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Introduction
Understanding and Using the National Core Arts Standards
The arts have always served as the distinctive vehicle for discovering who we are. Providing ways of thinking as disciplined as science or math and as disparate as philosophy or literature, the arts are used by and have shaped every culture and individual on earth. They continue to infuse our lives on nearly all levels—generating a significant part of the creative and intellectual capital that drives our economy. The arts inform our lives with meaning every time we experience the joy of a well-remembered song, experience the flash of inspiration that comes with immersing ourselves in an artist’s sculpture, enjoying a sublime dance, learning from an exciting animation, or being moved by a captivating play.
The central purposes of education standards are to identify the learning that we want for all of our students and to drive improvement in the system that delivers that learning. Standards, therefore, should embody the key concepts, processes and traditions of study in each subject area, and articulate the aspirations of those invested in our schools—students, teachers, administrators, and the community at large. To realize that end goal, these new, voluntary National Core Arts Standards are framed by artistic literacy, as outlined in philosophical foundations, lifelong goals, and artistic processes; articulated as anchor and performance standards that students should attain; and supported by instructional resources, including model cornerstone assessments that illustrate how literacy might be measured. The connective threads of this conceptual framework are designed to be understood by all stakeholders and, ultimately, to ensure success for both educators and students.
While broad in concept, the standards are also focused in a framework that delivers the educational nuance of standards in only four artistic processes, bringing together what artists do and what we want for our students. Within this simple and elegant structure, decision-makers from teachers, to superintendents, to parents will be able to move forward in the rich variety of approaches that have become part of the American educational landscape.
The National Core Arts Standards are designed to guide the delivery of arts education in the classroom with new ways of thinking, learning, and creating. The standards also inform policy-makers about implementation of arts programs for the traditional and emerging models and structures of education. As with other subject areas, a commitment to quality education, equitable opportunities, and comprehensive expectations is embedded within the new arts standards.
Theatre
Welcome to the 2014 Theatre Standards. These grade-by-grade standards are an effort to articulate the most fundamental elements of theatre, in the hope that by doing so there will be recognition that every student can and should achieve a level of proficiency or beyond in this ancient and honorable craft. The most widespread theatre education opportunities in the United States have traditionally been in high schools, and the standards included here can readily be employed as a springboard for curriculum design and assessment at that level. The standards in the earlier grades suggest the same rigor and understanding but it’s understood that at each successively earlier grade, there are fewer and fewer theatre programs and trained educators to teach in them. Thus, the PreK through middle grade standards are largely aspirational—what should be in our schools and arts programs.
The 2014 Theatre Standards are written with both drama processes and theatre products in mind. While many secondary theatre programs focus on performance and design in staged productions as evidence of a student’s understanding and achievement in the art, ongoing student engagement in theatre without an end product in mind has not always been defined and valued. These standards address those drama processes as well as traditional theatre. Drama processes encompass envisioned worlds and unscripted activities designed to engage students in a wide range of real and imagined issues; theatre includes the broader and more traditional conventions of the craft that have been developed over the centuries—scripted plays, acting, public performance, and stagecraft.
To address both process and product in theatre, the grade 3 through high school standards of Proficient, Advanced, and Accomplished often include the term “drama/theatre” to clarify the distinct but companion parts of theatre education. The PreK through grade 2 standards, acknowledging the early childhood need for supervision and unfettered play, employ the phraseology “dramatic play” and/or “guided drama experience.”
You will also find Model Cornerstone Assessments (MCAs) intended to show the ways in which standards serve as a foundation for the creation of reliable and authentic measurements of student learning in theatre. These MCAs are not put forth as a definitive assessment of a particular set of skills; rather they presented to inspire teachers to create their own assessments that serve both their pedagogy and the learning needs of their students.
Please see the resources on these two partner organizations websites:
Educational Theatre Association
American Alliance for Theatre and Education
Model Cornerstone Assessments:
- 2021 MCAs
- Grade 2
- Grade 5
- Grade 8: A
- Grade 8: B
- High School: Proficient
- High School: Accomplished
- High School: Advanced
Additional Resources:
Theatre / Creating
TH:Cr1.1
Process Component: Envision/Conceptualize
Anchor Standard: 1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists rely on intuition, curiosity, and critical inquiry.
Essential Question: What happens when theatre artists use their imaginations and/or learned theatre skills while engaging in creative exploration and inquiry?
TH:Cr2
Process Component: Develop
Anchor Standard: 2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists work to discover different ways of communicating meaning.
Essential Question: How, when, and why do theatre artists’ choices change?
TH:Cr3.1
Process Component: Rehearse
Anchor Standard: 3. Refine and complete artistic work.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists refine their work and practice their craft through rehearsal.
Essential Question: How do theatre artists transform and edit their initial ideas?
Theatre / Performing
TH:Pr4.1
Process Component: Select
Anchor Standard: 4. Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists make strong choices to effectively convey meaning.
Essential Question: Why are strong choices essential to interpreting a drama or theatre piece?
TH:Pr5.1
Process Component: Prepare
Anchor Standard: 5. Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists develop personal processes and skills for a performance or design.
Essential Question: What can I do to fully prepare a performance or technical design?
TH:Pr6.1
Process Component: Share, Present
Anchor Standard: 6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists share and present stories, ideas, and envisioned worlds to explore the human experience.
Essential Question: What happens when theatre artists and audiences share a creative experience?
Theatre / Responding
TH:Re7.1
Process Component: Reflect
Anchor Standard: 7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists reflect to understand the impact of drama processes and theatre experiences.
Essential Question: How do theatre artists comprehend the essence of drama processes and theatre experiences?
TH:Re8.1
Process Component: Interpret
Anchor Standard: 8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists’ interpretations of drama/theatre work are influenced by personal experiences and aesthetics.
Essential Question: How can the same work of art communicate different messages to different people?
TH:Re9.1
Process Component: Evaluate
Anchor Standard: 9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists apply criteria to investigate, explore, and assess drama and theatre work.
Essential Question: How are the theatre artist’s processes and the audience’s perspectives impacted by analysis and synthesis?
Theatre / Connecting
TH:Cn10.1
Process Component: Empathize
Anchor Standard: 10. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists allow awareness of interrelationships between self and others to influence and inform their work.
Essential Question: What happens when theatre artists foster understanding between self and others through critical awareness, social responsibility, and the exploration of empathy?
TH:Cn11.1
Process Component: Interrelate
Anchor Standard: 11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists understand and can communicate their creative process as they analyze the way the world may be understood.
Essential Question: What happens when theatre artists allow an understanding of themselves and the world to inform perceptions about theatre and the purpose of their work?
TH:Cn11.2
Process Component: Research
Anchor Standard: 11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists critically inquire into the ways others have thought about and created drama processes and productions to inform their own work.
Essential Question: In what ways can research into theatre histories, theories, literature, and performances alter the way a drama process or production is understood?
TH:Cn11.1
Process Component: Interrelate
Anchor Standard: 11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.
Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists understand and can communicate their creative process as they analyze the way the world may be understood.
Essential Question: What happens when theatre artists allow an understanding of themselves and the world to inform perceptions about theatre and the purpose of their work?
Credits
National Coalition for Core Arts Standards Writing Teams
Project Director: Phillip E. Shepherd, Manager, Academic Core Branch, Kentucky Department of Education
DANCE
Dance Chair: Dr. Rima Faber, President, Capitol Region Educators of Dance Organization and Founding President, National Dance Education Organization
Dr. Barbara Bashaw, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Karen Kohn Bradley, University of Maryland-College Park and the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Loren E. Bucek, Easthaven Elementary School, Columbus, Ohio
Joan Finkelstein, New York City Department of Education
Shana Habel, Los Angeles Unified School District
Mary Harding, Perpich Center for Arts Education, Golden Valley, Minnesota
Susan McGreevy, Executive Director, National Dance Education Organization
Dale Schmid, New Jersey State Department of Education
Marty Sprague, Juanita Sanchez High School, Providence, Rhode Island
Pamela A. VanGilder, Madonna Learning Center, Germantown, Tennessee
Dr. Lynnette Young Overby, University of Delaware, Newark
MEDIA ARTS
Media Arts Chair: Dain Olsen, Los Angeles Unified School District, California
Jay Davis, Community Health Advocates School, Los Angeles, California
R. Scot Hockman, South Carolina Department of Education, Columbia
Jeremy Holien, Perpich Center for Arts Education, Golden Valley, Minnesota
Anne Kornfeld, Newcomers High School, Long Island City, New York
Colleen Macklin, Parsons New School for Design, Brooklyn, New York
Bradley Moss, Maple Mountain High School, Springville, Utah
Betsy Newman, SC Educational Television, Columbia, South Carolina
Michele Nelson, Los Angeles Unified School District
Frank Philip, Arts Assessment Consultant, Annapolis, Maryland
Martin Rayala, Ph.D, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown
James Reinhard, North Allegheny Schools, Wexford, Pennsylvania
Nelle Stokes, Magic Box Productions, Pleasantville, New York
Evan Tobias, Arizona State University, Tempe
MUSIC
Music Co-Chairs: Scott C. Shuler, Arts Education Specialist, Connecticut State Department of Education and Past President, National Association for Music Education
Richard Wells, Simsbury Public Schools (retired) and Music Chair for the Connecticut Common Arts Assessment Project
Dr. Richard Baker, Southern University and A & M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Bob Cooper, South Kitsap School District, Port Orchard, Washington
Thomas Dean, Mount Pleasant High School, Newark, Delaware
Armalyn De La O, California State University, San Bernardino, Superintendent of Schools Office, San Bernardino, California
Terry Eder, Plano (Texas) Senior High School
Barbara J. Good, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nevada
Michael Jothen, Towson University, Phoenix, Maryland
Carolynn A. Lindeman, San Francisco (California) State University
Johanna J. Siebert, Webster Schroeder High School, Webster, New York
Robyn Swanson, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green
Music General Music Grades Pre K-2 Sub Committee
Johanna Siebert, Chair
Tim Adams, Center Elementary School, Ellington Public Schools, CT
Julie Beauregard, Oregon State University
Al Heary, Webster Central School District, NY
Denise Ondishko, Riverview Charter School, Beaufort, SC
Jennifer Wetzel-Thomas, Mokena School District #159, Downers Grove IL
Researcher: Wendy Valerio, University of South Carolina
Music General Music Grades 3-5 Sub Committee
Barbara Good, Chair
Nyssa Brown, Perpich Center for Arts Education, MN
Kay Lehto, Gilbert Elementary School, Clark County School District, NV
Sandra Nicolucci, Boston University Music Education Department, MA
Lynn Rechel, Arlington Public Schools, VA
Leah Riggs, Silverdale Elementary School, Central Kitsap School District, WA
Rebecca Squire, Saugatuck Elementary School, Westport School District, CT
Christine Hayes, Chair - Council for General Music Education, Whitewater, WI
Researcher: Denise Odegaard, Fargo, ND
Music General Music Grades 6-8 Sub Committee
Richard Baker, Robyn Swanson, Co-Chairs
Jacalyn Beam, Christina School District, DE
Michelle Divine, Whitman Junior High, Warwick, RI
Debra Hopkins, Lincoln Elementary, Silverton, OR
Stephen Nystrup, Glastonbury Public Schools, CT
Kim Yannon-Stock, Dodd Middle School, Cheshire, CT
Researcher: Ann Clements, Pennsylvania State University
Music Performing Ensembles Sub Committee
Armalyn De La O, Tom Dean, Michael Jothen, Co-Chairs
Renata Bratt, Professional Musician, San Francisco, CA
Sandra Brown, Plymouth Middle School, Plymouth, MN
Terry Eberhardt, Howard County Public Schools, Ellicott City, MD
Windy Fullagar, Alexander Graham Middle School, Charlotte, NC
Alan Gumm, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant
Susie Jones, Mt. Hood Community College, OR
Mary Wagner, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Researcher: Al Holcomb, Westminster Choir College, Princeton, NJ
Researcher: Glenn Nierman, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Researcher: Bret Smith, Central Washington University
Researcher: Katie Strand, Indiana University
Researcher: Martin Norgaard, Georgia State University, Atlanta
Music Harmonizing Instruments Sub Committee
Bob Cooper, Carolynn Lindeman, Co-Chairs
Carol Broos, Gumee, IL
Anne Fennel, Vista Academy, CA
Julie Gragg, Kingman Middle School, AZ
Philip Martin, Campbell HS, Litchfield, NH
Scott Seifried, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Brad Van Patten, Irvine Unified School District, CA
Karen Childress-Evans, San Diego Unified School District, CA
Ed Duling, Bowling Green, OH
Researcher: William Bauer, University of Florida
Music Composition/Theory Sub Committee
Terry Eder, Tom Dean Co-Chairs
Judd Danby, Jefferson HS, Lafayette, IN
Robert Deemer, SUNY Fredonia, NY
Michael Levi, College of St. Rose, Albany, NY
Frank Doyle, Northport HS, Long Island, NY
Stephen Nystrup, middle school, Glastonbury, CT
Researcher: Patricia Riley, University of Vermont, VT
Music Model Cornerstone Assessments
Bill Bauer, School of Music of the University of Florida
Frederick Burrack, Kansas State University
Ann Clements, The Pennsylvania State University School of Music
Al Holcomb, Westminster Choir College of Rider University, New Jersey
Glenn Nierman, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Denese Odegaard, Fargo (North Dakota) Public Schools
Kelly Parkes, Virginia Tech
Phillip Payne, Kansas State University
Patricia Riley, University of Vermont
Bret Smith, Central Washington University
Katherine Dagmar Strand, Indiana University
Wendy Valerio, University of South Carolina Children’s Music Development Center
THEATRE
Theatre
Co-Chairs: Dr. Mary J. Schuttler, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley
Betsy Quinn, Evanston (Illinois) School District 65
Rachel Evans, Kean University, Union, New Jersey
Julia Ashworth, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Victoria Brown, Lucy School, Middletown, Maryland
Wendy Duke, Akron (Ohio) School District
Linda Krakaur, University of Maryland at College Park
Jennifer Little, Franklin High School, North Bergen, New Jersey
Jack Mitchell, California State Department of Education, Sacramento
Sarah Pleydell, University of Maryland, College Park
Joshua Streeter, Towanda (Pennsylvania) Area School District
Leslie Van Leishout, North Thurston Public Schools, Lacey, Washington
Gustave J. Weltsek, Indiana University/Ivy Tech Community College, Bloomington
Elisabeth Westphal, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, Illinois
Scott Wilson, Centennial High School, Columbus (Ohio) City Schools
Susan Yelverton, Satchel Ford Elementary, Columbia, South Carolina
VISUAL ARTS
Visual Arts Chair: Dennis Inhulsen, President, National Art Education Association and Principal, Patterson Elementary School, Holly, Michigan
Kristine Alexander, The California Arts Project, California State University, San Bernardino, California
September Buys, Greenville Middle School, Greenville, Michigan
Susan J. Gabbard, Oklahoma City Public Schools, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Dr. Olivia Gude, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Art and Design, Chicago, Illinois
Debra Hannu, Duluth Public Schools, Duluth, Minnesota
Joyce Huser, Kansas State Department of Education, Topeka, Kansas
Elizabeth (Betsy) Logan, Auburn Junior High School, Auburn, Alabama
Vanessa López, Roland Park Elementary Middle School, Baltimore, Maryland
Cheryl Maney, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, Concord, North Carolina
W. Scott Russell, Loudoun County Public Schools, Leesburg, Virginia
Dr. Marilyn Stewart, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Department of Art Education and Crafts, Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Kathi R.Levin, NCCAS Project Consultant, National Art Education Association, Reston, Virginia
Visual Arts Model Cornerstone Assessments
Chair, Dr. F. Robert Sabol, NAEA Past President and Professor of Visual and Performing Arts, Purdue University, Crawfordsville, Indiana
Dr. Olivia Gude, Professor, School of Art and Art History, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Debra Hannu, Visual/Media Arts Educator, Duluth Public Schools, Duluth, Minnesota
Joyce Huser, Fine Arts Education Consultant, Kansas Department of Education, Topeka, Kansas
Kirby Meng, Art Educator, Union Grove High School, McDonough, Georgia
Laura Milas, Art Department Chairperson, Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale, Illinois
W. Scott Russell, Elementary Art Educator, Loudoun County Public Schools, Leesburg, Virginia
Dr. Marilyn Stewart, Professor of Art Education, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Diana Woodruff, Director of Visual Arts K-12, Acton Public and Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools, Acton, Massachusetts
National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) Leadership 2014-2015
Michael Blakeslee, Senior Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, National Association for Music Education
Dr. Jane Bonbright, Founding Executive Director Emeritus, National Dance Education Organization
Richard W. Burrows, NCCAS Media Arts Committee Co-Chair, Newark (New Jersey) Public Schools, Special Assistant/Arts
Amy Charleroy, Director of Arts, Office of Academic Initiatives, The College Board
David A. Dik, National Executive Director, Young Audiences Arts for Learning
Kristen Engebretsen, Arts Education Program Manager, Americans for the Arts
Marcie Granahan, Executive Director, American Alliance for Theatre and Education
Debora Hansen, State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education, Delaware Department of Education
Dennis Inhulsen, President, National Art Education Association
Dr. Amy Jensen, Advocacy Director, American Alliance for Theatre and Education
Kathi R. Levin, NCCAS Project Consultant, National Art Education Association
Robert Lynch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Americans for the Arts
Marcia McCaffrey, President, State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education, New Hampshire Department of Education
Susan McGreevy-Nichols, Executive Director, National Dance Education Organization
James Palmarini, Director of Educational Policy, Educational Theatre Association
Dr. Pam Paulson, NCCAS Media Arts Committee Co-chair, Perpich Center for Arts Education Minnesota
Jeff M. Poulin, Arts Education Program Coordinator, Americans for the Arts
Dr. Deborah B. Reeve, Executive Director, National Art Education Association
Narric Rome, Vice President of Government Affairs and Arts Education, Americans for the Arts
Dr. Nancy Rubino, Senior Director, Office of Academic Initiatives, The College Board
Dr. F. Robert Sabol, Past President, National Art Education Association
Dr. Scott Shuler, Immediate Past President, National Association for Music Education
Lynn Tuttle, Past President, State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education, Arizona Department of Education
Cory Wilkerson, State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education, Project Manager
Julie Woffington, Executive Director, Educational Theatre Association
Partnership Organizations
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center Education
National Coalition for Arts Standards (2014) National Core Arts Standards. Rights Administered by Young Audiences, Inc. New York, NY, www.nationalartsstandards.org all rights reserved.