Articulating Outcomes: Thinking Like an Assessor

From the previous unit, we learned how to build objectives that guided by S.M.A.R.T Goal guideline from the standards.

S- Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
M- Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
A- Achievable (agreed, attainable).
R- Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
T-Time bound (time-based, time-limited, timely, time-sensitive).

I have created unit objectives that meet to S.M.A.R.T goals in a 3rd grade Visual Art lesson. I envisioned the students would learn the skills and knowledge that provided by the teachings which build on these objectives. But how do I make sure that the students are on the right track? Assessments help us understand student learning outcome and also help us to ensure our objectives meeting high expectations for learning and teaching. Formative assessments and summative assessments are the mirrors of our teaching, and they give us feedback to improve and strengthen our work and student's learning.
*My S.M.A.R.T Goals for this Unit.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment monitor student learning to provide on-going feedback. It helps students identify if they understand the content and target area that need work. It helps the teacher recognize where the student is struggling and address the problem. It is usually low-stake. However, as an Art teacher in learning, I found the formative assessment benefit the students more in Art because it's live-time feedback aspect. Students in Art learn more in the process of doing, and formative assessment help student revise and refine their work in the process of art-making just like how artists work. The formative assessment generates questions that students could identify their artistic choices and decisions.

A Purposeful formative assessment in Arts create insights for the student.
Where Am I Going? -Revealing What Counts
Where Am I Now? -Feedback.
How Do I Get There? -Revision.

#A Formative Assessments helps meeting my objectives described below in this unit.
Goal 4- SWBAT create an artwork that demonstrating the craftsmanship by refining details
              and finalized it by the end of the week five.

-Peer Assessment: At the third week, students showcase their project in working to the whole class. They will develop a list of criteria for a valid symmetric pattern and focus on the printing. They will find a partner to review and give both verbal and written feedback using prompt vocabulary.

The formative assessments help the student getting feedback from self-assess and their peers which provides pieces of information that the student could refer. The students will decide the revision and their artistic decision base on the feedback. It helps to meet the objective of revision and refining their work in an artistic process.  It helps to achieve the S.M.A.R.T goals with the S-specific and A-attenable. Because the assessment provides and nailed down the content that I wish to deliver through my objectives.

Summative Assessment

Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period—typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year.  It is high-stakes, and it is usually used to guide the teacher and the student's efforts and activities in subsequent courses, ex: a final project or midterm exam.

Performance-Based Assessment
Performance-based assessments share the key characteristic of accurately measuring one or more specific course standards. They are also complex, authentic, process/product-oriented, open-ended, and time-bound. A performance-based assessment measures students' ability to apply the skills and knowledge learned from a unit or units of study. Typically, the task challenges students to use their higher-order thinking skills to create a product or complete a process (Chun, 2010). Arts assessments are the performance-based assessments for the majority part by nature.


#A Performance-Based Assessment helps meeting my objectives described below in this unit.
Goal 2- SWBAT identify the idea of Symmetric by showing an example
              from a symmetrically folded paper by the end of week one.
Goal 3- SWBAT create an Islamic inspired pattern artwork printed by
              recycled objects by the end of week five.

-Islamic Inspired Pattern Art: Students identify the idea of Symmetry by showing an example from a symmetrically folded paper. Students create an Islamic inspired pattern artwork printed by recycled objects.

#A Summative Assessment helps meeting my objectives described below in this unit.
Goal 1- SWBAT demonstrate an understanding of Pattern by recognizing
              and constructing patterns in the activities by the end of week one.
Goal 2- SWBAT identify the idea of Symmetric by showing an example
              from a symmetrically folded paper by the end of week one.

-End of the Unit Assessment: Students will complete a written assessment at the end of the unit which contents questions for essential keywords and concepts that they need to obtain.

Both performance-based assessment and summative assessment helps me ensure my lessons aline with the S.M.A.R.T. Goals and they help to create higher order thinking for the students.



References

-University, C. M. (n.d.). Eberly Center. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html

-About Assessment. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2018, from http://artsassessmentforlearning.org/about-assessment/

-SMART Goals: How to Make Your Goals Achievable. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2018, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm

-Concepts, L. (2013, August 29). Summative Assessment Definition. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from http://edglossary.org/summative-assessment/