Semester Boards

All SCPA students in grades 4-12 are required to participate in the Arts Proficiency Exams (Boards) twice a year for their major.

Board Overview

Click on the Visual Arts Boards Overview for Detailed information and due dates.

Students must demonstrate the ability to meet or exceed Visual Arts standards to determine their standing in the Visual Arts department. 4th-grade visual arts students submit a Boards Portfolio as a developmental experience, helping to prepare students for 4th-grade second-semester Boards.

Visual Art Majors Standards:

• Explore and practice studio skills, classroom themes, and techniques at school and home.
• Produce high-quality work at school and home during the weekends, summers, and over breaks.
• Continue developing sketching, journaling, and self-critiquing skills to explore, refine, and revise your work to achieve the best results at school and home.

Students are expected to share independent work with art instructors prior to the board's due date. Students should seek critique and then apply feedback. Students can ask any teacher for feedback regardless if they have them for class. We recommend feedback for fine art from Ms. Young, digital work from Ms. Sillis, and sculpture from Mrs. Hart.

• The use of Artificial Intelligence tools is prohibited at any stage of the creative process for Boards work and will result in automatic failure.
• Students must have a portfolio. The portfolio must be labeled with the student’s name and only contain artwork for boards.
• Portfolios must include two independent fine artworks.
• 2D work must be 8” x 8” or larger. All work must be well maintained, trimmed to size if needed, and presented without damage like rips and stains. Frames and mats are NOT required. Place an overlay sheet to protect the artwork medium that is not permanently fixed.
• 3D artwork must be labeled on the bottom with tape and placed in a designated area.
• Digital artwork must be saved as a high-resolution jpg or .mp4/.mov and uploaded to the designated online assignment page.
• Photography: Only one submission may a photograph. Photographs must be printed 8”x8” or larger on photographic paper.
• On turn-in day, during art class, complete and hand in Semester Visual Arts Scoring Sheet, bring portfolios and 3D work to the Media Room and place them in marked areas. Initial the sign-in sheet once complete.
• Boards do not receive extensions as they are summative assessments, and deadlines are posted months in advance.
• Pick up portfolios and 3D work on the designated date. To keep the studio organized, work left at SCPA will be discarded.
• AP students: 80% of boards submission must reflect work create in your AP class.

Criteria for Boards

The Visual Arts instructors will review student board portfolios. Scores will be assigned based on the Rubric Criteria for Boards and used to determine a student’s success in meeting the established standards and expectations.

Rubric Criteria for Boards:

ALLIANCE Ability to match and support each medium, technique, design, and art theory taught in SCPA Visual Arts department studio and lecture classes.

CONCEPTUAL Evident uses refined studio processes, like sketching and research, to produce unique ideas and higher-thought-provoking work.

TECHNICAL Utilize high-quality craft, drawing techniques, brush strokes, cutting, constructing, joining, building, folding, printing, and other components. Work is exhibition quality, well maintained, trimmed to size, and presented without damage such as rips, tears, and stains.

EXPRESSIVE Student’s voice is evident and dynamic through unique and intelligent connections between subject, medium, technique, theory, and composition.

Boards Rubric

Student portfolios that score a Pass-Excellence or a Pass are promoted to the next level in the Visual Arts program. Portfolios that score a Failure will result in a departmental probation and arts intervention plan.

• Pass-Excellence (4 - 3.6) Exceptionally high-quality work; work goes above and beyond department expectations; works of art created at SCPA and home demonstrate exceptional skill, are original and are exhibition quality.
• Pass High (2.6 - 3.5) Quality work that clearly meets department expectations; works of art created at SCPA and home are technically advanced and demonstrate growth.
• Low Pass (2.5 - 3.5) Work does not meet department standards; works of art created at SCPA and home appear hurried, does not display growth, and lack connection to ideas and processes taught in class.
• First Failure (0 - 2.4) Work does not meet department standards. The artwork appears hurried and incomplete. Works of art created at SCPA and/or home lack technique, alliance, and expression. One or more works of art may be missing from the portfolio of works of art that may have been made before the accepted date. All portfolios scoring a Failure will result in a departmental Intervention Plan.
• Second Failure (0 - 2.4) within Three Semesters: Any student in grades 6-12 who receives two failure scores in three consecutive semesters will be dismissed from the Visual Arts major and/or SCPA.