Shravan Kumar Pendyala How do we assess art? This is a common and difficult situation for every person concerned about art education, whether they are educationists, curriculum designers, or practicing teachers. The art teacher is a ‘constant’ between the art work and the student in an art class where he/she has full autonomy and is accountable for his/her actions and assessment of students. The assessments carry messages for what count as ‘good’ or ‘desirable’ outcome, an evidence of progression, a certain acknowledgment of quality of skill and competency in comprehending art concepts. Hence, the marks, grades, or annotations on artworks of students play a deep, standing effect in the context of classroom learning. To understand and make sense of such dynamics, I had, as part of my M.Phil. Research, studied teacher practices of visual arts and design in middle schools in Hyderabad. Some of the interesting ideas concerning assessment that emerged in teachers’ discourses have been discussed here. An observation around practice To share and mention the crux of assessing, I had an experience with a pupil of class two. It was a regular art class scheduled in the afternoon. All of them were excited, though I saw a few enthusiasts and a few pupils lost in their own world. At the start of the class, the art teacher made a small drawing on the white board with a marker. The drawing was a representation of ‘BUS’ form, juxtaposed with English lettering within the form. The children were instructed to copy the same on to their drawing books or sheets; and later colour according to their choice, within the outlines. As a usual practice, everyone drew half an inch border on the paper, a few pupils used rulers while others didn’t. One enthusiastic student, who was in a hurry to act according to instructions took the pencil and finished the drawing in three to four minutes free-hand, and was in front of the art teacher with his drawing. The teacher asked, “What is this? – Wrong – see properly on the board – give here (teacher took the book)”. The student silently bowed down, disappointed, and looked at the researcher while handing over his book to the teacher. The teacher took the student’s drawing and drew a new one beside it and put his signature; the teacher said, “Ok, Now go and sit, don’t talk.” I, as a researcher, could not utter a word, being a silent spectator. The student took his book, went back