Arts assessment for learning
The Arts Assessment for Learning website is the product of a partnership between the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects and ArtsConnection. Artful Learning Communities (ALC) are discipline-based professional learning communities engaged in action research focused on the implementation of formative assessment practice in the arts classroom. The Arts Assessment for Learning website documents the effective practices developed by these Artful Learning Communities. ALC arts teachers discovered that formative assessment was a powerful catalyst for student learning in the arts. Students were challenged to work and think like artists. Students involved in the formative assessment process took more ownership of their art making, demonstrated greater independence, and were more motivated to rethink and revise their work. As a result, they develop more than just content-knowledge and skill sets. They developed authentic artistic voice with decisions of their own making and reflections on their work emerging through responses to critique from a variety of sources.