Report: Assessing Creative Arts in Early Primary School Settings

This report provides a comprehensive overview of assessing creative arts in early primary school settings, focusing on visual arts, drama, and dance. The assessment strategies for visual arts include a portfolio-based approach, evaluating student work based on established benchmarks. For drama, the report suggests formative evaluation using peer assessment, considering students' performance, innovative ideas, and understanding of the activity. Dance assessment is approached through formative evaluation using rubrics, assessing performance based on set standards, movement skills, and group participation. The report highlights the importance of using diverse assessment methods to evaluate students' creative expression and understanding in the arts.

ASSESSING CREATIVE ARTS IN
EARLY PRIMARY SCHOOL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
OUTCOME 1 – VISUAL ARTS.....................................................................................................2
OUTCOME 2 – DRAMA................................................................................................................2
OUTCOME 3 – DANCE.................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

OUTCOME 1 – VISUAL ARTS
Visual arts can be assessed based on Summative Arts – Portfolio Strategy. Summative
assessments are mostly used to evaluate students learning at the end of instructional unit by
comparing their work based on some fixed standards or bench marks. It is further of many types
such as portfolios, exams, projects etc. In this, to assess outcomes of Visual Arts we will use
Portfolio Assessment Strategy. Portfolio is simple a collection of various arts based on
individuals' knowledge and understanding. In this assessment all the creative visual arts are
collected and are graded based on some standard benchmarks (Fleming, 2018). These standards
are set on the basis of students learning, qualities of their art work, understanding and the
medium they choose for that particular artwork.
If the visual arts is normal 2-dimensional (2D) drawing then artists' knowledge and
understanding about the art is seen, clarity in which they can represent their knowledge on paper,
range of drawing materials and techniques they have used, clarity about their understanding
about the topic, how they were able to use their current skills and what level of creativity they
were able to show in their Art work. It is also seen that how clearly they will be able to apply
their skills into their new art work.
If the visual art is a 3-D Sculpture then it is seen that how clearly they were able to
observe all the parts of their object and using all the available materials how clearly they were
able to construct their drawing or sculpture.
OUTCOME 2 – DRAMA
Drama can be assessed based on Formative Evaluation – Peer Assessment strategy.
Formative evaluation assessment is mostly used to evaluate students learning and provide them
with an ongoing feedback that can be used by students so that they can improve their learning. It
is a continuous monitoring process where even small areas of the content are evaluated. In this,
to assess drama of students Peer Assessment Strategy will be used. Using this strategy student’s
dramatic performance is evaluated. In this based on all the learning techniques, students drama
performance is evaluated (Kivunja, 2015). Students are given feedback on the basis of their
performance, use of various innovative ideas and strategies they have used. It is seen that how
clearly students have understood the activity they will be working on, till what extent they can
use their skills to make their drama even more innovative, understandable.

If the drama is based on a picture story then their understanding of the story they are
performing is seen, their use of props and costumes for the drama is seen, their clarity of the role
they are performing is seen and their way of delivering lines, preparation and efforts made by
them to make their viewers understand their drama, based on all these factors their story based
drama is evaluated.
If the drama is based on a movement or characterization based on movements or any
learning then their understanding of the topic is seen, how clearly they are able to perform and
make their viewers understand their movement based on their performance is seen, how clearly
students are able to express themselves, their ideas, mood, feeling, their innovative thinking are
seen and on the basis of this they are evaluated.
OUTCOME 3 – DANCE
Dance can also be assessed based on Formative Evaluation Assessment – Rubric
Strategy. Rubric Strategy assessment is normally done in a form of a grid or matrix. It is
normally used to assess students’ performance based on some standard benchmarks and criteria.
Students performance is assessed on the basis of these set standards, quality of the task,
expectation, their range of performance qualities, movement skills etc. It is normally used to
asses dance performances.
If the dance is based on some objects then their use of the props is seen, using the object
their movement in time to the beat is seen, their group work i.e. how clearly they were able to
use the object in a whole group equally, demonstrates movements with complete control over the
body (Roy, Baker & Hamilton, 2015). All these factors are assessed on the basis of the matrix
which is divided into four columns like exceeds expectations, meets expectations, marginally
meets expectations, and does not meet expectation.
If it is a normal dance with action words then it is assessed based on following factors of
the matrix such as body awareness, dance steps, balance, basic patterns, creative movements and
participation of everyone equally.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Fleming, M. (2018). The art of drama teaching. Routledge.
Kivunja, C. (2015). Teaching, learning and assessment. Steps towards creative practice. Victoria,
Australia: Oxford University Press.
Roy, D., Baker, W. & Hamilton, A. (2015). Teaching the Arts: Early Childhood & Primary
Education, Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.