CI&IT

Curriculum, Instruction & Instructional Technology

Archived News

Archived News items are listed chronologically. To read a news item, click on the link to access the information.

VAST: Visual Arts as a Source for Teaching at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Each summer the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Division of Education offers K–12 teachers of all subject areas the chance to renew their spirit of inquiry through VAST: Visual Arts as a Source for Teaching. This program allows teachers to immerse themselves in the Museum’s collections and explore the nature of art and its use as a resource in the classroom. For more information visit http://www.uarts.edu/extension/4700.html

Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education
National Educator Workshop 2009
Discover how to unlock imaginative learning through engaging with works of art. Various national locations.  http://lcilearn.lcinstitute.org/LCIdocs/LCINEW.htm

Empire State Partnerships Summer Seminar 2009 - CREATIVITY AS CATALYST
July 19 – 23, 2009 at the C.W. Post Campus, Long Island University, Brookville, NY  
Seminar attendees will have opportunities to meet with consultants to plan for the upcoming year, as part of their team and with their regional network groups. Register on or before June 27 at http://www.espartsed.org/summer_seminar_2009/index.php

 

Schenectady City School District Board of Education Wins National Recognition for Outstanding Support for the Arts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced that the Schenectady City School District, Schenectady, New York has been chosen to receive the 20th annual Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) and National School Boards Association (NSBA) Award. This district was singled out for their outstanding support of high-quality arts education. Schenectady City School District was nominated for this national award by the New York State Alliance for Arts Education (NYSAAE) external link icon, located in Albany, NY. For more information, visit www.schenectady.k12.ny.us/news/Inthenews/faprogram.dailygazette.040108.pdfexternal link icon.

Music and Theatre Education Data Available

Charts that contain multi-year tallies of statewide student enrollments and teaching assignments in music and theatre education have been updated and posted. The Music Education Data chart covers approximately 30 years from 1975-76 until 2005-06. The Theatre Education Data chart includes information from 1999-2000 until 2005-06. Both are accessible at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/arts/musictheatredata.html.

Course Approval in the Arts

Updated materials related to locally developed high school Arts (dance, music, theatre, visual arts) Education courses have been produced. Approval of Locally Developed Syllabi in Arts Education: Information and Application is available in PDF, Word, and HTML formats.

This version of the course approval submission materials reflects requirements in the current Part 100 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education and State Education Department policy and recommendations. The materials are available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/arts/artcourseapproval.html.

Lesson Bytes

The New York State School Music Association's (NYSSMA's) Curriculum Committee has developed an online resource called Lesson Bytes. As part of NYSSMA's website, it contains instructional materials related to the New York State Learning Standards for the Arts and expands on the publication, Music: A Resource Guide for Standards-Based Instruction. A more detailed description is available at http://www.nyssma.org/curriculum_welcome.cfm external icon link. The Lesson Bytes can be accessed at http://www.nyssma.org/curriculum.cfm external icon link.

Summary of Arts Provisions in Part 100 of Commissioner's Regulations

A revised "Summary of the Arts (Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts) Provisions in the Part 100 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education" has been produced. The Summary provides an overview of the Arts requirements in the Commissioner’s Regulations with related policies, recommendations, guidelines, procedures, and charts. This version incorporates changes that have taken place over the last five years, including the new Middle Level requirements (CR 100.3 & 100.4) and technical changes to CR 100.5(d)(2). The Summary is available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/arts/artsummary.html.

Middle Level Indicators of Achievement Checklists for the Non-Tested Content Areas

The Middle Level Indicators of Achievement Checklists for the Non-Tested Content Areas are now available. You may access an introductory memorandum and the checklists in HTML format at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/rss/mle/clmemo.htm. The checklists are also available in Word and PDF format at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/rss/mle/mlehome.html.

In February 2005, the Board of Regents approved a three-model (Models A, B and C) strategy to implement the Regents Policy Statement on Middle Level Education.  To support school districts and their schools with middle grades, regardless of which model they implement, the Department developed the Middle Level Indicators of Achievement Checklists. Local school administrators and instructional staff can use the checklists to determine strengths and opportunities for improvement in the content areas of Family and Consumer Sciences-Home and Career Skills, Health Education, Library Media, Music Education, Physical Education, Technology Education and Visual Arts Education, and to facilitate student achievement of the New York State Learning Standards. 

Theatre:  A Resource Guide for Standards-Based Instruction

The Department, in collaboration with the New York State Theatre Education Association (NYSTEA), has produced a new publication entitled: Theatre: A Resource Guide for Standards-Based Instruction.  The guide’s purpose is to assist educators in implementing the State’s Learning Standards for the Arts in Theatre.  The document’s main body contains the Theatre Performance Indicators with listings of student knowledge/skills, encapsulated instructional ideas, and suggested assessments.  These materials are presented in grade level groupings of PreK-2; 3-4; 5-6; 7-8; Commencement General Education; and Commencement Major Sequence (9-12).  The guide contains additional materials for developing and delivering an effective instructional program.

Arts are a Core Academic Subject Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) 

U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige recently reinforced the value of arts education in the schools. His July 2004 letter acknowledged the arts as core subjects under NCLB, spoke to the importance of arts education programs, and provided resources for arts education. You may access his letter at http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/secletter/040701.html external link icon.

Technical Changes to CR 100.5(d)(2) Approved

At its November 13-14, 2003 meeting the Board of Regents approved technical changes to section 100.5(d)(2)(i) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. The action clarifies requirements in the visual arts and/or music, dance or theatre to provide students who enter grade 9 after 2001 with course options, such as participating in a school’s major performing group or in an advanced out-of–school activity. These alternatives have been used by previous students and are now available to current and future students for satisfying the one unit of credit high school diploma requirement in the Arts (visual arts, music, dance and theatre).
View the revised regulatory language and related policy statements

Arts Assessments Update

The New York State High School (Grade 9) Arts Assessments in dance, music, theatre and visual arts have been developed, field-tested, and scored. Currently, the Office of State Assessment is statistically analyzing the results. Pending positive results the assessments will undergo standard setting and finalization of forms. When completed the assessments will be available for voluntary implementation by local school districts.

Arts Assessments—Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the purpose of the New York State High School (Grade 9) Arts Assessment in dance, music, theatre and visual arts?
    • The purpose of the New York State High School (Grade 9) Arts Assessments in dance, music, theatre and visual arts is to determine the extent to which individual students achieve the knowledge and skills specified in the Learning Standards for the Arts at the Commencement General Education Level. There is a separate assessment form for each of the four disciplines.
  2. When will the New York State High School (Grade 9) Arts Assessment (dance, music, theatre and visual arts) be mandated?
    • There is no plan to make the Arts Assessment a State required examination. The tests when finalized are for voluntary use by local school districts.
  3. What is on the New York State High School (Grade 9) Arts Assessment (dance, music, theatre and visual arts)?
    • Each assessment contains a range of items including multiple choice, constructed response, performance event and performance/portfolio tasks related to dance, music, theatre or visual arts. Sample items, scoring guides and proposed contents (e.g. draft structure, assessment standards percentages, etc.) can be found in the High School (Grade 9) Arts Assessment Test Sample Draft April 2001.
  4. When will the New York State High School (Grade 9) Arts Assessment (dance, music, theatre and visual arts) be available?
    • The dance, music, theatre and visual arts assessment field-test results are being statistically analyzed. Pending positive results, the assessments will undergo standard setting and be readied for voluntary implementation.

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Last Updated: September 10, 2009