Ohio+(Sarah)

**C** **ORE** **C** **ONCEPT** **Standards are interrelated and should be viewed holistically-each standard contributing to a comprehensive arts education. Learning in the arts encourages the development of cognitive and creative abilities that help students achieve academically and contribute to their communities.

G** **UIDING** **P** **RINCIPLES** Assumptions for the Fine Arts Academic Content Standards Ohio's fine arts academic content standards: • Set high expectations and provide strong support for achievement in the arts by all students; • Represent strands of knowledge and skills, unique to the arts, that enable students to make successful transitions to post-secondary education, the work place and everyday life; • Reflect the sound application of research in arts education; • Reflect national arts standards documents; • Balance knowledge, creative thinking, conceptual understanding and skill development; • Focus on important arts education goals, themes and topics that are clearly articulated through benchmarks and grade-level indicators; • Represent the rigorous progression of learning across grades and in-depth study in each grade; • Incorporate the use of technology in artistic study and production; • Serve as a basis for classroom and district-wide assessments; • Guide the development of local arts education curricula and instructional programs.

//Ohio Academic Content Standards 2003// Their whole philosophy behind their assumptions and benchmarks I find interesting ( I didn't copy them all, I thought too much reading- but you can find them on the ODE website- [|www.ode.state.oh.us]). I think they are relevant and definitely put into perspective what is important in arts education. It's not just about teaching the arts, it is more about allowing the student to understand culture and community through the arts. Also being able to express oneself, communicate, think, and problem solve. Ohio does a good job at not being wrapped up in the skill level and technique but more about how dance can generate a better human being out of the student.

**Rigor** **—**What is the intellectual demand of the standards? The standards are written three clusters: K-4, 5-8, 9-12. Then within each cluster they have broken the standard down to what is expected in each grade level. What knowledge is expected after each cluster of grade levels is also included.

**2. Coherence** **—**Do the standards convey a unified vision of the discipline, do they establish connections among the major areas of study, and do they show a meaningful progression of content across the grades? Yes

**3.** ** Focus —**Have choices been made about what is most important for students to learn, and is the amount of content manageable? Yes

**4.** ** Specificity —**Are the standards specific enough to convey the level of performance expected of students? I think that they are specific about what they expect each student to know at the grade level and after each school level. One grade level builds off the previous one and then is carried through to the next stage of schooling.

**5.** ** Clarity/Accessibility —**Are the standards clearly written and presented in an error-free, legible, easy-to-use format that is accessible to the general public? Yes

**6.** ** Measurability —**Is each standard measurable, observable, or verifiable in some way? Yes * Adapted from the Criteria and Definitions used by Achieve to review the 2006 Florida Reading Language Arts Standards Adapted from Martha's page :)