Art Assessment: The Key Stage System
How the System Works
The system I have devised is based on a series of posters that illustrate the expectations of the National Curriculum in students-friendly language and depict, as best as is possible, what artwork at that level looks like.
These expectations form the basis of target that the students work to. The target sheets attempt to focus and clarify key aspects of the National Curriculum in order to demonstrate progress to meeting these level descriptors. For Levels 3 to 6, the target sheets are built around Personalised Learning Targets or PLTs, combined with the Level descriptors. These form the basis of the targets that the students aim to achieve. I am a big fan of PLTs as I believe that they teach the students how to be more focused, independent learners. Here are the PLTs I have adapted for Art:
PLTs adapted for Art
- Independent Artists
- Produce investigations
Solve problems
Plan and explore tasks
Study information and evaluate it
- Team Artists
- Work Confidently with others
Take responsibility
Resolve issues and reach agreements
Show fairness and consideration to others
- Effective Artists
- Show that they understand issues of concern
Present a persuasive case fo raction
Identify improvements that would benefit others as well as themselves
Show views and beliefs that may differ from their own
- Organised Artists
- Work towards goals
Organise time and resources, prioritising actions
Take and manage risks
Seek advice and support when needed
- Reflective Artists
- Assess themselves and others
Set goals for themselves
Deal positively with praise, setbacks and criticism
Evaluate learning to inform future progress
- Creative Artists
- Think creatively and imaginatively
Come up with ideas and possibilities
Try different ways to solve problems
Adapt ideas
And here is the Level Descriptor for Level 4 showing how they tie in with PLTs:
Level 4
Creative: Pupils use a variety of approaches to explore and experiment
with ideas, information and resources to develop their intentions.
Independent: They investigate and develop a range of practical
skills and use the qualities of materials and processes purposefully to
suit their intentions when designing and making.
Effective: They compare and comment on differing ideas, methods
and approaches used by artists, craftspeople and designers, relating these
to the context in which the work was made.
Reflective: They discuss their own work and that of others, and
consider how they might adapt and refine their ideas, skills and processes.
And so I have added two other essential PLTs, Organistaion and Team Working, to create these Pupil Targtes for Level 4.
AF 1 - Understanding Art
Become and Effective artists by investigating the meanings, codes and symbols behind art, and relate this knowledge to your own art work. Show that you are a Reflective artist by talking about and writing simply about your work. Assess your own and others' progress.
AF2 - Explore and Investigate Art
Demonstrate that you are an Independent artist by planning your work, and finding images and information to use in your artwork to communicate your own ideas.
Become an Organised artist by finishing your work
in the agreed time, having the correct equipment and asking for help only
when needed. Team artists show they can work fairly and confidently
with others in the art room. They think of the needs of the group as well
as their own needs.
AF 3- Create Art
As a Creative artist you will experiment with different materials and ways of working, explore new possibilities, think creatively and imaginatively.
Become a Creative artist by working confidently in a range of art materials
Independent artists will draw and paint on their own, and from observation.
Students work to the above targets as lesson objectives in lesson plans, and they record their own progress to attaining them in their sketchbooks. There are similar target sheets for Levels 3, 4, 5 and 6 that you can download below, as well a Ladder Poster.Download the ZIP file for all Key Stage Levels (13.6 Megabytes)
NOTE: This is the same download as on the Key Stages Page. You don't need to download it again if you have already done so.
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