Grading Rubrics for Art (Draft)

How should we do rubrics for art? A hard question.

What Problems Are We Trying to Solve

Guiding student progress. Consistency. Accountability/Transparency.

When Should Rubrics Be Used

Use them in the middle of a project to let students know what they need to work on.

Don’t use it at the end of a big project. Students will only look at it with the intent of knowing how their grade got assassinated.

The Form of the Rubric

Holistic Rubric

Pros.

Cons.

Analytic Rubric

Pros.

Cons.

Single-Point Rubric

Pros.

Cons.

No Rubric

Pros.

Cons.

Writing Helpful Performance Benchmarks

When writing the performance benchmarks for your rubric, include descriptions of signals that indicate whether something is done well or poorly. Consider the following two example rubrics.

Score Level Portraying Form Through Light & Dark
5 (Mastery) Student portrayed form through the use of light and dark exceedingly well. The execution is excellent and beautifully done.
4 (Advanced) Student portrayed form through the use of light and dark very well. The execution is good and mostly well done.
3 (Proficient) Student portrayed form through the use of light and dark well. The execution is satisfactory and acceptable.
2 (Developing) Student portrayed form through the use of light and dark not so well. The execution is fair but needs significant work.
1 (Emerging) Student portrayed form through the use of light and dark very poorly. The execution is poor and unsatisfactory.

Score Level Portraying Form Through Light & Dark
5 (Mastery) Masterfully manipulates light and dark to create deep atmosphere and dramatic volume. Values are rich and clean, accurately rendering complex surface textures and subtle ambient reflections without relying on lines.
4 (Advanced) Successfully creates a convincing 3D illusion. Demonstrates smooth value transitions, clean highlights, and intentional cast shadows that anchor the form in space.
3 (Proficient) Uses a clear range of light and dark values to establish volume. Core shadows and highlights are visible, though some transitions feel abrupt or heavily smudged.
2 (Developing) Values are limited primarily to mid-tone grays. Highlights or deep shadows are missing, giving the subject a flat, slightly washed-out appearance.
1 (Emerging) Artwork is flat or binary (pure black and white). Shading lacks transition, or heavy outlines are used to artificially force shapes instead of shifts in value.

Problems With Certain Performance Criteria

I’ve seen lots of rubrics over the years. I can’t help but feel that there are some issues with what I’ve commonly seen done.

The Problem with “Creativity” and “Originality”

What’s original for me versus for them?

I can only guess what went on in their head.

The Problem with “Craftsmanship”

The main problem with this word is that it is so wide and so general. The performance benchmarks for craftsmanship often devolve into “very well-crafted”, “well-crafted”, “adequately crafted”, “poorly crafted,” which was the problem discussed before.

The Problem with “Effort”

If a student has exceptional skill, wouldn’t their activity be “effort-less” and thus score a 1?

Secondly, this often devolves to the teacher reporting in-class behavior. If they are quiet and do not disturb the class, they are putting in high effort? And if they are loud and about, they are putting in low effort? How can you see the effort that is done outside of class?

Because of the prior point, a teacher might try to use the quality of the artwork as proxy for effort. But then that effectively makes this criteria redundant, or even worse, a double dip on the quality of the artwork on its effect on the grade.

The Checkbox Problem

Score Level Technical Elements Checklist
5 (Mastery) Project successfully includes exactly 4 different types of line, 3 distinct geometric shapes, and a minimum of 2 complementary colors.
4 (Advanced) Project includes 3 types of line, 2 geometric shapes, and at least 2 colors.
3 (Proficient) Project includes 2 types of line, 1 geometric shape, and uses color.
2 (Developing) Project is missing most elements; only included 1 line type or forgot shapes.
1 (Emerging) Student failed to follow the required item counts or completely ignored the list.

Better Performance Criteria

So if many of the common criterias that educators slam down on the rubric are problematic, what should we be slamming down on there instead?

The answer is obvious. You use the standards for guidance.

Instead of inventing your own criterias like an amateur, start using your national, state, or institution’s art standards that you are supposed to be teaching the students towards. You know, like a professional.

Performance Criteria for the NCAS

Writing this article is a bit of an exercise to clarify my work for myself. So, let me execute the prior idea on the NCAS and see where it takes us.

For this exercise, let’s attempt to fit the standards into the single-point-rubric form. We will go through all of the NCAS standards for Visual Arts and target the HS Proficient level. Below are the standards, taken straight from the official documents.

Creating

  1. Use identified generative methods to formulate multiple ideas, develop artistic goals, and problem solve in media arts creation processes.
  2. Shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using a contemporary practice of art or design.
  3. Engage in making a work of art or design without having a preconceived plan.
  4. Explain how traditional and nontraditional materials may impact human health and the environment and demonstrate safe handling of materials, tools, and equipment.
  5. Collaboratively develop a proposal for an installation, artwork, or space design that transforms the perception and experience of a particular place.
  6. Apply relevant criteria from traditional and contemporary cultural contexts to examine, reflect on, and plan revisions for works of art and design in progress.

Presenting

  1. Analyze, select, and curate artifacts and/or artworks for presentation and preservation.
  2. Analyze and evaluate the reasons and ways an exhibition is presented.
  3. Analyze and describe the impact that an exhibition or collection has on personal awareness of social, cultural, or political beliefs and understandings.

Responding

  1. Hypothesize ways in which art influences perception and understanding of human experiences.
  2. Analyze how one’s understanding of the world is affected by experiencing visual imagery.
  3. Interpret an artwork or collection of works, supported by relevant and sufficient evidence found in the work and its various contexts.
  4. Establish relevant criteria in order to evaluate a work of art or collection of works.

Connecting

  1. Document the process of idea development, form early-stage ideas to fully elaborated ideas.
  2. Describe how knowledge of culture, traditions, and history may influence personal responses to art.

Reading the above, we gain some direction. However, it seems not yet ready to be used as performance criteria for a rubric. The language is too broad, and doesn’t immediately point out what teachers and students are looking for in a particular assignment. For example, for “explain how traditional and nontraditional materials may impact human health,” should students be able to tell me what happens when acrylic dries, or should they be able to write an article that explains the differences between the various binders for paint? The benchmark still leaves space for interpretation.

Still, let’s try to take that next step and begin imagining projects and possible performance benchmarks to hit these standards. All the while, attempt to use the insight developed previously on how to best write these benchmarks.

Creating

  1. Use identified generative methods to formulate multiple ideas, develop artistic goals, and problem solve in media arts creation processes.
    • Students created and selected from several thumbnail sketches that vary significantly in structure, form, mood, lighting, etc… to refine their idea.
    • Students brainstormed word associations for their chosen theme, selected, and integrated those ideas into their collage to create meaningful effects of juxtaposition.
  2. Shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using a contemporary practice of art or design.
    • Students conducted visual and conceptual research
  3. Engage in making a work of art or design without having a preconceived plan.
  4. Explain how traditional and nontraditional materials may impact human health and the environment and demonstrate safe handling of materials, tools, and equipment.
  5. Collaboratively develop a proposal for an installation, artwork, or space design that transforms the perception and experience of a particular place.
  6. Apply relevant criteria from traditional and contemporary cultural contexts to examine, reflect on, and plan revisions for works of art and design in progress.

Presenting

  1. Analyze, select, and curate artifacts and/or artworks for presentation and preservation.
  2. Analyze and evaluate the reasons and ways an exhibition is presented.
  3. Analyze and describe the impact that an exhibition or collection has on personal awareness of social, cultural, or political beliefs and understandings.

Responding

  1. Hypothesize ways in which art influences perception and understanding of human experiences.
  2. Analyze how one’s understanding of the world is affected by experiencing visual imagery.
  3. Interpret an artwork or collection of works, supported by relevant and sufficient evidence found in the work and its various contexts.
  4. Establish relevant criteria in order to evaluate a work of art or collection of works.

Connecting

  1. Document the process of idea development, form early-stage ideas to fully elaborated ideas.
  2. Describe how knowledge of culture, traditions, and history may influence personal responses to art.