Date of Award
Spring 5-11-2025
Document Type
Research Paper
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education (MAED) in Art Education
Department
Art & Design
Instructor
Dr. Ross Schlemmer
Program Advisor
Dr. Christopher M. Strickland
Keywords
assessment, visual arts, authentic assessment
Abstract/Description
As educators, we are often tasked with measuring student progress and understanding using standardized testing methods. As a visual arts instructor, I find these testing methods to be antiquated and inadequate for measuring students’ knowledge in the classroom, as they solely focus on an individual’s ability to recognize, recall or repeat factual data. If the goal of a quarterly assessment is to answer the question, “How do we know that the students know what we want them to know?” then standardized assessments are not the answer for the visual arts. The art classroom is a creative and expressive space, where ideas and inspiration intersect with technical skills, methods and knowledge to produce unique compositions and designs. The assessment tool, therefore, should be equally as creative, skill-based and diverse. In this intersecting mixed methods case study, I will replace my students’ traditional quarterly exams with an authentic assessment, allowing students to engage in artmaking exercises to thoroughly demonstrate their understanding of the curriculum.
Recommended Citation
Marolf, Curtis, "Authentically Assessing Student Learning in a Data Driven School System" (2025). Art 895 Research Papers. 29.
https://openspaces.unk.edu/art-etd-895/29