The artistic grade book — A new way of grading could be beneficial to art students

The Argonaut Art majors at the University of Idaho don’t get as much credit and appreciation as other majors around campus.
Comparing homework to others, art homework takes hours on end to finish whereas students in most, if not all other majors, can procrastinate until the very last second. Time is an art major’s best friend.
Being an art major is difficult because multiple assignments are piled on all at once throughout one semester. Normally, three art classes must be taken in just one semester to stay on track, and to graduate on time.
As, elementary school students — let’s face it — we weren’t artists. Through these young ages everyone was graded the same in art class. Just for completing the assignment, we all got the perfect grade 100 percent. As we got older, the definition of art changed, and so did its greatness. In junior high, it became more of a choice if you wanted to pursue art as an elective. In high school, the pressure hit — art wasn’t just for fun anymore. It turned into a career.
Before coming to UI I was actively involved in art at my high school. I took drawing, painting, photography and AP art. I remember it being very difficult in AP art because our portfolio for the exam consisted of 24 pieces of art. These 24 artworks are sent to a series of judges that then number you on a 2-5 scale. If you meet the requirement for the college you are applying for, you get college credits for that AP art class.
The only problem with this system is the judges are anonymous, and everyone grades artwork differently. It’s difficult to work in the art field because it is biased to every single person and what they consider art to be.
The AP art exam for high schoolers took tremendous work, ...


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