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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.
Visual Arts
Visual Arts include the traditional fine arts such as drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture; media arts including film, graphic communications, animation, and emerging technologies; architectural, environmental, and industrial arts such as urban, interior, product, and landscape design; folk arts; and works of art such as ceramics, fibers, jewelry, works in wood, paper, and other materials. (National Art Education Association)
The Visual Arts Standards provide learning progressions from Pre k-12. Please read the conceptual framework narrative to learn more about the additional materials which provide a context for the grade level visual arts Performance Standards. These include:
• Philosophical Foundations and Lifelong Goals for Artistic Literacy;
• Definitions of the artistic processes of Creating, Presenting, Responding, and Connecting;
• Anchor Standards which are common across all five of the arts disciplines.
The glossary provides definitions for those terms which the writing team felt would benefit from explaining the context or point of view regarding the use of the term within the standards.
1. The standards provide the foundation for visual art education for all students. The standards support student-learning outcomes through big ideas – enduring understandings and essential questions. The concepts embedded in the standards reflect the scope of learning – the knowledge, skills, and understandings - taught through study of the visual arts. By including all aspects of creating, presenting, responding, and connecting in study of the visual arts, student learning through these standards explores the full scope of what it means to be an artistically literate citizen. While presented chronologically the processes are best designed and taught in a blended fashion to support rich artistic skills and behaviors.
2. The standards provide ways to address the content of visual art education within the school year. There are 15 Enduring Understandings with 15 correlated grade-by-grade (preK-8 and three levels for high school) Performance Standards. Art educators will be able to cluster group standards using more than one within a given instructional unit. The Performance Standards offer a practical system for teachers to use to inform their instruction.
3. The standards emphasize deep learning in the visual arts creating higher expectations and support college, career and citizenship readiness for all students. The performance standards offer learning progressions for students. Embedded in the standards are ideas about how arts learning can be broadened and deepened to support students in making meaning of their lives and their world. Essential questions are provided for teachers as thought starters promoting inquiry based teaching and learning. They support communicating and learning in art by providing language needed for students and stakeholders alike.
4. The standards provide opportunities for educators to reflect on their practice. The visual arts performance standards are fundamentally grounded in collective beliefs about what constitutes effective teaching and learning. Individual educators are encouraged to review and use the standards in achieving the goal of continuous improvement.
Whether it means updating curriculum or adapting an individual art lesson or curriculum unit, the new visual arts standards inspire and support the ways in which art educators keep their teaching fresh and dynamic.
For more information please access the resources link.
We partner with the National Art Education Association.
Model Cornerstone Assessments:
- 2021 MCAs
- Grade 2
- Grade 5
- Grade 8
- High School: Proficient
- High School: Accomplished
- High School: Advanced
Additional Resources:
Visual Arts / Creating
VA:Cr1.1
Anchor Standard: 1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: Creativity and innovative thinking are essential life skills that can be developed.
Essential Question: What conditions, attitudes, and behaviors support creativity and innovative thinking? What factors prevent or encourage people to take creative risks? How does collaboration expand the creative process?
VA:Cr1.2
Anchor Standard: 1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: Artists and designers shape artistic investigations, following or breaking with traditions in pursuit of creative artmaking goals.
Essential Question: How does knowing the contexts histories, and traditions of art forms help us create works of art and design? Why do artists follow or break from established traditions? How do artists determine what resources and criteria are needed to formulate artistic investigations?
VA:Cr2.1
Anchor Standard: 2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: Artists and designers experiment with forms, structures, materials, concepts, media, and art-making approaches
Essential Question: How do artists work? How do artists and designers determine whether a particular direction in their work is effective? How do artists and designers learn from trial and error?
VA:Cr2.2
Anchor Standard: 2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: Artists and designers balance experimentation and safety, freedom and responsibility while developing and creating artworks.
Essential Question: How do artists and designers care for and maintain materials, tools, and equipment? Why is it important for safety and health to understand and follow correct procedures in handling materials, tools, and equipment? What responsibilities come with the freedom to create?
VA:Cr2.3
Anchor Standard: 2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: People create and interact with objects, places, and design that define, shape, enhance, and empower their lives.
Essential Question: How do objects, places, and design shape lives and communities? How do artists and designers determine goals for designing or redesigning objects, places, or systems? How do artists and designers create works of art or design that effectively communicate?
VA:Cr3.1
Anchor Standard: 3. Refine and complete artistic work.
Enduring Understanding: Artist and designers develop excellence through practice and constructive critique, reflecting on, revising, and refining work over time.
Essential Question: What role does persistence play in revising, refining, and developing work? How do artists grow and become accomplished in art forms? How does collaboratively reflecting on a work help us experience it more completely?
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 Core Arts Standards (2014) National Core Arts Standards. Rights Administered by the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education. Dover, DE, www.nationalartsstandards.org all rights reserved.