Art. teacher. are. busy! Period! We put SO much time into project planning, material preparation, project execution, helping students one on one…. the list goes on and on. Over the years, I sought to make a universal art project grading rubric that made grading efficient, effective, and routine. Something that I found that worked for me was having a universal grading rubric. This made my life so much easier for a few reasons:
- I did not have to print varying rubrics for each individual art project. *cue the angels signing* This was a lifesaver! Who has time to run to the printer all the time?
- It become a part of my positive, predictable class routine, and students knew EVERY project had to be submitted with this rubric. On due dates, they’d start filling these out before I even asked. 🙂
- Students knew what criteria I’d be grading for each project. No surprises meant they trusted me to give a grade that was fair.
Sound like something you’re interested in utilizing in your own classroom?
My universal art grading rubric was designed so that it can flexibly be used to grade any art project! It even leaves room for you to add additional criteria specific to each project if needed. It will save you time and make grading routine, streamlined and efficient. The rubric consists of 4 categories of grading criteria:
- 1- Creativity
- 2- Effort/Responsibility
- 3- Craftsmanship
- 4- Overall appearance
- Each is worth 25 points, totaling up to a final grade out of 100 points.
There is space for a self grade, peer grade and teacher grade to obtain optimal feedback and input. On the back of each rubric is a student self reflection so you can monitor learning, progress and gain debriefing information for your planning as a teacher.
How to grade an artwork’s level of creativity?
Some folks think it’s odd to grade on creativity. However, I view this as a skill that can be assessed just like any other! Creativity is a skill that requires individuals to think of original ideas. Some questions to guide the way you assesses creativity includes: Is the artwork original? Is the artwork copied from another idea? How did the artist creatively use the elements and principles of design? Was the artist creative in their interpretation of the project’s guidelines?
How to grade the amount of effort/responsibility an artist put forth when making the artwork?
Questions you may ask yourself to determine how much effort a student put forth into making an artwork include: did the artist use class time fully to develop the work? Did the artist choose a subject choice or idea that challenged them? Was the artist responsible to manage his/her time and complete the work in a timely manner?
I know some teachers have different approaches with how they handle due dates, and all are totally acceptable! Some teachers are very strict with due dates while others are more lenient and provide grace periods. I personally found a medium between these two worked best. All projects in my class had a specific due date and after that we moved onto a new project. If a student was not finished, there was a grace period but they had to find time to work outside of class time. I think it’s our job to encourage students to be timely, prompt and responsible. Meeting due dates is one way to do that! What works for you in terms of setting due dates for student work?
How to grade an artists’ craftsmanship?
The Cambridge Business English Dictionary defines craftsmanship as the “skill in making things, especially by hand” and the “quality of something that has been skillfully made.” Let’s say, for example, I am grading a graphite drawing of a still life subject. I would review with my students what proper craftsmanship looks like when working with graphite (a range of values, proper use of a blending stump, using different grades of graphite, a range of contrast, etc). Thus, my students know what I’m looking for when I grade this particular area of their work. It definitely helps to be explicit with students when teaching what you expect from their craftsmanship with a particular art medium.
How to grade the overall appearance of an artwork?
For this category, you really look at how the “stars aligned” in a student’s final product. Did the student’s creativity, effort, and craftsmanship come together to produce a successful artwork? Is the work complete? Is it eye catching? Is it presented in a professional way (not folded in half!!)? Is the overall composition effective?
End of project reflection…
The self reflection questions on the back were extremely helpful. Often times, my students were very open and honest about how they felt about their work, their effort and what they’ve learned. It really helped me to asses what I needed to do as a teacher moving forward. Did I need to provide that student more assistance? Do I need to evolve the project to make it more engaging? Did the students retain the information I desired?
Check out this video to see the rubric printed out and put into action:
Short video showing how the rubric prints and how to use it!
Thanks for checking out this post! I hope you found it helpful! How do you handle grading in your own art classroom? Do you utilize grading rubrics? Feel free to share, and I’d love to hear from you!