Drafts of Ohio's updated standards for dance, drama/theatre, music and visual art are now posted at the Ohio Department of Education Web site with important supplemental information and a survey form for comment. You can help by reviewing one of the drafts and completing the survey—and by encouraging others in your network to do the same.
A representative group of writers from K-16 education, four arts disciplines and arts organizations has been working for over a year to streamline the current arts standards —while retaining the content most valued in arts education. The "re-visioned" draft standards organize arts content under three process goals that are fundamental to all learning—perceiving, producing/performing and reflecting. The new framework displays in a full-page view the knowledge, skills and understandings students need now and in the future for each of four grade clusters—K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and high school.
ODE has provided updates and discussed the process, progress and direction of the effort through its Web site, e-newsletters, regional educator workshops and presentations at arts organization board meetings and statewide conferences.
The next phase involves integrating feedback from the online survey and national reviewers into final drafts for consideration by the State Board of Education in late spring 2012.
