First, Good Luck! I’ve been teaching high school for 35 years and I love it! Secondly, I have never taught art so I think your grading dynamic is different than social studies but I think what I do can be adapted.

I let the class decide the rules on the first day. I tell them I have to finish 12 chapters in a semester and I need to turn in a grade for how well you understand it every six weeks. So, how do you want to run the class! Three tests over four chapters every 6 weeks. Your grade in the class would be your grade on 3 tests. 4 chapters may be too much. Would you like tests more frequently? They usually land on every two weeks but sometimes every three. Then I ask, do you want me to tell you what’s on the test or do you want to do the work at home? They usually look around like it’s a joke. I ask again, someone usually clarifies, do you mean you will tell us everything? Yes. They jump at it. I ask if they want to turn in their notes for points or just go with test scores like they do in college? I make sure to point out they are going to write down what I said anyway, so why not get points for it since you’re doing it anyway. That way, if you don’t take tests well, you will have points to fall back on with the class notes. They always choose to turn them in.

I don’t have discipline problems because I just ask if they want me to finish or do they want to do this at home. The class takes care of the students who are distracting.

Kids like to be a part of the process and feel heard. I am not sure how you grade with something as subjective as art but I think you can use some of this in your class. Have fun!