I created the Family Drawing Assessment as a tool to track the development and change in a students drawing ability, use of space and color, and over all creative thinking skills. Students complete the Assessment three times over the course of the school year, generally in September, January, and May. I have found it to be a good tool to note student progress and is also a helpful visual for parents.

I discovered that there were very few written Pre-Assessments or Post-Assessments for the Visual Arts, especially for Primary students whose first language is not English, so I created my own.

I have used them very successfully with students, tweaking them along the way, and they now form an important part of designing any art Unit. Two examples are below.

Other Pre and Post Assessments include:

• Color Mixing
  
• Color Naming
  
• Printmaking
• Clay-hand building techniques
  
• Weaving
• Scissor cutting
  
• Shape naming

From Elementary aged students and older, I start the school year with a Questionnaire, in which students are able to share with me what they would like to learn. In that way, I am able to tailor Units and projects to reflect their genuine interests and needs, and give voice to the students for engaged learning.

The following Grade 9 MYP Assessment includes the notes that I made during the student presentation.