The Academy of Theater and Dance (ATD) has described a clear vision on evaluation in the assessment policy and system. The evaluation system of the Bachelor in Classical Ballet in Education is in line with this policy and works with the competences and behavioral indicators/criteria that have been established nationally by the joint dance schools.
The assessment of the students' development cannot be laid down in normative rules. Each student works in a different environment, has different talents and ambitions. That is why the assessment first looks at how the student has developed in relation to himself and at the personal goals in relation to the learning outcomes of the study programme. The learning outcomes (competencies) of the program provide a general framework for the ballet teacher's requirements. Students who have mastered the entire range of subject knowledge, skills and attitudes and who are able to translate this into their own professional practice have an excellent chance of lasting success. Because the assessment of a student's development is always subjective and there are no unequivocal standards against which the student's development can be tested, the program opts for an integrated assessment. The artistic director, the core team and the teachers jointly, intersubjectively and integrally assess the total development of the student during the semester. In the integral assessment meeting, all individual courses and assignments are discussed in a cross-curricular context and the continuous learning process that the student undergoes is evaluated. Involvement, attitude to work, development and learning capacity are important elements and form the basis for the development of competences. The outcome of the meeting and the competences to be developed in the next semester are discussed with the student. The student is thereby stimulated to develop in the light of the competences of the study program and to bring his personal talent and ambitions to fruition.
Prior to the integral assessment meeting, all individual assessments are collected by the artistic director, who acts as chairman during the meeting, so that there is an overview of the integral development of the student. In other words, the assessment of the final product is placed in the context of the student's development and his or her personal research. The assessment committee does not award marks, but gives a descriptive assessment in the form of feedback, in which the assessment of the student's growth compared to the previous period is central. In the assessment meeting, the lecturers jointly assess whether this growth is sufficient or insufficient and therefore whether the semester has been passed. With a positive assessment, 20 credits (ECs) are awarded for participation and 10 ECs for growth and development.
In addition, as a result of the assessment, the student receives advice about the next steps (feed forward). If necessary, the student can be given an extra assignment before receiving the ECTS credits.
A report is made of the integral assessment for each student, in which the agreements made in the form of personal learning objectives and points for attention are also included. In the next assessment, progress in achieving these individual learning goals plays an important role, after which adjustment takes place and the assessment cycle is repeated.
The dance courses of the Academy of Theater and Dance use a study load system that corresponds to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). A full-time BA course of 240 credits (EC) corresponds to 1680 hours of study per year, in a combination of supervised and independent learning. The number of credits awarded is entered into Educator's digital study information system.