Standards & Assessment

Standards

Arizona Academic Standards in the Arts
The Arizona Academic Standards in the Arts can be found at the link above. The standards are discipline specific – art, dance, music, theatre – and are mainly organized by skill articulation – beginning, intermediate, advanced and distinction.

National Arts Education Standards are being revised!
The national voluntary arts education standards are being overhauled for the first time since 1994! Click on the link about to learn more about the revisions and how you can be involved. Also, circle June on your calendar for a chance to give feedback through the first public review of the standards.

Common Core and Arts Connections
The College Board has just released a study on the connections between the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics and the under revision National Arts Standards. Visit the report to learn how the arts can support the Common Core while remaining true to our artistic processes!

Assessment

Please find following some wonderful materials to help you build meaningful, quality assessments in the arts.

AZ Department of Education / Peoria Unified School District Presentation
Learn more about building quality assessments, and dive into some examples from a leading district in arts assessment – Peoria.

SCASS Arts Item Development Training Manual
This in-depth manual will help you write and design high quality questions (multiple choice, performance, portfolio and written response) for arts assessments.

SCASS Arts Item Development Slides from PPT
An overview of the training found in the Manual.

Universal Design Check sheet

Selected Response (multiple choice) Check sheet

Constructed Response (narrative, performance, portfolio and rubric design) Check sheet

Examples of Arts Assessments and Assessment Resources from Other States

Connecticut – Excellent examples of teacher-created assessments and evidence of student work.

Washington State – Classroom Based Performance Assessments tasks.

Maine’s Arts Assessment Initiative

Arizona Voluntary End of Course Expectations

The following expectations by discipline were created by a team of Arizona high school arts educators (2007-2010) to help high school teachers design courses in alignment with the state arts standards, as well as sequentially deliver arts instruction in high school. The expectations may be of use as you design assessments for high school level arts courses. Please note: They are a guideline and are NOT a state requirement.

Questions?

Please feel free to contact Lynn Tuttle at Lynn.Tuttle@azed.gov or 602-364-1534 if you have any questions or if you have interest in serving on the Statewide Arts Assessment Committee. Thank you!