clay to play with as teacher introduces the next section after ideation phase. Student’s prior knowledge of clay building will be assessed with questions:
Who knows what a pinch pot is?
Who can show me how to make one?
How do you make a coil?
How do you attach 2 pieces of clay together?
Sketchbooks:
The students used their sketchbooks this semester for the planning and ideation of their projects. The sketchbooks were also used a daily warm-up/ formative assessment the previous class period. I asked students to reflect on the previous class with questions like: What parts of clay building worked for you? What part of mask building did you have difficulty with? What is one thing you learned?
Blog:
The online blog was used as another pertinent resource for assessment. A blog is a great way to reflect weekly on student progress. Three areas to highlight are, what worked with the lesson? What didn't work with the lesson? What will you do differently next time?
Formative Assessments:
Checking for Understanding:
We used formative assessments daily in class to check for understanding with our students. Asking the class to respond to a question with thumbs up or thumbs down was a beneficial way to assess where the majority of students were in regards to comprehension. For example, during the first building day of lesson two, I had one student ask me “how do I make a horn on my mask? I began to show him a building strategy then stopped assuming other students had the same question. I asked the class “who is planning on adding a horn or appendage to their mask?” Six students raised their hands and we proceeded with a mini demo for those who wanted to add horns with plaster gauze.
Exit Tickets:
Exit tickets were used as a formative assessment throughout the semester. These were a great way check for understanding as well as reiterate objectives and learning targets. The information gained on student comprehension and misinformation is invaluable. It helped asking students what they had trouble with directly, after which I was able to take the information and adjust instruction for the next class. This method of assessment also adds literacy to the lesson. Engage and persist.
Explanation of Pre- and Post-Assessment Instrument
PSD Growth Assessment rubric: This rubric outlines the grading scale containing 5 section, planning and ideation, creation and exploration, reflection and connection, and pre and posttest assessment scores. These sections relate directly to the Colorado State Art Standards for fourth and fifth grade students in the Poudre School District. Each of these sections is broken down into four grading scales, ranging from in progress (1) to advanced (4). Each student’s work is graded on this same scale and with feedback on his or her whole artistic performance. This allows us to show learning, comprehension, growth and understanding. With the use of a pre and post assessment we can assemble data and show students growth.
Assessment Instruments:
Questioning:
Students will be asked how they can tell where each mask is from?
What building techniques were used to make it?
What is the masks purpose?
How could these masks be used? (Ceremonial dances, home decor, in an art exhibit, or religious sacrament?
Can both men and women wear masks?
Do we wear masks at all? (Think baseball, spa masks, and Halloween masks.)
How are these masks different from the one we looked at before?
Pre-assessment with clay sculpture will include a beginning exploration of the material. The students will be given clay to play with as teacher introduces the next section after ideation phase. Student’s prior knowledge of clay building will be assessed with questions:
Who knows what a pinch pot is?
Who can show me how to make one?
How do you make a coil?
How do you attach 2 pieces of clay together?
Sketchbooks:
The students used their sketchbooks this semester for the planning and ideation of their projects. The sketchbooks were also used a daily warm-up/ formative assessment the previous class period. I asked students to reflect on the previous class with questions like: What parts of clay building worked for you? What part of mask building did you have difficulty with? What is one thing you learned?
Blog:
The online blog was used as another pertinent resource for assessment. A blog is a great way to reflect weekly on student progress. Three areas to highlight are, what worked with the lesson? What didn't work with the lesson? What will you do differently next time?
Formative Assessments:
Checking for Understanding:
We used formative assessments daily in class to check for understanding with our students. Asking the class to respond to a question with thumbs up or thumbs down was a beneficial way to assess where the majority of students were in regards to comprehension. For example, during the first building day of lesson two, I had one student ask me “how do I make a horn on my mask? I began to show him a building strategy then stopped assuming other students had the same question. I asked the class “who is planning on adding a horn or appendage to their mask?” Six students raised their hands and we proceeded with a mini demo for those who wanted to add horns with plaster gauze.
Exit Tickets:
Exit tickets were used as a formative assessment throughout the semester. These were a great way check for understanding as well as reiterate objectives and learning targets. The information gained on student comprehension and misinformation is invaluable. It helped asking students what they had trouble with directly, after which I was able to take the information and adjust instruction for the next class. This method of assessment also adds literacy to the lesson. Engage and persist.
(example of student exit ticket)
Group Critique:
The group critique was a method in building comprehension and reflection skills. Not only does this directly correlate with the standards, it begins building transferrable skills like group work. We first laid down the ground rules and expectations of the critique. This was the majority of my students first time discussing artwork in a formal art critique setting. Students were counted off in fours to separate from normal groupings. This allowed students to get away from working with familiar classmates. Students placed their sculptures and ideation sketches together on the table. When discussing student artwork we focused on formal qualities, things they notice or wonder about, likes, and things they might have done differently.
Exhibition Reflection Sheet:
The end of semester art exhibition was the culmination of 9 weeks of studio work. I asked my students to look at all the artwork in the show and write thoughts and ideas down. They were asked to find two works they liked and explain why. Along with the two likes, I asked them to identify one work that they would change, what they would change, and why. In their descriptions, students are expected to use proper art language and discuss the formal qualities of the works. This type of assessment adds literacy, strengthens reflection and comprehension skills, and allows me as an educator to chart student growth from first critique.
Group Critique:
The group critique was a method in building comprehension and reflection skills. Not only does this directly correlate with the standards, it begins building transferrable skills like group work. We first laid down the ground rules and expectations of the critique. This was the majority of my students first time discussing artwork in a formal art critique setting. Students were counted off in fours to separate from normal groupings. This allowed students to get away from working with familiar classmates. Students placed their sculptures and ideation sketches together on the table. When discussing student artwork we focused on formal qualities, things they notice or wonder about, likes, and things they might have done differently.
Exhibition Reflection Sheet:
The end of semester art exhibition was the culmination of 9 weeks of studio work. I asked my students to look at all the artwork in the show and write thoughts and ideas down. They were asked to find two works they liked and explain why. Along with the two likes, I asked them to identify one work that they would change, what they would change, and why. In their descriptions, students are expected to use proper art language and discuss the formal qualities of the works. This type of assessment adds literacy, strengthens reflection and comprehension skills, and allows me as an educator to chart student growth from first critique.
(example of a 4th graders critique reflection sheet)
Pre- and Post-Assessment Results:
The following charts display student growth though this semester. Graph A shows the individual students growth, while graph B shows the comparison of average growth of 4th and 5th grader students. All students have been assigned a number 1- 18 to keep student anonymity.
Graph A: Individual Student Growth
Pre- and Post-Assessment Results:
The following charts display student growth though this semester. Graph A shows the individual students growth, while graph B shows the comparison of average growth of 4th and 5th grader students. All students have been assigned a number 1- 18 to keep student anonymity.
Graph A: Individual Student Growth
Graph B: Average Growth Comparing 4th and 5th Grade Students
Discussion of Pre- and Post-Assessment Results:
I feel that one of the biggest strengths of my lesson instruction was the attention to repetition and reiteration. Students respond to repetition and especially when they are questioned and required to repeat the information back. The results from the pre and posttest show significant average growth from the 5th graders. There are a lot of variables that go into this information. I noticed themes with individual students work habits. Some students required pushing from me as the teacher to really explore the creative process and materials. We see significant growth from student 13. His score rose from 5 on the pretest to 10 on the posttest. His work habits lacked exploration and depth with little ideation and creativity. Every day of class he would bring his work up to me after we began and he would ask, “What do I do now? I’m done.” I think the information gained from pre and posttests scores not only shows growth in student learning and work habits, but also shows growth in my performance as an educator. Students showing lack of exploration or materials was difficult to combat at the beginning of the semester. This was a type of differentiation I had not completely prepared for. During the second project, I continued to stretch and push his thinking. This effort shows in his posttest score. I would have liked to administer the same test at the beginning and end of the unit. This would directly indicate growth on specific information from the objectives in my lessons. This type of assessment is important to indicate on the lesson plans. I think preparing a written multiple choice and fill in the blank test would have been beneficial to see how much the students actually learned. During daily formative assessments I asked the students “What did you learn today?” Student 6 for example wrote down that she learned “in order to make a strong and functional mask, you need to use three to four layers of plaster gauze.” This is an example of student who was engaged in the lesson with questioning and exploring materials. Student 10 simply wrote, “Fix everything” for the same question. This response shows a lack of depth or interest in the material. Student engagement is paramount to beneficial instruction and lessons. There are always going to be students who don’t take a lesson or projects seriously. Whether due to lack of interest or distraction, it is important to try and reach all students.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Assessments:
I think some areas of my lesson and unit assessment that should be changed for the next on would be administering a pre and posttest aligned directly with my learning objectives, concepts, instruction. This would allow me to see directly what information students knew at the beginning of the class and what they were able to retain until the end. Another area that lacked in my lesson was lesson objectives. I think the objectives were maybe a little broad. Focusing the objectives will define an area of growth and allow for a more concentrated assessment criteria. The information gained from this assessment analysis benefits me immensely as a beginning educator. Reflecting on my assessments has defined the pertinent information for student growth that is significant to chart. The formative assessments are very helpful in the classroom for repetition of knowledge and checking for understanding. The use of exit tickets helped me establish routine in my classroom, while giving insight to what students had difficultly with. One major takeaway from this reflection is the importance of being flexible and able to adapt. Additionally, I would have modified our assessment plans to include more Kahoot. The kids were very engaged and excited for this electronic quiz that also helps build community within the classroom by having students participate in teams. Students are not always going to learn at the same rate, and while there are going to be students at different interest levels, educators need to try to reach and engage all students. Above all, the importance of keeping records and charting student work is paramount to displaying comprehension and overall student growth throughout lessons and units.