Art in Social Studies Assessments: An Untapped Resource for Social Justice Education

This article discusses a relatively new trend in assessment in American history education which offers interesting opportunities to inject the arts into mainstream education in ways that could provide a catalyst for engagement with social justice issues. Document-based questions (DBQs) on statewide...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Art education (Reston) 2010-09, Vol.63 (5), p.30-35
Main Authors: Zwirn, Susan, Libresco, Andrea
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American history
Art education
Art photography
Art Products
Art Teachers
Artists
Arts
Core curriculum
Critical Thinking
Cultural history
Educational Policy
Educational Theories
Elementary school social studies
High Schools
High Stakes Tests
History Instruction
New York
Performance Based Assessment
Secondary school social studies
Social Justice
Social Studies
Social studies education
Student Evaluation
Thinking Skills
United States History
Young adults
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Summary:This article discusses a relatively new trend in assessment in American history education which offers interesting opportunities to inject the arts into mainstream education in ways that could provide a catalyst for engagement with social justice issues. Document-based questions (DBQs) on statewide social studies assessments afford art and social studies teachers interested in social justice issues such opportunities. Long a staple of Advanced Placement exams, DBQs are turning up on statewide elementary, middle, and high school social studies assessments and have become an integral part of social studies curricula and tests in New York. These types of questions represent an authentic assessment, in that students read and analyze passages and visual images and then synthesize the information into a coherent essay. A pioneer in creating DBQs, New York state suggests that documents should include graphs, charts, maps, cartoons, photographs, artwork, eyewitness accounts, and historical passages and requires that its social studies assessment contain at least 2-3 visual documents per DBQ (NYS Social Studies). The input of art teachers in the creation and analysis of these exams (which are not constructed by a corporation but by New York teachers) is desirable if the assessments are to realize their potential for fostering social justice curriculum and instruction. (Contains 5 figures.)
ISSN:0004-3125
2325-5161
DOI:10.1080/00043125.2010.11519085