Syllabus: AP Studio Art- Drawing/ 2-D Design

At Central Bucks High School West, the AP Studio Art course consists of one semester of classes meeting daily for 90 minutes (1 credit total).  AP students will investigate and complete all three sections of either the Drawing or 2-D Design AP Portfolio: Quality, Concentration, and Breadth. 

Students enrolled in the Advanced Placement Studio Art course are expected to produce an average of 24 works of art in a variety of media, techniques, and subject matter.  The body of work submitted for the AP portfolio can (and should, whenever possible) include art created prior to and outside of the AP Studio Art course.  Emphasis is placed on the mastery of concept, composition, and execution of ideas and themes in reference to drawing from observation; the application of color and design principles; the development of a body of work that is of the student’s own choosing; and application of the critique process in written and oral form.  Students are expected to work both in school and at home throughout the year.  For detailed information regarding the AP Studio Art Exam and examples of past student portfolios, visit:

• Drawing Portfolios: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/7881.html
• 2D Design Portfolios: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_information/2134.html

Course Goals & Objectives:

• Understand the requirements of the AP Studio Art portfolios (Drawing and 2D Design) and chose the portfolio type that best fits their focus.
• Research selected artists, art periods, cultures and styles to further their discovery process.
• Demonstrate a breadth of high-quality work: 12 pieces.
• Develop a personal concentration showing a consistent theme or idea with discovery: 10-12 pieces.
• Select five outstanding artworks for the Quality section of the portfolio.
• Show evidence of project planning from start to finish for each artwork.
• Demonstrate the understanding of and use of vocabulary and concepts in process critiques and written reflections (artist statements).
• Keep up with all class assignments, homework, critiques, and participation.
• Participate in the high school art show
• Participate in other shows and competitions, such as the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, PSEA and Bucks shows, etc.

Portfolio (Exam) Content:

There is no written exam for College Board.  Instead, it’s a requirement of AP Studio Art students to submit a portfolio in the beginning of May that meets all of College Board’s requirements.  Portfolios are awarded a final score of between 1 and 5, with 5 being the highest quality.  A score of 3 or higher will earn college credit at many participating universities.  To find participating universities, visit:  https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies

Each type of portfolio consists of 24 total images representing three sections: Quality, Concentration, and Breadth.

BREADTH (Range of Approaches):  Submit 12 digital images of 12 different artworks.  You must show your experience with a variety of concepts and approaches that demonstrate your abilities, range, and versatility with different techniques, media, problem solving, and imagery (methods and concepts vary between Drawing and 2D Design portfolios).

CONCENTRATION (Sustained Investigation): Submit 12 digital images of between 10-12 artworks (a maximum of 2 images may be details or close-ups) investigating an idea or theme that has personal interest to you.  You’ll create a body of cohesive work showing an in-depth understanding and exploration of your idea.  There is a written component called a “commentary” where you’ll describe the theme of your concentration and how it evolved.  A written commentary must accompany the work in this section.

QUALITY (Selected Works): Submit 5 actual artworks that you consider your “best.”  These pieces will come from your Breadth and Concentration sections and will not require additional work.  Maximum size for these pieces is 18” x 24”.  In this section, you do not need to demonstrate a variety of techniques or approaches.

Assessment and Evaluation:

Semester 1:

• Summer Assignments
• Major Course Projects
• Mid-Point Process- Critiques
• Artist Statements
• Worksheets, Exercises, Activities
• Take Breadth Slides
• Final Exam: Portfolio Review

Semester 2 (Art 4 or Independently):

• Complete all Concentration pieces
• Take Concentration Slides
• Submit AP portfolio

For major course projects, students are graded with criteria adapted directly from College Board’s scoring guidelines.  For each set of criteria on the project rubric, students will earn a score on a scale of 1-6 that most closely reflects the grade they’d earn from College Board readers.  “AP Exam scores of 5 [or 6] are equivalent to A grades in the corresponding college course.  AP Exam scores of 4 are equivalent to grades of A–, B+ and B in college. AP Exam scores of 3 are equivalent to grades of B–, C+ and C in college” (AP Studio Art Curriculum; College Board, p. 2).

Therefore, if a student’s work is submitted on time and consistently earns a grade of ‘A’ from the instructor, they should expect to earn a score of 4 or 5 from College Board on the exam.  It is important for students and parents to recognize that the level of rigor in this course is much higher than in previous Art courses, and while strong effort and dedication will likely produce higher-quality work, they do not necessarily equate to an ‘A’ or ‘B’ grade on an AP-level assignment.  Artwork is scored objectively based on AP guidelines, not subjectively based on the instructor’s preferred aesthetic.

Due Dates & Lateness Policy:

When a due date is given that work is expected on that date. If it is turned in after the due date you will receive ½ credit for your work submitted up to a week past the due date. No work will be excepted past a week from the due date.

Grading will be based on a point system. All required assignments/projects will be successfully completed as described by assignment handouts.  All assignments will be turned in for assessment, and all major projects will be assigned a point value.  Smaller assignments may be given an individual point value as well. All objectives will be based on concepts taught, composition/design, technique and studio/working skills.  Every student will be responsible for completing all assigned readings, questionnaires, worksheets and sketchbook assignments.

Major projects will only be accepted under the following conditions:

• The artwork is completed in its entirety based on prior discussions and consensus between student and teacher.
• There are no obvious areas of incompletion.

Students must do the following to receive a good grade. Work hard, use class time wisely, follow project requirements, ask questions, think creatively and beyond the first idea, focus on work and just when you think you are finished push yourself further.

Work Ethic Outside of Class:

Students will spend significant time working on AP assignments outside of class time.  If students have other extracurricular activities, work responsibilities, etc., they will need to work diligently to plan their time accordingly.  This is a rigorous, college-level course, and deadlines will not be adapted on an individual basis due to extracurricular involvement.  It is a student’s responsibility to manage their time accordingly.  This may mean picking and choosing what activities to participate in if the workload of AP becomes too heavy to handle.

Critiques:

Critiques are held on a regular basis to give students the ability to reflect on their own work as well as the work of their peers. Critiques are a combination of formal, informal, group, and one-on-one styles.  All students are required to participate and will be expected to use vocabulary and terminology learned throughout their Art courses as well as this course.

• In Progress Critiques

Progress critiques will be held at mid-point once a new project has been introduced. During the progress critique, students must justify their concepts and ideas to their peers through thumbnail sketches, color experimentations, etc.  Each student presentation should address subject, content, student voice, composition, color theory, the dominant Elements and Principles of Design, etc.  Constructive criticism given by classmates should provide solutions to the problems being addressed and help to hold each artist accountable for their choices and ideas.

• Final Critiques

Final critiques will occur on project due dates and will address solutions that were validated during the progress critique. 

Classroom Participation:

Students must spend the entire period working on assignments for AP Studio Art only (you’ll need it!).  Students who spend class time on endeavors unrelated to this course will lose points on the Project-Planning portion of the major project rubric for that assignment.  Students are expected to be in the room and ready to work when at the start of class. 

Artistic Integrity:

Artistic Integrity is of the utmost importance in AP Studio Art.  Students are not allowed to copy published photographs unless they transform the context by 80%.  Work from photographs or from other artists’ work must be manipulated beyond mere duplication.  This is known legally as the “appropriation of images,” and the manner in which you do so is referred to by College Board as “student voice.”  Students and parents must sign an Honor Code at the beginning of the course documenting their understanding of artistic integrity.  When the instructor signs off on a student’s AP portfolio, they are vouching for its integrity.  This is an important reason why students must work on major projects consistently in class in front of the instructor, and not just at home.

Controversial Subject Matter (IMPORTANT SECTION FOR PARENTS TO READ):

Because this is a college-level course, College Board allows students to create work with content that may otherwise be deemed inappropriate by CBSD standards.  Such content may include (but is not limited to) references to drugs and alcohol, nudity, suicide, violence, etc.  Ultimately, it is up to the parent/guardian to be familiar with the types of artwork their child is producing at all times.  Although the instructor will give appropriate guidance to each student, it is up to the student and parent(s) to decide what is acceptable material based on any moral or religious family situations, and whether or not they will allow their child to study such material for their artistic growth. While artwork representing the aforementioned controversial themes may be submitted to College Board in a student’s AP portfolio, it will not be displayed anywhere on campus or any other high school art show. Students also may not research these controversial themes on school laptops or devices, nor may they conduct photography sessions on school grounds that explore these themes.  If, in the instructor’s opinion, a student explores such content in a matter that could harm themselves or their classmates, the instructor will report such instances to the administration.  Signing this contract indicates parental compliance with this course policy and willingness to take responsibility for knowledge of all topics explored by their child.  

Purchasing Materials:

Most (not all) materials will be provided to you by the art department.  If you choose to use the same medium to create two or more artworks during the year, or you use a larger than normal quantity of a particular medium, you will be asked to purchase that medium upon the discretion of the teacher for budgetary reasons.

For Additional Information:

You may contact Mrs. Levin alevin@cbsd.org

Visit the College Board AP Studio Art website to learn more about the course.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDIO ART / PORTFOLIO CONTRACT

Student Name (printed): _______________________________________

The purpose of an Advanced Placement / Portfolio class is to help students prepare for college.  AP courses give a student the opportunity to place out of certain college courses, thus saving on tuition expenses.  Therefore, this class will be taught at a faster pace than the normal high school art course with the incorporation of higher level thinking skills and a variety of outside assignments.  The grading process will be much more rigorous than students have been accustomed to in previous art courses.  Because of the nature and rigor of the course, it is important that the teacher, student, and parent/guardian agree to commit the time and energy needed to complete the course successfully.

This class will be conducted under an honor code.  All students will be expected to do their own artwork.  At times, students will be given projects that must be completed outside of class.  All work must be original.  Copied artwork is unacceptable under copyright laws.  If a student breaks this code, it will give them an unfair academic advantage and may result in the student being removed from the course and/or failing the exam.

Responsibilities:

Teacher:  I agree to help students prepare for college and AP Portfolio submission by making new information available to them and teaching them the necessary skills to prepare their portfolios.  I shall make parents aware of any learning or disciplinary problems that may arise so that by working together, we may resolve them.

Teacher’s Signature: ___________________________________  Date: ___________

Student:  I am aware of the criteria for AP Studio Art / Portfolio, and I agree to accept the responsibility for the preparation needed to complete the Advanced Placement course and/or portfolio.  I will participate over the summer and in class in all course requirements, including major projects, written work, and providing constructive feedback to classmates during critiques.

Student’s Signature: ___________________________________  Date: ___________

Parent / Guardian:  I am aware of the criteria for AP Studio Art / Portfolio, and I agree to help my child work to be successful in this course.  I will help my child organize study time and encourage my child when the pressures of the class begin to build.  I will promptly communicate any concerns with the teacher about the course content or any learning problems that need to be addressed.  I understand and accept that students will be viewing and producing college-level materials, and thus dealing with issues and visual materials that may be controversial in nature, and I accept the responsibility of being familiar with the content in my child’s artwork.  I accept that per the level of rigor necessary for a college-level course, the grades my child earns on major assignments will reflect College Board’s scoring criteria and thus will often not be indicative of the amount of time dedicated to an assignment by my child.  I understand that my child may be required to purchase supplies if he/she uses the same medium for more than two artworks in any portfolio piece, or if a larger-than-normal quantity is used by the student (this is for budgetary reasons, and is according to the teacher’s discretion; please note that there is no lab fee for this course).  By signing this document, I acknowledge my awareness and compliance with all course policies and expectations.

Parent/Guardian’s Signature: _____________________________  Date: ___________

Open Communication Policy for Parents/Guardians

It’s important that I have the ability to communicate with parents and guardians of my students throughout this course.  Please provide a current email address and phone number where I can most easily reach you.  Don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns at: Alevin@cbsd.org. (Please allow a 24-hour turnaround time for a response on weekdays, and 48+ hours on weekends.)  If you would prefer to speak on the phone, we can coordinate a time to do so through email.

Parent/Guardian Name(s): ___________________________________

                                            ___________________________________

Parent/Guardian Email Address(s): ___________________________________

                                                          ___________________________________

Parent/Guardian Phone Number(s): ___________________________________

                                                           ___________________________________