Fine Art Grading and Developmental Feedback Policy
The purpose of grades is to accurately reflect individual student achievement as related to course objectives.
The School Board recognizes that students learn best through a system of clear learning objectives, quality formative assessment, developmental feedback, and the opportunity to respond to that feedback.
Formative Assessment and Feedback
Formative assessment is the process of understanding one’s current performance compared to desired performance and making necessary adjustments to improve the next time. Formative assessment also involves learning from one’s mistakes. A key part of the formative assessment process is non-judgmental developmental feedback.
Communication of Learning Targets
In the Art department, communication of quality performance and learning targets are communicated through:
- Art criteria sheets and rubrics
- Syllabi that communicate learning targets for each class
- Lesson level objectives discussed at the beginning of a unit and throughout each lesson both as a group and individually
- Modeling of techniques
- Exemplars at the beginning and during the duration of the projects as with aforementioned rubrics and plan/criteria sheets
Developmental Feedback
In these departments students have the opportunity to improve their performance through formative assessment and timely developmental feedback through:
- In process critique
- Small group critique
- Large group critique
- Teacher to student critique
- Student to student critique
- Written critique
Note:
Informal / visual critique becomes a fluid connection between both student and teacher because of the intricacy and personal nature of the artistic and technical learning taking place. Knowing your students’ thought process means being able to achieve a deeper conversation about the students’ work on both a technical and aesthetic level.
All critique is formative until project is turned in.
Self Assessment
Accurately self-assessing one’s work empowers the learner to understand learning goals, monitor progress, and understand the relationship between the effectiveness of one’s effort and one’s improvement.
- Students are expected to accurately assess their work by:
- Comparison to exemplars, rubrics, and job plan sheets
- Self guided analysis of short and long term criteria
- Informal verbal / visual critique with peers
Summative Assessment and Grading
The school board recognizes that formal grade reporting is necessary to provide summative information about student performance. Specifically, summative assessment and grade reporting inform students, parents, teaching staff and administration of how well a student meets learning objectives in a grade level or course and provides an official record of student performance. All summative assessment is preceded by non graded formative assessment and developmental feedback sufficient for leading students to satisfactory achievement.
Grading Criteria
Achievements of course learning objectives are the primary factor in determining grades. Furthermore, the most important skills and content knowledge are given the greatest weight. Summative Assessments are used as the majority of the student’s grade. In these departments, grades are determined by:
Grading Scale:
At Whitefish Bay High School, the following grading scale is in place across all subject areas with the exception of Music, which uses a 4.0 scale. In addition, teachers of Advanced Placement courses may deviate from this scale to better accommodate the college level nature of this coursework.
The Art Department Grading scale is as follows:
A = 100 - 93
A- = 92.99 - 90
B+ = 89.99 - 87
B = 86.99 - 83
B - = 82.99 - 80
C+ = 79.99 - 77
C = 76.99 – 73
C- = 72.99 - 70
D+ = 69.99 - 67
D = 66.99 – 63
D - = 62.99 - 60
F = 59.99 - 0
Weighting
18 week project-based work is worth 90% of a semester grade
Final Exam is worth 10% of semester grade. Finals for all art courses are project-based and begin in the weeks prior to exams. Exam time is used for final critiques.
Projects are graded on
COMPOSITION: Elements and Principles of Design
CRAFT: Materials and Techniques
INVENTIVENESS: Personal Touch
Extra Credit
As a combined department extra credit is not offered.
Late Work/Incomplete Work
Due dates mean we are moving onto new in-class work
Cut off dates mean teachers will not take work after a specific date
Due dates on projects are determined by each project’ s production time frame, by critiques dates, and then by a final cutoff date.
Failure to submit work is a “0”in the grade book by cut off date.
For each day a student is absent the student has one make up “day ” to work.
They are expected to put in this additional time, outside of class, in order to stay on schedule. They may use ISHP, LUNCH, taking it home, (if physically possible), and / or after school time, (after school time must be scheduled ahead of time with the teacher’s permission.)
Flexibility is given to students who want to refine work within the quarter the project is assigned or are absent for legitimate reasons.
The student will give a verbal or written agreement describing what they are working on and the expected time line of completion.
If a student turns in partially completed work then it is assessed and given a score where it is in its process.
Resubmission of Project
If a student has a “D” or “F” on a project and wants to resubmit, they may do so. The highest grade for a resubmission is a “C”.
There is no limit to the amount of projects a student can resubmit.
Resubmission of a project must be completed before the end of the quarter. The teacher determines this date.
Student Behavior/Effort
Effort is a critical component in the learning process. Behavior is a critical component to creating a respectful, supportive learning environment. In this department, effort and behavior are reported by:
The building wide quarterly effort/behavior marks.
Alignment to District Policies
This policy is aligned to District Grading Policy (345.1), District Homework Policy (345.3) and Accommodating Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs (323.1). Behavior that disrupts the teaching and/or learning process for others will be addressed through the school district’s code of classroom conduct (443.7).
Academic Dishonesty
One opportunity to re-do the work and turn it in.
You have a specific period of time to resubmit work. The teacher will determine this.
The “0” sticks if the student does not:
Turn the work in during the one chance option
Submits academically dishonest work a second time
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