Visual Arts Assessment Standards

Drawing
Grades 9-12
ACS Cobham High School Art Department
The High School Art Department uses the standards adopted by ACS Cobham in the visual arts to
assess work done in each of its course offerings. The standards are broad and apply to a range of
activities in the visual arts, so art elective courses adapt each of the standards that relate
specifically to the particular coursework to assess the work done in each course.
Please refer to the main handout of Visual Arts Assessment Standards Grades 9-12 ACS
Cobham High School Art Department for an overview of the complete set of assessment
standards used in the visual arts in the High School at ACS Cobham.
This handout is an overview of the specific assessment standards that apply to the
Drawing course to give students an understanding of how their work is assessed.
In Drawing, the coursework assessment is based on learning and applying the techniques and
skills of drawing in a variety of media, using compositional principles and art elements effectively,
and using drawing media appropriately and creatively for communication and expression.
The coursework assessment also emphasises good organisational and research skills, the ability
to work effectively in a timely way on individual projects, and a knowledge of historical, cultural and
current artistic developments in drawing, which help to inform and inspire the students own work.
Safe and appropriate use of studio materials and equipment is included in the assessments, and
assessments also take into account the growth and skills development demonstrated by a student
in each of these areas over time.
The grading in the course includes assessments of individual stages in research and development
of studio projects as well as class progress grades, which reflect effort and timeliness.
The grades are both formative and summative, with feedback on progress given during the stages
of research and development and formal grades given on completed projects.
Final projects are assessed for creative and technical qualities relating to the approaches and
mediums used. Grading includes written evaluation of results and grades earned for each
assignment component.
There are also grades earned from worksheets, tests and quizzes of information and techniques
presented during the course, and from critiques done during the course of work-in-progress and
final results.
Quarterly grades are computed from the average of all assessment grades earned during the
quarter.
Semester exams are optional and would consist of practical studio-based project exams.
The following visual arts standards apply more specifically to the coursework in Drawing:

STANDARD 1: Methods, Materials, and Techniques

Students will demonstrate knowledge of the methods, materials, and techniques unique to
the visual arts.
1.9 Demonstrate the ability to create drawings that show knowledge of unique
characteristics of particular media, materials, and tools
1.10 Use electronic technology for reference and for developing and creating original work
1.11 Explore a single subject through a series of works, varying the medium or technique
1.13 Make reasonable choices of drawing media, materials, tools, and techniques to
achieve desired effects in specific projects
1.14 Demonstrate a mastery of tools and techniques in a variety of drawing media
1.15 Describe and apply procedures for the safe and proper maintenance of the workspace,
materials, and tools

RUBRICS FOR ASSESSMENT OF STANDARD 1AT THE LOWEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:

The student will be largely ignorant of the variety of drawing techniques available to them, and will
not be able to make reasonable choices about which ones to use to create effective or expressive
artworks.
They will not be able to develop or create effective drawings, and their choice and use of materials
will not contribute any sense of coherent style or expressive qualities to their artwork.
They will not be knowledgeable about the safe and appropriate use of studio materials and
equipment in the production of coursework, which will lead to technical problems and time wasted
correcting mistakes.
AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:
The student will be thoroughly familiar with a variety of drawing techniques and be able to choose
among them to develop and produce studio pieces that are technically and expressively creative.
They will be able to develop and produce drawings that creatively exploit the expressive qualities
of the chosen mediums to enhance their originality and the coherence of the chosen visual style.
They will be thoroughly familiar with the safe and appropriate use of studio materials and
equipment, and will be able to avoid technical problems during production or waste time correcting
errors caused by ignorance.

STANDARD 2: Elements and Principles of Design

Students will demonstrate knowledge of the elements and principles of design.
2.12 Apply knowledge of composition principles, proportion, art elements and colour theory
to a drawing to create work that can clarify and emphasise the assigned subject matter or
theme
2.13 Use colour, line, texture, shape, space, tone and form in drawing and identify the use
of these elements in the compositions of others
2.14 Review systems of visualizing information and depicting space and volume, for
example, scale and vanishing point, linear, atmospheric, and isometric perspective, and
create drawings using these systems
2.15 Create drawings that demonstrate understanding of the elements and principles of
design in establishing a point of view, a sense of space, or a mood
2.16 Create drawings that demonstrate a purposeful use of the elements and principles of
design to convey meaning and emotion
2.17 Create drawings that demonstrate facility in selective use of elements and principles of
design to establish a personal style
RUBRICS FOR ASSESSMENT OF STANDARD 2AT THE LOWEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:
The student will be unable to develop or create drawings that use the principles of composition or
use proportions effectively.
Their developments and studio work will lack the understanding of design qualities and art
elements needed to create good visual or expressive effects or show representational forms or
subject matter convincingly.
Their development and creation of drawings will lack any sort of stylistic or design coherence and
fail to elicit any sense of mood or convey meaning in the artwork or establish a sense of personal
style.
AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:
The student will be able to apply the principles of composition, visual art elements and
representational proportions realistically or expressively in their drawings.

They will be able to develop and create drawings that demonstrate a strong visual and stylistic
coherence and can help to establish mood, emotional qualities and convey a sense of meaning in
the final pieces.
Their use of compositional principles and visual art elements will have a visual coherence that
helps to add a distinctive creative quality to their studio work resulting in a sense of personal style.

STANDARD 3: Observation, Abstraction, Invention, and Expression

Students will demonstrate their powers of observation, abstraction, invention, and
expression in a variety of media, materials, and techniques.
3.8 Create representational drawings from direct observation and from memory that
convincingly portrays 3D space and the objects and people within that space
3.9 Create drawings that explore the abstraction of ideas and representations
3.10 Create drawing images that are original, convey a distinct point of view, and
communicate ideas
3.11 Demonstrate the ability to portray emotions and personality through the rendering of
physical characteristics in drawings, for example, a student creates an expressive, yet
recognizable, portrait or self-portrait in drawing using a variety of drawing media
3.12 Demonstrate the ability to use representation, abstraction, or symbolism to create
drawings that convey a personal point of view about issues and ideas
RUBRICS FOR ASSESSMENT OF STANDARD 3AT THE LOWEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:
The student will be unable to design or create drawings that rise above a rudimentary or crude
development of forms, and lack any sense of originality or creative qualities resulting from effective
technical or expressive approaches. The work is unable to convey conceptual or emotional
qualities or communicate ideas clearly.
AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:
The student will be able to design and create drawings using a variety of realistic or stylised
approaches that are visually and expressively coherent, and that help to enhance their meaning,
convey specific emotional qualities or communicate ideas effectively and creatively using the
language of visual art.

STANDARD 4: Drafting, Revising, and Exhibiting

Students will demonstrate knowledge of the processes of creating and exhibiting their own
artwork: drafts, critique, self-assessment, refinement, and exhibit preparation.
4.9 Demonstrate the ability to conceptualize, organize, and complete projects in a timely
way Conceptualize: plan, generate ideas, make preliminary sketches, participate in
discussions, imagine outcomes, and set goals Organize: choose materials and techniques
to attain the desired look and feel, maintain work space and personal schedule, review
progress of work with others, and revise work appropriately
4.10 Demonstrate the ability to develop an idea through multiple stages, responding to
criticism and self-assessment
4.11 Maintain a sketchbook that demonstrates a progression of ideas and skills over time
4.12 Choose and prepare drawings for exhibition, and be able to discuss their choices
4.14 Demonstrate an ability to see their own personal style and discriminate among
historical and contemporary styles
RUBRICS FOR ASSESSMENT OF STANDARD 4AT THE LOWEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:

The student will fail to research and develop their drawing projects in an organised and timely way,
and their workbooks will be used sporadically or not at all in support of their project developments.
They will be unable to make thoughtful choices among possible techniques and approaches for
their work, and will fail to respond to formative feedback or criticism to refine and improve their
work in a timely way, resulting in final work that is uninspired, poorly developed and lacks a sense
of artistic or stylistic coherence and shows no consideration for its display presentation.
AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:
The student will research and develop their drawing projects carefully, making good use of their
workbooks to document their research and their technical and creative developments, and working
in a timely way.
They will plan ahead for possible technical and creative approaches and refine their work
thoughtfully during the production process by reflecting on formative feedback and criticism, and
by finding ongoing inspiration in the work of others.
Their final work will be stylistically coherent, inspired and informed by their persistent research and
creative refinements, and accomplished in a timely and efficient way. They will also consider
carefully and plan for the most effective way to display the finished work.

STANDARD 5: Critical Response

Students will describe and analyze their own work and the work of others using
appropriate visual arts vocabulary. When appropriate, students will connect their analysis
to interpretation and evaluation.
5.9 Use published sources, either traditional or electronic, to research a body of work or an
artist, and present findings in written or oral form
5.10 Critique their own work, the work of peers, and the work of professional artists, and
demonstrate an understanding of the formal, cultural, and historical contexts of the work
5.11 Analyze a body of work, or the work of one artist, explaining its meaning and impact on
society, symbolism, and visual metaphor
5.12 Demonstrate an understanding how societal influences and prejudices may affect
viewers' ways of perceiving works of art
RUBRICS FOR ASSESSMENT OF STANDARD 5AT THE LOWEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:
The student will be ignorant of creative accomplishments of others in the field of drawing.
They will be unable to discuss or analyse their work, or the work of their peers, in relation to
cultural or artistic traditions of drawing, and will be unaware of how artistic influences or societal
conventions influence the perception of drawing.
AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:
The student will have a good foundation of knowledge about the work of others in the field of
drawing. They will be able to knowledgeably discuss their work, and the work of others, in relation
to the cultural and artistic traditions of drawing, and will be clearly aware of how artistic influences
and societal conventions influence the perception of their own drawing work and that of others.

STANDARD 6. Understands the visual arts in relation to history and cultures

1. Knows a variety of historical and cultural contexts regarding characteristics and purposes
of works of art
2. Knows the function and meaning of specific art objects within varied cultures, times, and
places
3. Understands relationships among works of art in terms of history, aesthetics, and culture
RUBRICS FOR ASSESSMENT OF STANDARD 6-

AT THE LOWEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:

The student will be ignorant of historical or current trends in the larger world of visual arts and be
unable to demonstrate any understanding of how those historical and cultural traditions in visual
arts relate to or inform the specific field of drawing.
AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ASSESSMENT:
The student will have a good grounding in the history of visual arts in general and understand how
that context helps to give meaning and purpose to visual expression.
They will understand how the cultural contexts of visual arts affect their meaning and purpose, and
how this process relates specifically to the field of drawing.
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