EDLA 516 - Fostering Artistic Literacy Using the National Core Arts Standards (3)

Although arts-based curricula are first to be eliminated when school districts face budget cuts, according to the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards, researchers “consistently identify the arts as core subjects-i.e., subjects that all students need to study;” thus, every school has a “responsibility to ensure that all of its students master a core curriculum that includes the arts.” Moreover, electives have been shown to keep students interested in school, as they break the monotony of the school day, help students develop key twenty-first century skills, and prepare them for college and careers. As traditional core subjects (e.g., math, ELA) have undergone shifts in standards so American students become more competitive in a global market, so have arts standards.

In this course, you will identify what is important for students to know and be able to do in the artistic disciplines of music, theatre, visual arts, dance, and media arts. You will also unpack the Core Arts Standards Conceptual Framework, which includes the philosophical foundations of the new art standards, lifelong goals, enduring understandings, essential questions, and model cornerstone assessments you can integrate into your arts curriculum. By the end of the course, you will be able to design high-quality art instruction and assessments that emphasize the collaborative nature of artistic production and support students in honing their artistic literacy, critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills.