Arts education’s wicked problem: tensions between reliability and validity in arts assessment

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a mixed-methods study into changes to Arts assessment policy and practice in the secondary schools of Queensland, Australia. Survey and interview data collected from Queensland Arts teachers delivering the Queensland Senior General Arts syllabuses, combined with publicly available statistical data offer a unique insight into assessment trends in response to policy changes. Findings suggest that there is a tension between the need to for reliable assessment data and ensuring assessment is valid for the unique values and attributes of Arts education, highlighting the unintended consequences of educational policy reforms. Policy changes to Arts assessment in Queensland designed for increased standardization and reliability undermine the validity of assessments, diminish creative thinking, and conflict with the core values of arts education.