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 BA Teacher Classical Ballet is in line with this policy and works with the competencies and behavioral indicators/criteria set nationally by the joint dance courses.
The assessment of students' development cannot be laid down in normative rules. Every 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 final qualifications of the program. The final qualifications (competences) of the program provide a general framework for the requirements of the ballet teacher. The student who has mastered the entire range of professional knowledge, skills and attitudes and knows how to translate this into their own professional practice has an excellent chance of lasting success. Because the assessment of a student's development is always subjective and there are no unambiguous standards with which the development of the student 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 across disciplines and the continuous learning process that the student goes through is evaluated. Commitment, work attitude, 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. This encourages the student to develop in the light of the competencies of the 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 student's integral development. In other words: the assessment of the final product is placed in the context of the student's development and personal research. The assessment committee does not award grades, 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 completed. In case of 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 will receive advice on 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, which also includes the agreements made in the form of personal learning objectives and points for attention. In the next assessment, progress in achieving these individual learning objectives 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 in Educator's digital study information system.