1b: Question: To what extent do you understand assessment criteria? What impact does the assessment criteria have on your willingness to take risks in art?   

2. Overarching issue(s): Overall, they understand the assessment criteria for each project (Sculpture, Drawing - Value, Drawing - Color). They agreed 1) they appreciate the unit structure at the start of each project being introduced to examples (art history or student work) observing a demo, engaging in materials exploration and then applying techniques to their final project 2) they appreciate having the opportunity of various levels of student choice (this is where they indicated they can take risks) either through what they are making or how they make it 3) 1-1 feedback throughout the project was helpful and 4) some felt like they needed more practice with different media prior to making their final so that they felt confident in what they were turning in for a formal assessment.

3. Adjustment: In response to their feeling of wanting more practice, I shared that I would consider including a planned period of creating thumbnail sketches or a mock-up of their final before jumping into the project so that they could better plan, while still being flexible in the creative process when needed.

4. Intended Impact/Goal: Students agreed that they understand the assessment criteria, which allows them to take both technical and conceptual risks on their final artworks/ throughout the creative process.

For our current large assessment (an essay about theme) students seemed to like the approach we have taken to work on one piece at a time. They also liked some of the short responses we did in preparation for the essay. (This was nice to hear, as it was an adjustment from last year's dialogue). They said that it helped them to understand the stories better to be able to write about them in the essay. 

One thing I found interesting was that students seemed far more anxious about the idea of a test vs. any other kind of assignment. I don't give a lot of tests, but these larger assignments have the same weight and importance that a test might have in another subject. However, just changing what it is called changes their feelings about it. When it came to tests, what makes them anxious is that they don't always know how or what to study. They also mentioned that feedback on a study guide is more helpful before the test, rather than handing it in on the day of the test.

The feedback from the students made me realize that it is going to be important to break work down into smaller steps all year, but I also want to find moments where they can more independently try bringing multiple pieces or steps together. 

It also helped me to think about the tests or quizzes that I do want to give and the my intention of the quiz vs. the impact it might have on the students. Test taking is a skill they will need, so I can use any test or quiz I give not only as a chance to review content, but also has an opportunity to discuss study skills and strategies.

My hope is that students start to see that all different kinds of assessment have value, not just tests, and perhaps try to make testing as an assessment a little less scary. Also, I want to help students figure out the study strategies that work best for them.

The students I spoke with were able to identify the different ways they had been assessed and the “pros” and “cons” of those different types of assessments. They liked that there were a variety of opportunities and methods for them to demonstrate their knowledge - though of course they had opinions about which types they personally preferred. I shared with them that something I was working on was finding balance between preparing them for the Regents exam and offering more creative assessment options - they seemed to appreciate this balance and I will strive to continue to incorporate both types of tasks going forward. 

2. Overarching issue(s) that your students shared: Before speaking to students, I started giving students feedback  in Jupiter on their exit tickets so that they can 1-2 times a week get feedback on work they did independently. Student expressed that sometimes it is helpful when they complete an exit ticket because when you’re working with a partner, you might think you know how to do something, but you cannot really do something independently. This has been my framing of the purpose of exit tickets, so I don’t really know if kids would have said this on their own. Two of the students said that they have completed the additional posted practice problems after it was supposed in their Jupiter comment. Generally students expressed that they haven’t been surprised by their scores on assessments. They agreed that if the classwork feels hard then the don’t think they’ll do well on a test and if the classwork feels easier then they’ll do better. 

Continuing to give students and parents “info only” feedback in Jupiter throughout the semester with links to additional practice problems. I think I might need to prompt some kids to log into Jupiter in class to check comments when they are studying for assessments. 

I hope that students continue to use that feedback in order to assess their current level of understanding and access additional practice problems or support at office hours when needed. 

2. Overarching issue(s) that your students shared.  Students liked that their quizzes are open-notes. Students said that they felt less stressed this year about science, except when they did not finish a lab.  There were mixed opinions on group work, but it basically came down to who the other group members are. They liked how instead of making a student feel bad about making a mistake, that I turn it into a teaching moment.  They suggested giving a sample question as a check for understanding. Students felt that directions were clear and felt comfortable asking me questions.   Students do not like when the whole class is punished because certain students misbehaved or didn't follow directions.

3. Adjustment made in your class to address this issue. I am going to try a few things.  First, I am going to give the students red, yellow, and green cards to assess how students feel about the content at the end of each lesson. Second, I am going to try and send home more positive messages.  Third, I am going to try giving each student an individual hawk habit grade each day, so students can feel acknowledged and seen.  This will also give students automatic feedback on how they did that day. 

4. Intended Impact/Goal. I hope that students will feel seen and recognized for their hard work and engagement in the course material.  The cards should help me with pacing, and help students self-assess and reflect.

I was curious to see how students felt about using projects as assessments and how they were able to apply the feedback they received to their final product. In particular, I was curious to find out how effective they felt project work was as a means of formal assessment. I asked students a variation of the following:

 

Students felt that the project was a good way for them to dive deeper into the content and clarify their understanding. As it was a group project, they felt that generally the final product did not capture their true understanding. Some saying they did more and others admitting they relied on others. Students on both ends of the scale expressed that after a project they think there should be a smaller check (quiz or similar assessment) that would help them see how much they learned. They were concerned however that this might negatively impact their grade.

 

As part of their formal assignment for this current unit students will complete a short unit quiz. It will not be heavily weighted, but it will provide the feedback students asked for. This will be conducted before a project and used by teachers as a formative tool to guide students as they work on their final project for the unit. 

 

I hope that by incorporating an end of unit quiz students will get a clear snapshot of where they are and what topics they may need to review or focus on during their project. As they are 6^th graders the quiz will not be weighted heavily so as to reduce anxiety. 

2. Overarching issue(s) that your students shared
Students were decently receptive to the idea, we are still in very introductory stages and were discussing possible ideas, but these students are aware that they struggle with completing assignments/assessments when they weren't present during the class instructional periods. 

3. Adjustment made in your class to address this issue.
I am going to try to have a lesson walkthrough on what information is available on Google Classroom and a step by step guide as to how to read instructions and material/powerpoints when a student is away from class.

4. Intended Impact/Goal
I hope this leads to students feeling like they are a part of our classroom community even when they are not physically in the room with us, for whatever reason that may be