Grading is always on my mind, and has been since the day I started teaching. There are many different approaches, and methods for figuring out averages, points, scales, ect. My concern is that grading be meaningful, and truly reflect what the student knows, while not hindering their learning experience. I do not want grades to be punitive, or punishment for behavior. Rather I want grades to communicate how much the student has learned, and what they still need to learn.
One thing that I learned along the way, is to grade process, not just product. This has been life changing for me. First of all, if you look through your standards, it is likely that they include process. Here is an example form the new national art standards: VA: Cr1.2.5a Identify and demonstrate diverse methods of artistic investigation to choose an approach for beginning a work of art.
This standard in no way asks for a finished product. For this standard, I would ask students to point out or tell me about different ways they could do an artistic investigation. They would then need to show me that they can start artistic investigations in different ways. I always have to remind myself that when looking at how to assess the standards, I am looking at the verb.
I grade process. I look at the standards, and grade the students ability to explore, their ability to combine ideas, their ability to adjust. All of this comes into play in addition to grading the finished work of art. This has made a big difference. There have been times when a students work is at a very low skill level, and back when I was grading product only, they would have scored low. Now, while they still score low for the skill, I also grade them on the other habits, behaviors, or processes that I find in the standards. Often this student with the work that didn't turn out, can tell me profound things about how they planned, how they researched, their intent, how they adjusted, and how they failed. WOW, the student potentially learned a lot, even with a failure for a product. Just think, before I was missing all of that though process!
Another thing about grading process, is that it allows students the room to try something very difficult, knowing that they could possibly fail, and they know that they have room to do that, because it's not just about the product.
How about you? Do you grade the process? Take a look at your standards, where can you find room to grade process, and not just product?
One thing that I learned along the way, is to grade process, not just product. This has been life changing for me. First of all, if you look through your standards, it is likely that they include process. Here is an example form the new national art standards: VA: Cr1.2.5a Identify and demonstrate diverse methods of artistic investigation to choose an approach for beginning a work of art.
This standard in no way asks for a finished product. For this standard, I would ask students to point out or tell me about different ways they could do an artistic investigation. They would then need to show me that they can start artistic investigations in different ways. I always have to remind myself that when looking at how to assess the standards, I am looking at the verb.
I grade process. I look at the standards, and grade the students ability to explore, their ability to combine ideas, their ability to adjust. All of this comes into play in addition to grading the finished work of art. This has made a big difference. There have been times when a students work is at a very low skill level, and back when I was grading product only, they would have scored low. Now, while they still score low for the skill, I also grade them on the other habits, behaviors, or processes that I find in the standards. Often this student with the work that didn't turn out, can tell me profound things about how they planned, how they researched, their intent, how they adjusted, and how they failed. WOW, the student potentially learned a lot, even with a failure for a product. Just think, before I was missing all of that though process!
Another thing about grading process, is that it allows students the room to try something very difficult, knowing that they could possibly fail, and they know that they have room to do that, because it's not just about the product.
How about you? Do you grade the process? Take a look at your standards, where can you find room to grade process, and not just product?
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