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GRADING POLICY
Moving Towards Mastery. Living in the Process
Grading Design
Within the Department of Theatre, grading has shifted from a traditional point-based system to a skills-based system. Through rubrics, as described below, students will be accessed on their mastery of specific cognitive and performative skills. These skills have been curated by theatre faculty and advisory council, and encapsulates industry standards, National Core Arts Standards, and Common Core Standards. These skills have been grouped into nine weighted categories, which will define the student’s final grade.
In further alignment with SPA’s Academic grading philosophy, students will have multiple opportunities to show mastery of skills assessed within the scope of this course.
Grading Policy MS: About Us
Grading Rubric
For all assessed materials, students will receive a rubric detailing their progress on skills identified by their instructor. Students will be scored on a 1-5 scale.
1 = 55% Artist- scholar is not performing or producing skills indicative of their conservatory training. This score will be given if the artist-scholar has shown little to no engagement in training, have not turned in written work, or performs far below their expected standard.
2 = 65% Artists-scholar is performing or producing skills below the expected average indicative of their conservatory training. This score will be given to students who have shown some technique development but have not yet reached levels of written, performative, and training room etiquette expected of our conservatory students. Most students within conservatory begin their first semester with markings of a 2.
3 = 75% Artist-scholar is performing or producing at a level proficient to expected conservatory training. This score will be given to students who are producing and presenting work at a surface level and are engaged in the process of their conservatory training. This marks a passing grade of C. Most students end their first semester with markings of 3.
4 = 85% Artist-scholar is performing or producing beyond the base of their expected conservatory level, working at accomplished levels. This score will be given to students who have deepened their skill, producing and presenting work with more nuance and some dimensionality. This marks a passing grade of B. Some students are moving towards markings of 4 by the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. This is the expected goal.
5 = 95% Artists-scholar is performing at a level far exceeding the expectations of their conservatory level, working at advanced levels of nuance and dimensionality. Not all students may make it to this level by the end of the year, but this is the expected goal to reach towards. This student is working at the highest levels of intensity and focus within the craft of theatre.
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WEIGHTING
As mentioned above, our cognitive and performative skills are divided into nine weighted categories. These categories included: performance technique, audition technique, dramatic writing, dramaturgical/directorial technique, theatre theory & criticism, theatre professionalism, journaling, rehearsal/warm-up ethics, and artistry.
Grading will be weighted, with some exceptions as determined by faculty, as follows:
Theory Courses (Director Mitchell)
Performance Technique/ Audition Technique
10%
Dramatic Writing/ Journaling
30%
Directing & Dramaturgy/Theory & Criticism
35%
Professionalism/ Work Ethic/Artistry
25%
Acting/V&M Courses (Director Mitchell Courses)
“On-Stage” Performance
10%
Performance Technique/ Audition Technique
20%
Dramatic Writing/ Journaling
20%
Directing & Dramaturgy/Theory & Criticism
20%
Professionalism/ Work Ethic/Artistry
30%
Acting/ V&M Courses (Director Martinez Courses)
“On-Stage” Performance
10%
Performance Technique/ Audition Technique
20%
Dramatic Writing/ Journaling
25%
Directing & Dramaturgy/Theory & Criticism
20%
Professionalism/ Work Ethic/Artistry
25%
Interested in learning more about Contra Costa School of Performing Arts School of Theatre? We invite you to keep exploring our website, and get in touch with questions about our values, academics, community and more. Join us today!
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