Although I am admittedly responding to this question of failing from a high
school perspective, there are some underlying commonalities that seem to run
across grade levels and have already been expressed in previous posts.
Effort is always going to be key to whether a student achieves success in
what he or she is producing in the class although effort alone is not enough
to secure an 'A' as a grade. It should, however, be enough of a measurable
commodity that it will give the student at least some feedback in the form
of a passing grade that provides recognition for having successfully
fulfilled a portion of what was required. On the other hand, students who
come into a classroom and have already achieved recognition for having
displayed artistic ability in other classes or outside of class but do
little or nothing in the class that they are currently enrolled in, and
thereby show no discernaible progress, may, in fact, not pass.
The establishment of a rubric that truly displays the level of not only the
effort but also comprehension and growth over the course of the class, would
be helpful in determining the grade that ultimately is given. Stating from
the get go that a student should not fail art implies that it is because it
is not a class that has measurable goals in it that may be achieved through
application and concentration. As long as a student is in any class, those
whould be considerations that are important irrespective of the specific
curriculum being taught. Art cannot be looked at as not being able to be a
teachable subject if is going to truly be a core art of a comprehensive
curriculum.
While is it arguable that talent alone may not be a teachable commodity,
certainly proficiency can be taught and achieved. That should hold true as
much for art as it does for any other academic area.
Kevan
[Kevan Nitzberg] -----Original Message-----
From: Occasm@aol.com [mailto:Occasm@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2005 7:52 PM
To: ArtsEdNet Talk
Subject: Re: Kids Should NOT Fail Art......
I am still struggling with these things myself. My principal is pushing
for less subjective grading criteria and I personally think this might be a
good thing as it helps explain things to parents.
What do we think? On grading the end product.....
You have a student who says he's tried his hardest (as noted on his
self-assessment rubric), but still creates a poorly crafted and designed
piece. He was shown and explained the assignment's objectives and demos were
done both personally and as a group.
Another student produces a better designed and crafted piece, but it
still doesn't represent the super high-end work that is possible from maybe
a few in class.
Do both students get A's?
Personally, If they do,. I think I have a problem with that.
mike sacco
p.j. gelinas jhs
setauket, ny ---
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