Curricula Bank
 
ArtsEd Washington is beginning work on the development and implementation of an arts education Curricula Bank to serve the needs of teachers in search of state aligned arts curricula.

Identified as a direct need through the Principals’ program, this new addition to our Tools for Schools is designed to serve as a central repository for high quality dance, music, theater, and visual art curricula, aligned with state arts standards, to help teachers integrate the arts into their everyday instruction.

ArtsEd Washington is taking the lead in collecting and collating the curricula As the project takes shape with a web-based portal, principals and teachers will be able to search for and download curricula that meet the needs of their classrooms/schools. The goal of this project is to provide the content support teachers tell us they need so that they can help their students meet state learning standards in the arts.


The Curricula Bank is currently in the development and planning phase. ArtsEd Washington will begin to survey teachers and to develop the project parameters later this year.

Background and Need: In 1994, the Commission on Student Learning developed Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) for arts disciplines (dance, music, theatre, visual arts) to identify what students should know and be able to do in each arts discipline. Visit OSPI Arts to download the arts EALRs.

In 2004, Washington State Arts Commission (WSAC) received funding from Washington Mutual to take a look at the state of arts education in Washington State. The report - Arts Education Resources Initiative (AERI) described the following findings:

• Across the state, documented arts curricula aligned with the state EALRs is weak across the grade levels.

• Sequential district arts-curricula alignment varies by type of location and discipline across the state.

• Examples of comprehensive curricula aligned with essential learnings were found across the state and included concept-based instruction, instructional and assessment strategies.

• Formal arts curricula exist in a few schools but for the most part this element is very weak.

• Funding from external sources, such as grants, was the primary way that arts curriculum writing was accomplished.
 

Extract from the AERI report: "A well-designed curriculum is fundamental to effective teaching and learning in any field. As in other subjects, successful curriculum in the arts provides specific targets and criteria for day-to-day teaching, aligns teaching strategies and assessment with the EALRs, and provides teachers with all the resources and tools they will need for comprehensive, sequential, standards-based instruction. But because the arts are new to many teachers and schools, high quality curriculum in the arts is especially important.

To make a lasting difference....arts curriculum must be institutionalized and widely used, so that it is not just the province of one or a few dedicated arts teachers. Successful schools and districts make sure to document, disseminate, and train teachers in their arts curriculum so that all teachers will have a consistent basis for continuing their work with students. "