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It is further specifies that each school system shall implement the Visual and Performing Arts standards of the Learning Results by the end of the 2006-2007 school year, contingent upon funding based on Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent.
The purpose
of the Visual and Performing Arts Implementation Plan is to ensure that all
students enrolled in
·
aligned with the system of
· focused on the learning of all students
· oriented to continuous improvement
Rationale:
The arts
include dance, music, theater and visual art.
In an increasingly technological world, the arts help all students to
develop multiple capabilities for creating, understanding, deciphering, and
appreciating an image- and symbol-laden world.
The arts are concerned with intellectual, emotional, and physical
faculties and, in combination, can be used to present issues and ideas, teach
or persuade, entertain, plan, beautify, and design both functional and
expressive works. Experiencing and
creating art brings lifelong enjoyment to students and an array of expressive,
analytical, and developmental tools to use in their daily lives.
Because each arts discipline
appeals to different senses and expresses itself
through different media, each adds a special richness to the learning
environment. Arts education helps
students learn to identify, appreciate, and participate in the traditional and
non-traditional art forms of their own communities and the communities of
others. As students imagine, create, and
reflect, intellectual demands of the arts help students develop problem-solving
abilities and such powerful thinking skills as analyzing, synthesizing, and
evaluating. Numerous studies point
toward a consistent and positive correlation between substantive education in
the arts and student achievement in other subjects. A comprehensive, well-designed arts education
program also engages students in a process that helps them develop the
self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, and self-motivation necessary for
success in life. Most importantly, the
arts should be experienced and studied for their own intrinsic value. (from State of
Plan development and
certification
School districts in
2002-2003: Each school district shall address in its Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP) a plan for the implementation of student learning in the content area of Visual and Performing Arts by the end of the 2006-2007 school year, contingent upon funding of Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent. Each superintendent will certify to the Commissioner that this plan in included in the district’s CEP.
Fall 2003: Students in grade 6, who will graduate 2010,
will be required to meet the standards of the Visual and Performing Arts Learning
Results, contingent upon funding of Essential Programs and Services or its
equivalent.
2003-04: Review Cycle for the System of Learning Results begins. Each year one content area from each of the following categories will be reviewed:
A. English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Studies; and
B. Career Preparation, Modern and Classical
Languages, Health and Physical Education, Visual and Performing Arts.
*2006-2007
The Superintendent shall certify to the Commissioner that the local assessment system meets the assessment system standards established in Chapter 127 for Visual and Performing Arts, contingent upon funding based on Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent.
The Local
Assessment System shall provide school results (grade spans PK-2 and 3-4) and
student results (grade spans 5-8 and 9-12) for Visual and Performing Arts, contingent
upon funding based on Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent.
June 2007: Effective with this high school graduating class, each
school board shall determine the extent to which the standards for Visual and
Performing Arts are met by the previous requirement for one Fine Arts Credit
and will require no less than this within its district.
2009-2010: Achievement of the content standards in Visual and
Performing Arts is a diploma requirement for all students, contingent upon
funding of Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent.
N.B. The phrase “contingent upon funding of Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent” means that these regulations will go into effect if money is appropriated by the Maine State Legislature according to a funding formula entitled “Essential Programs and Services” or an alternative but equivalent funding model, which defines the fiscal resources necessary to implement Maine’s Learning Results in all eight content areas.
Establish a team
Effective implementation of Visual and Performing Arts will require the consideration of the needs and perspectives of a wide range of interested parties. A diverse and representative team of key players in grades K-12 could include:
Curriculum coordinators
Elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers of Visual and Performing Arts
Elementary school classroom teachers
Members of the visual and performing arts communities
Middle and high school teachers in content areas other than Visual and Performing Arts
Parents and other community members
School administrators
Students
Examine the current status of K-12 activities
within the district regarding
Conduct a needs assessment to determine the current status of Visual and Performing Arts programs across the district and to identify the projected needs in terms of human and materials resources (e.g. staff, curriculum, instructional materials, instructional space, technology).
As part of this process, a
district identifies at each grade span the Visual and Performing Arts Content
Standards and Performance Indicators that currently are being taught and
assessed (and how) in each grade level and/or specific course. Depending on the size of the district, this analysis
may include multiple teachers at one or more grade spans.
Examine “best
practices”
Various models, programs
and curricula for Visual and Performing Arts have been developed nationally and
statewide. The planning team should
carefully review and examine these programs and materials, which can be located
through national and state arts organizations, state departments of education,
and local school districts with exemplary programs.
Set
goals for full implementation in K-12
Through goal setting, it will be
important to recognize and address the requirements and associated timelines
for a sequential, articulated application of the Visual and Performing Arts
standards for all students in grades K-12.
The plan should describe the district’s vision for full implementation.
Develop interim targets for partial implementation K-12
Depending on the size and number of schools within a particular district, a timeline for full implementation of Visual and Performing Arts may take a number of years to accomplish. Additionally, the first class of students required to meet the Visual and Performing Arts standards as part of its high school diploma requirements will graduate in 2011, i.e. students entering grade 5 in the fall 2003 (a delay of at least one year from the original legislated date, based on the proposed funding formula of Essential Programs and Services). Planning backwards from 2011, interim target dates and program descriptions for partial implementation at various grade levels and/or schools within a district recognize this reality and will allow for incremental progress and adjustment to the plan as it develops.
Plan for professional development
School district decisions and budgets will dictate the professional development opportunities afforded to teachers and administrators within a district. In order for full implementation to occur, identify prospective plans for training opportunities and other professional development activities necessary for the establishment, improvement or expansion of Visual and Performing Arts (contingent upon funding). Examples might include reading, research, conference attendance, school site visits, and additional arts-related experiences. Include this information in the implementation plan.
Curriculum development for
Visual and Performing Arts in grades K-12, based on
Each school district
should review, revise and develop curriculum and associated instructional
activities aligned with
Local Assessment Development
Based on the LAS Guide:
Principles and Criteria for the Adoption of Local Assessment System
(Maine Department of Education, June 2003), each school district may develop,
pilot and implement assessments to measure achievement of Visual and Performing
Arts at three grade spans (PK-4*, 5-8, secondary). It is anticipated that districts will
also have the opportunity to use model assessments, based on the
Additional assessments in
Visual and Performing Arts will be developed during an Assessment Development
Institute (summer 2004), contingent upon funding of Essential Programs and
Services or its equivalent, for use in a school district’s local comprehensive
assessment system.
Each district’s
implementation plan should include a plan for the development of local
assessments in Visual and Performing Arts.
*The PK-2 and 3-4 grade spans are combined in the LAS Guide:
Principles and Criteria for the Adoption of Local Assessment Systems.
Determine methods of documentation
Each school district must make decisions as to how individual student achievement of the Visual and Performing Arts standards within each grade span will be documented consistent with Local Comprehensive Assessment System requirements and protocols used in other content areas.