Formative and Summative assessments: Thinking Like an Assessor

STANDARD: Write an art critique identifying and explaining the use of the elements and principles of art in the Sunflower painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

Objective: Students will be able to write a three paragraph art critique using specialized words in order to evaluate Vincent Van Gogh’s painting The Sunflowers by articulating their understanding of this work of art.

Formative assessment

A formative assessment monitors a students’ learning and provides an ongoing communication for them to get feedback from the instructor.

1. Students will fill out a one-page target worksheet identifying their strengths and weaknesses in trying to reproduce the Vincent Van Gogh painting Sunflowers. What was difficult and what did you find easy to do?

2. Students will draw up a concept map of the elements of art using the Sunflower as a template to demonstrate their understanding of the task.

3. Informal checks for understanding with the three-minute pause.  Reflecting on ideas that have been introduced and making connections to prior knowledge for clarification.

I noticed….

I discovered that……….

I found or felt that………

I learnt that………

I compare this with………..

I do not agree with………..

Summative Performance-based assessment

A performance-based assessment measures students’ ability to apply the skills and knowledge learned from a unit. This task normally challenges students to use their higher-order thinking skills to create a product or finalize the process of an assignment (Chun 2010).

1. Students knowledge of Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ painting will be demonstrated in a three-paragraph art critique. This art critique will include a list of specialized words that should appear in the final report.

Show          demonstrate              make            construct                  composition            build           use         Describe             colors         lines                      shape            space               value             texture Movement             balance              harmony                   variety                emphasis          space

2. Students will have a writing test to show how well they retrieve information about the topic data. The examination will be out of 100 and will have to be written without any spelling errors in a three-paragraph format of a critique.

References

Chun, M. (2010, March). “Taking teaching to performance task: linking pedagogical and assessment practices. (http://jcsites.juniata.edu/faculty/kruse/misc/Chun_Change_TakingTeachingToTask.pdf) Change: The Magazine of Higher Education.

Hilliard, P. (2015, December). Performance-based Assessment: Reviewing the Basics. (https://www.edutopia.org/blog/performance-based-assessment-reviewing-basics-patricia-hilliard) Performance Assessment.