After formative assessment for learning and self & peer assessment have been provided, all that’s left is the assessment of learning. The self-assessment sheets that are available for the duration of the project and that students use to evaluate their own work, are the same ones that I use for assessment of learning. Consistency ensures there are no surprises for students when they have such ready access to me and to the criteria.
I provide more feedback on the final assessment and let the students know if there are things that they could be revised. Students are welcome to continue working on a piece outside of class and re-submit it, if they feel like they can make more progress. Assessment of learning is important, but not the most important. The finality of a judgement can take away from student motivation in the creative pursuit of artistic achievement. There is endless variety in possible outcomes and I don’t want to limit the students’ options by giving them overly restrictive criteria. Ultimately this means a huge diversity of what can be considered success in assessment of learning. I try to keep the required elements to the demonstration of technical or material skill development, inclusion of a few specific elements, and the demonstration of self-reflection in the process stage of exploring potential outcomes.