ABSTRACT
The 1990s were years where English education became obsessed with assessment. In a new decade, assessment and benchmarking has not disappeared in core subjects. Testing, testing and more testing has characterized the early 2000s as teachers and pupils respond to the demands made on them. Few areas lend themselves so readily to the unquestioned criticism of being subjective as do the assessment and evaluation of art. Can it be assessed? Some teachers would say that nothing worthwhile can be assessed or evaluated in art and anyone who tries is fooling themselves if they think it can. The argument grows from the stance that, however carefully we judge anything artistic, because that judgement is personal and therefore subjective, it is not valid in comparison with other judgements. Of course, if our starting point has been that art itself has no value, is a frill, a recreation, or a time-filler, there is little to be argued. The basis of informed judgement is that we should know something of the values which permeate the area of our concern.
