National Board Certification:
Content Knowledge Assessment Exercises
NOTE
These are suggestions on how to prepare for the content knowledge assessment exercises. As we
differentiate with our students, we should also differentiate among ourselves. Keep in mind that everyone
has their own preferred resources and their own personal styles of studying. There is no one best (and
only) way to do well. Please use your own best judgment in studying for the exercises!
The process is fluid. Continue to check the NBPTS website for updates. Dialogue with your peers. Join a
cohort group or list-serve. Collect resources. Download and print the exercise descriptions and retired
prompts. Review Levels 1-4 Scoring Rubrics in the Scoring Guide. Read Standard IV Content of Art.
Highlight, underline, and annotate key words and phrases. Create your organizational system for
resources/notes according to assessment exercise topics: creative process, criticism, functions, aesthetics,
art history and forming processes. Make flashcards. Get a study buddy to discuss definitions, share
resources and assign each other random images to practice writing. Make mnemonic aides. Practice
typing. Ask questions. Reflect.
THE ASSESSMENT CENTER
Read assessment center information: such as http://nbpts.org/userfiles/File/NBPTS_ACO_FINAL.pdf ,
http://www.vue.com/ppc , and http://www.pearsonvue.com/NBPTS .
Download the assessment center tutorial: http://www.pearsonvue.com/nbpts/tutorial. (Please note that
Windows-based PC is required. It is not available for the Mac platform last time I checked.)
Visit the testing center ahead of time, taking note of parking, lockers, restrooms, etc.
Schedule your appointment early to get the day and time you want.
Eat before the test and be rested.
Bring a sweater or jacket (or dress in layers) in case it is cold.
Ask if you can bring a snack or beverage for the break, and leave in your locker. Some test centers may
not allow cough drops and tissue!
Plan to arrive 30 minutes early. First time candidates will be scheduled for almost four hours.
Bring your Authorization to Test (ATT) that arrived in the mail, along with the candidate ID barcode
labels that were provided with the ATT.
Bring the appropriate ID with your photo bearing your signature.
Your first and last name on the ID must match the name on your ATT.
Bring your art product in a plastic bag. You may attach the labels to the plastic bag before you arrive at
the assessment center.
Erasable noteboard and pen will be provided to candidates at the assessment center. No scratch paper is
allowed.
Go through the interactive tutorial prior to taking the tests at the assessment center.
If an exercise has more than one prompt, read all the prompts before beginning. You can go back and
forth between prompts during your 30 minutes to compose and revise.
Julie Tonkovich, NBCT 04 EAYA-ART
[email protected]
THE EXERCISES
The focus of each exercise is different (despite some overlap.)
When you write, ground your answer in the artwork. Cite specific details or examples (and from art
history if applicable) and answer every part of the prompt.
Some people suggest utilizing an art vocabulary. When in Rome…” meaning using the language of NB
whenever possible--from the standards, the scoring guide, the prompts, etc.
Outlining (or jotting down a few key words) before you write is one possible strategy, but keep an eye on
the clock and decide ahead of time how many minutes you'll allow yourself to brainstorm/organize your
thoughts before writing. When you answer, you can outline, list, make bullets, etc. if you think it's faster
than writing in paragraph form, just as long as the information is there.
If you don't know the artist or artwork, you will still be able to make educated guesses and transfer
information from your own storehouse of knowledge, so answer even if you’re not sure! You do not get
points deducted for guessing.
Remember, this is how I interpret the exercises. It is an introduction, or a springboard, to help you begin
your research. You may decide to interpret them differently using a completely different approach.
FYI--The wording between EMC and EAYA may be slightly different in some exercises.
1. PERSONAL ART-MAKING PROCESSES. The creative process is the series of steps or stages when
making an artwork from beginning to end. For example, if you were an English teacher teaching the
writing process, you might have students consider purpose, gather information, develop ideas, explore
options, write a rough draft, get feedback, revise, edit, write a final draft, evaluate the final work and
finally publish for a real audience. It's very similar in art. Several of these steps are mentioned on page 33
in Standard IV Content of Art.
In addition, don't forget that the level four rubric asks you to reflect on the effectiveness of your options,
challenges considered, choices made and modifications for future art-making. I suggest you begin
by thinking about the process involved when you have your students make art in the classroom, and be
sure to take notes as you make your exercise 1 art product. You can always google "creative process"
models and get ideas on how to articulate what you did. Some people break down the process into three
Ps—pre-production, production and post-production.
2. STUDYING AND INTERPRETING ART or art criticism. There are different criticism models—
Mittler’s four-step process, DBAE’s scanning chart, Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), etc. or use your
own method. Exercise 2 asks you to address how the sensory, formal and expressive qualities contribute
to the meaning of a single work of art, but I suggest including the literal and technical qualities as well.
Know common themes in art. Know how a metaphor or a symbol contributes to the artwork’s meaning. A
metaphor is contextual, it's meaning tied to the content of a specific artwork by a specific artist. A symbol
is universally known within a specific culture. For example, in Van Gogh's painting Irises, the lone white
iris might be a metaphor for the sick isolated-feeling Van Gogh, but a white iris in another paintings could
have a completely different meaning. If a white dove is used representatively, it is universally understood
in western culture as a symbol to represent peace. Within Christian art, a white dove would be universally
understood to be a symbol for the Holy Spirit.
What is the difference between exercise 2 “criticism” and exercise 4 “aesthetics”? Exercise 2 focuses on
finding meaning though analyzing the qualities of a single artwork in a criticism process and Exercise 4
focuses on evaluating the artwork through the analysis of the aesthetic qualities and theories. I've read that
art criticism is finding meaning and significance in a "particular" work of art, while aesthetics has to do
with how we're concerned with art "in general.” I realize that you are asked to analyze a single work of art
in ex 4, and in reality we move back and forth between criticism and philosophical inquiry all the time.
Julie Tonkovich, NBCT 04 EAYA-ART
[email protected]
So, while analyzing the artistic and aesthetic qualities in both, I would suggest using the image in exercise
2 to find meaning in that specific artwork and using the image in exercise 4 as a means to explore
philosophical questions about the nature and value of art
3. THE FUNCTIONS OF ART. This might be the granddaddy of the exercises as "world art” probably
spans 35,000 years--possibly starting with Venus of Willendorf and the cave paintings of Lascaux up until
current day! Reread pages 35-36 in the standards "Teachers Understand the Contexts of Art," as I believe
this is all about exercise 3--it talks about "world art" and asks what rituals, customs, beliefs or values are
found in the art work within a cultural context, e.g. art as communication, celebration, recreation,
occupations, entertainments, politics, religion and so on.
Unlike exercise 5, exercise 3 doesn't mention knowing the artist. You can describe a billboard in Times
Square or a magazine advertisement in Vanity Fair or a Tlingit totem pole or a Japanese tea ceremony
bowl or an African ceremonial mask or a British political cartoon without ever knowing who the artist is.
The piece itself is "representative" of the culture and is not necessarily a one-of-a-kind work of art. I think
the main idea behind exercise 3 is how does art function in everyday life, whether it's here and now or
whether it's in the four corners of the world and before written history.
Create a list of all possible functions of art and artifact from different cultures in various times and places,
and then find examples to illustrate them including the historical, cultural, social and/or political contexts.
This means that the art or artifact will have a certain purpose for that specific time and place, and
describing its physical characteristics will be grounded in that cultural context, including what it looks
like, what it's made of, who makes it, who uses it, and where it is displayed. Be precise in defining
purpose, role and function: if it has a spiritual function, is it to heal the sick or to increase fertility or to
improve the crop harvest? As the scouts say, "be prepared!"
4.THE NATURE AND VALUE OF ART or aesthetics. Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that
traditionally dealt with beauty as the primary criterion. Since art is not longer concerned solely with what
is considered beautiful, aesthetics today considers whether an artwork is considered “successful.” This
means that aesthetics is about asking questions that come up when we interact with art. These are
sometimes called aesthetic puzzles or philosophical inquiry. Philosophical questions could include: is it
art, why is it art, who says it's art, and so on. On page 38 in the standards, other questions are listed such
as is an artist’s intention important to interpretation and do fine arts, folk arts, and crafts differ?
Part of aesthetics deals with the response of the viewer. On page 37 in the standards, notice the phrases
"aesthetic experience,” "aesthetic response" and "aesthetic perception” and decide which means the
viewer responds to the art cognitively, affectively or both.
Page 38 lists five aesthetic theories: imitationalism, formalism, emotionalism (expressionism,)
institutionalism and instrumentalism. There are other theories you could find in your research. Ask
yourself, "What makes art successful?" Is the artwork successful because it effected change, because it’s
original, because of the feelings it expressed, because it kept alive the memory of something in history,
because it looked realistic, and so on You can find an "ism" to support your answer. Remember that you
are also asked to analyze the artistic and aesthetic qualities in the work of art, and to know the historical,
social, cultural and /or political contexts as you consider the nature and value.
5. THE EVOLUTION OF ART or Western art history. If you have ArtTalk (ed. 4), chapter 13 describes
"Western art" as art of the western hemisphere, specifically western Europe and North America,
beginning from ancient Greek and Roman times, up to the present, and includes the art history periods,
styles, movements, schools, styles, etc. one usually learns in an art history class. The word evolution
Julie Tonkovich, NBCT 04 EAYA-ART
[email protected]
means a gradual development or change. A timeline is important to know the precursors before and what
might have been influenced after, but keep in mind that precursors and influences can be further before
and after than the most immediate ones.
Why do you need to know social, historical, political contexts? Page 35 in the standards says “an
individual artist’s style can change over time, evolving in relation to personal experiences and influences,
such as societal, political, economic, or geographic.” The level 4 scoring rubric also requires you to
describe how one piece might be representative of an artist’s entire body of work, how it was important in
the evolution of art, and how this artist’s body of work is important on the development of the world of
art.
Here's an old "homework" assignment I used to give for exercise 5: why was Manet, a realist, considered
a forefather to Impressionism? Why was Cezanne, a Post-Impressionist, considered a forefather to
Cubism? Another “homework” assignment is to define period, movement, school and style.
6. FORMING PROCESSES. How does the medium, tools or techniques chosen by the artist affect 1. the
visual impact, and 2. the meaning? From ArtTalk (ed. 2) p. 7, "just how the artist's choice of how to
arrange the elements of art using the principles of design affects the look of the finished work, so do the
medium and the process the artist chooses. A watercolor painting of an outdoor scene will look very
different from an oil painting of the same scene." Marble has a different “feel” than wood.
From the NB standards, p. 34, "...media, modes, styles, and forms have inherent qualities that lend
themselves to various art forms." So I'd ask...is the artist's choice of medium tied to the subject matter?
Would paint be better than stone for a landscape? Why or why not? Each medium has special capabilities
and limitations--each medium has its own unique characteristics. A portrait will look different whether it's
a painting or whether it's a mosaic or a weaving or a photograph or a sculpture.
Become familiar with a variety of forming processes, media, tools and techniques. The word "technique"
could, of course, be referring to a "step" in the process, or could be referring to "style" i.e. "her technique
was delicate" or "he employed a technique of shading with short lines of varying widths" etc.
RESOURCES
NOTE: This is not a definitive list. This is a sampling. There are many more good resources available. I
am not recommending buying all of these! I suggest going to the library and bookstore to preview before
purchasing. I put my personal favorites in bold.
List-serves: read the files, archived messages and post your questions.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eaya-art
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/emcart
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/interpretingart
The Creative Process
Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education. Authors: Lois Hetland, Ellen Winner,
Shirley Veenema, Kimberly M. Sheridan. Publisher: Teacher College Press.
Function and History
The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern. Author:
Carol Strickland. Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Masterpiece Cards. http://www.themasterpiececards.com
Julie Tonkovich, NBCT 04 EAYA-ART
[email protected]
The Collins Big Book of Art: From Cave Art to Pop Art. Author: David G. Wilkins. Publisher: Collins
Design
Art History for Dummies. Author: Jesse Bryant Wilder. Publisher: For Dummies.
Isms: Understanding Art. Author: Stephen Little. Publisher: Universe Publishing.
Discovering Art History. Author: Gerald F. Brommer. Publisher: Davis Publications.
Understanding Paintings: Themes in Art Explored and Explained. Editors: Alexander Sturgis, Hollis
Clayson. Publisher: Watson-Guptill.
Artforms.Authors: Patrick Frank, Duane and Sarah Preble. Publisher: Prentice Hall.
The Art Teacher's Book of Lists. Author: Helen D. Hume. Publisher: Jossey-Bass.
The Art Book. Editors and Publisher: Phaidon Press..
Nothing If Not Critical: Selected Essays on Art and Artists. Author: Robert Hughes. Publisher: Penguin.
Other art history books by Gardner, Janson, Sister Wendy, and so on.
http://www.pbs.org/howartmadetheworld
http://www.pbs.org/art21
http://www.studystack.com/menu-482
http://arthistory.about.com/cs/foreducators/f/functions.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/interpretingart/files
http://www.metmuseum.org
http://www.getty.edu
Criticism and Aesthetics
http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/laa/contents.html
http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourFames.cgi?tour_id=18706
http://www.uwm.edu/People/closs/index.htm
http://www.eyeconart.net/history/Aesthetics.htm
Thinking Through Aesthetics. Author: Marilyn Stewart. Art Education in Practice Series.
Publisher: Davis Publications.
Talking about Student Art. Author: Terry Barrett. Art Education in Practice Series. Publisher: Davis
Publications.
Aesthetics: Issues and Inquiries. Author: E. Louis Lankford. Point of View series. Publisher: NAEA.
The Basics
An all-round art classroom textbook is highly recommended
Art Talk. Publisher: Glencoe/Mcgraw-Hill.
Understanding Art, Exploring Art, Art in Focus. Publisher: Glencoe/Mcgraw-Hill.
The Visual Experience, Exploring Visual Design, Art and the Human Experience. Publisher: Davis
Publications.
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/art/art_talk/students/chapter_summaries_eng.php/ca
Writing about Art
Writing about Art. Author: Henry M. Sayre. Publisher: Prentice Hall.
A Short Guide to Writing about Art. Author: Sylvan Barnet. Publisher: Prentice Hall.
The Art of Writing about Art. Authors: Suzanne Hudson, Nancy Noonan-Morrisey. Publisher: Wadsworth
Publishing.
Visual Literacy: Writing about Art. Author: Amy Tucker. Publisher: McGraw-Hill.
Other references:
http://www.wizzlewolf.com/nbart.html
http://www.artlex.com
For more information:
http://www.nbpts.org
Julie Tonkovich, NBCT 04 EAYA-ART
1-800-22TEACH
[email protected]