Case Study #3.

Arts Assessment Consultancy

 
 

Collaborating with elementary school teachers to offer multimodal assessments for math units that allow for student-choice and independence

In partnership with the Calgary Catholic School District, this Arts Assessment Consultancy followed an introductory workshop that reviewed the myriad ways the arts can infuse classroom practice–with a focus on using the arts for assessment as a means of engaging students, diversifying and providing more equitable assessments, and appealing to students’ natural gifts and talents. Staff were invited to submit interest in piloting an arts assessment initiative. The pilot served three teachers at St. Philip Fine Arts School who proposed, developed, and implemented an arts-integrated assessment for a math unit in their respective classrooms. 

Based on an initial classroom visit, I guided participating teachers through a customized goal-setting exercise, providing them with a unit planning tool that accounted for barriers to learning, clear assessment goals, and a detailed learning plan. They were also asked to map out the assessment they would provide their students–keeping their own capacity in mind as they planned. Their assessment planning asked them to consider 4 key areas: 

  • assessment criteria, 

  • length of time dedicated to the assessment,

  • medium selection,

  • and the level of collaboration among students. 

Following the debrief, pilot teachers submitted their plans for their unit for feedback and then implemented their plans in their classrooms. Subsequent classroom visits during the unit ranged from providing model lessons for teachers to observation and coaching. In observing the final project share, I witnessed students who met learning goals, had worked confidently and independently to complete their chosen task, and were excited to share their work with their peers. Pilot teachers who participated reflected on the process as challenging but rewarding. All were eager to replicate the process in a new unit and in other aspects of their curriculum. Students enthusiastically voted to do future projects in the same way.