Lynn Tuttle
Editor’s Note: For the latest on the national arts education standards movement, read this post by Arts Education Council Member Lynne Kingsley published on 9/20/11!
In 1994, the professional associations representing dance, music, theatre, and visual arts teachers, collaborated on the creation of national Voluntary Arts Standards. The arts were the first subjects to create national voluntary standards.
Later this year, the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) will release Common Core State Standards for Math and English Language Arts. 48 states have already agreed to adopt these new standards as the basis for their state-level standards in English and Mathematics. The Obama administration is rewarding points for implementation of Common Core Standards in its competitive education grants, including Race to the Top, and has signaled a continued interest in the Common Core Standards movement in their Blueprint for Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
In response to the interest around the Common Core State Standards initiative, and to the technological changes the arts and arts education have undergone in the last 15 years (I wasn’t blogging 15 years ago, were you??), the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) convened a meeting of national arts education stakeholders on May 11-12 to determine if the time is right to develop a new set of national standards. The resounding answer was “yes!”
The creation of Common Core State Standards for the Arts has begun with this May meeting. And we would like to include you in the process.
First, all meetings of the stakeholders groups, writing groups, etc. will be viewable live and after the fact. You can view any or all of our 2 days of meetings at the following wikispace: http://nelae.wikispaces.com/DC+May+2010.
Second, the stakeholders will be working on surveys to query how you as arts teacher, teaching artist, local arts agency grantmaker in arts education, or as cultural institution, make use of your state and national arts standards.
What is working for you? What isn’t? What needs to be included? And what isn’t a priority for you?
If you haven’t already, sign up for the Americans for the Arts’ weekly cultural policy e-newsletter, Arts Watch, to receive updates on our progress.
Third, keep an eye open to invitations to participate as a writer/reviewer/editor/contributor to the process.
The first reveal of an online set of Common Core State Standards for the Arts will occur in December 2011 (our intent is to beat our science colleagues who have declared their Common Core Standards will be ready that same month!).
Help us create a useful, streamlined, relevant set of standards for our students and for your use as an arts educator and/or advocate.
If you have questions or suggestions, please respond to this blog. All responses will be shared with the stakeholders group partnering on this process. To view the partners, and learn more, visit www.seadae.org.
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Thank you for providing this information. I greatly appreciate having a clear and comprehensive arts standards resource.
Have you posted the first draft yet?
Jill – here is the latest information on this project:
http://www.seadae.org/images/stories/1_page_Summary_Ntl_Arts_Stnds_11_13_10_Final.pdf
It has been about 90 days since the November meeting. Is the meeting in NYC scheduled for this month? Will they be meeting at The College Board as planned? What work has been accomplished in the interim period? Any update?
I am an art teacher in CPS and I find that the IL state standards for art are useless. I use the national standards developed by the NEA even though they are not recognized by IL because these standards are so complete. I would like to see a common core art standard modeled on these standards.
I agree… I prefer the national standards to the Pennsylvania Standards.
Are there any new developments within the work of the arts core standards? Also, I see the 21st century is being addressed for skills, will there also be connections to the COmmon Core for the arts standards? Thank you for your help.
Julie, here is the latest info I have… http://blog.artsusa.org/2011/06/13/new-coalition-moving-forward-with-arts-education-standards/
I am excited to see the arts educators and advocates of this nation taking the initiative to make sure we will have common core standards that are comparable to other academic subjects. I am in Michigan and we currently use the National Standards for our k-8 arts curriculum rather than the Michigan standards.