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The Consortium The State Educational Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) considered the most viable option was to be proac- tive and influence the procedure. This would allow them some control over the process and avoid the perils of the tradi- tional standards/testing approach. They invited representatives of the different arts education professional organizations, the Council of the Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Americans for the Arts, the Kennedy Center and other interested groups. The stated purpose was to develop National Expectations for Learning in Arts Education. Basically, many considered this a rewriting of the National Standards for Arts Education, the document written in 1994. However, the point was quickly stressed that a reconceptualization of the standards was needed. The standards describe the “what,” the disciplinary knowledge that is taught, but the very important abilities that define the arts – the habits of mind, dispositions, attitudes, values, thinking skills, creativity – are learned by “how” the “what” is taught. Reconceptualizing the standards to include the “how” therefore became an important consideration.
Help!
The consortium ended with a decision to continue to meet and focus on these concerns. Receiving ideas, concerns and suggestions on this topic from all of you would be very helpful. For instance, how could the “how” of teaching, as pre- sented in my last two WSM articles, be presented to teachers? What form would such a document take if it included the “what” (standards) and the” how” (how the standards could be taught)? My email is
melvin.pontious@dpi.wi.gov. My next two columns will address your input.
About That Assessment Thing
To return to a previous point, while as- sessment can have a negative influence on creativity, this isn’t necessarily the case. All artists assess their work in an effort to better it, and their creativity often flourishes as a result. When students
Wisconsin School Musician
assess their own work, with possible input from the field – peers, teachers – it can function in a like manner for them as well. This is different from the usual assessment practice. An issue paper on this subject, “Grading and Student Learning,” is at
www.dpi.wi.gov/cal/musiced.html.
Recap
This has been a brief description of an ini- tiative that will profoundly influence arts education. Please consider the concerns above and give me your reactions.
Mel Pontious is the state fine arts consultant, Department of Public Instruction. Email:
melvin.pontious@dpi.wi.gov
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