I am hopeful that this electronic resource will serve to document some of the the great things happening in arts education both at the state and national level. Edits on this online document can be made at any time which makes for efficient sharing of ideas and resources. If you know of a resource that would be great for other arts educators to see, simply let me know and I will add it. Please note that any blue headings are actually links to the content that is referenced. Simply click the blue buttons/links to go directly to that content. Additionally, I have placed many embedded links within some of the text of this document. You will notice these as they are underlined and in blue text. You can click on these items to go directly to supplemental resources on the covered topics. It is my hope that this entire document could serve as a form of professional development for you.

I look forward to connecting with many of you soon! If you have questions please don't hesitate to contact me!

Jeremy

We recently completed the last review of the National Core Arts Standards and are in our final revisions of those documents. We are hoping for an official and final release date of these standards on June 4, 2014. We will continue to build practitioner developed model cornerstone assessments over the course of the next year(s) which will assist teachers in the creation of curriculum embedded instruction and assessment practices. I see great implications for this work to assist you in developing authentic assessments as well as a tool to utilize within emerging teacher evaluation processes at the local school district level.

Some of the most valuable attributes of the new standards include:

-Understanding by Design Framework: A backwards planning framework that allows for flexibility and unification all arts areas to consistently focus on "big ideas" that prepare students for the 21st century. UbD is a commonly used curriculum/assessment process that focuses on a flexible framework that anchors the work in big ideas, and then backwards planning toward the instructional and assessment level incremental steps.

-21st Century Skills: Connections which prioritize the arts and their inherent innovation and learning skills seen in their "4Cs'" of critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity.

-Common Core Connections: Common Core does value and prioritize deep analysis of subject matter, often times specifically including and naming the visual and media arts. I believe there are especially strong opportunities to expand the definitions of "literacies" in this work as there are specific values placed on visual and media literacies. Literacy will no longer be relegated to simply textual literacy.

-Arts areas to include: dance, media arts (first time ever), music, visual arts, & theater

-Cornerstone Assessments: National models of arts education assessment tools

-Current Educational Paradigm: Focus on Philosophical Foundations, Lifelong Goals, Enduring Understandings, Essential Questions, and Model Cornerstone Assessments.

-Grade Level Standards: PK-12th grade instead of grade bands for increased specificity for state and local adoption. High School will have three levels of proficient, accomplished, and advanced.

-Anchor Standards: for various components - centered in the artistic processes of creating, presenting, responding and connecting (new across all art forms).

For all of the nationally released Core Arts Standards documents, please see this link.

For additional detail, please see my Prezi below and view the supportive material within it.

The new PCAE website is now live and something that you might want to utilize more in the future. You can find the main link here. You will find the most specific information in regards to professional development at the portion for outreach located here.

Jeremy Holien serves as the Visual and Media Arts Education Coordinator for Minnesota’s Perpich Center for Arts Education, whose mission is to improve K–12 arts education for all Minnesota students and educators through innovative programs and partnerships centered in the arts. He also serves as the Arts Education Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education. Mr. Holien works in professional and curriculum development, state standards implementation and assessment practices. He is responsible for statewide initiatives in visual and media arts education.

Email: jeremy.holien@pcae.k12.mn.us
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/pcae.k12.mn.us/minnesota-visual-and-media-arts-education/
Location: 6125 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley, MN, United States
Phone: 763-279-4185
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeremyHolienArts
Twitter: @JeremyHolien