California County SuperintendentsArts Initiative

CCESSA•Statewide initiative launched in 2006

•The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

“CCSESA urges every school to weave the arts into the fabric of the curriculum providing all students with a comprehensive education,

kindergarten through high school.”

8 CORE PRINCIPLES FOR ARTS LEARNING

•Rich and affirming learning environmentsCreate safe, enriched, and affirming environment for all to learn

•Empowering pedagogyUse teaching strategies that develop student voice and provide

opportunities for all students to become leaders

•Challenging and relevant curriculumDevelop curriculum that builds language, literacy and other

content area skills, including whenever possible bilingualism. biliteracy and multiculturalism.

•High Quality Instructional ResourcesProvide all students with equal access to core curriculum and academic language in the classroom, school and community

•Valid and comprehensive assessmentBuild assessment to promote reflective practice and data driven

planning to improve academic, linguistic and socio-cultural outcomes for all.

•High quality professional preparation and supportProvide complete and ongoing professional development

designed to create PLCs able to implement an excellent arts education

•Powerful family/community engagementBuild strong family and community connections to draw upon

community funds of knowledge to enhance VAPA teaching and learning

•Advocacy-oriented administrative/leadership systems

Provide good leaders to structure, organize, coordinate and integrate the visual and performing arts programs to all

students.

An Unfinished Canvas. Arts Education in California:

Taking Stock of Policies and Practices

(Hewlett Foundation/Ford Foundation)

•89%of CA K-12 schools fail to offer a standards-based course of study in all four disciplines

•61% do not have even one full-time arts specialist

(secondary more likely to have one than elementary)•Most instruction left to classroom teachers

•Standards alignment, assessment and accountability often not present

Barriers to meeting the State’s Arts Education Goals

•Inadequate state funding for education, must rely on outside funding sources

•Pressure to improve test scores in other content areas

•Lack of instructional time, arts expertise and materials (elementary)

Recommendations (policy makers)•Increase funding (ha!)

•Strengthen accountability, develop standards aligned assessments

•Rethink instructional time allotment for meeting ELA and Math proficiency while

providing greater access to the arts

•Improve professional development

Recommendations (districts)

•Develop long range plans

•Dedicate resources and staff

•Provide professional development

•Establish assessment and accountability systems.

Recommendations (parents)

•Inquire into student learning and progress

•Advocate at state and local levels for a comprehensive arts education program

Arts AssessmentThe Four “Myths”

1.Success in the arts is subjectivehas content

employs techniqueencourages intellectual behavior

2.It’s all about the end product

Process is as valuable as result in arts education

effortproblem solving

improvement/growthclassroom behavior

self-motivation

3. Assessment can be tacked on to instruction

teachers are not comfortable assessing visual and performing arts

worry about hurting self esteem

4. Assessment is contradictory to the artistic

process

the artistic process includes embedded assessment.

self-assessmentexternal assessment (critique)

Assessing the Arts

Arts knowledge, arts process and arts products are all assessable.

Assessment includes Portfolios

Personal reflection critique

Art education assessment is

AUTHENTIC!

It’s the REAL WORLD!!!

What does quality arts education assessment look

like?

insistence on excellence judgment

importance of self-assessment multiple forms of assessment

ongoing assessment

Formative AssessmentUsed in process to chart progress and guide development

observation checklist, rubrics

personal reflection prompts

Summative Assessment“Did the student learn or were they able to do what I set out

to teach them?”

Assessment should be

Meaningful and challenging Require students to create, perform and

respond Give students good examples of high

quality work Include critique, revision and student

self-assessment

Authentic AssessmentMirrors work done by real people in the real world!

Assessment should be

Like one found in a real world setting Requires judgment and innovation Ask student to “do” the subject

Use skills and knowledge to complete complex tasks

Allow students to practice, get feedback and revise performances and products

Now, the fun stuff!