Pennsylvania+(Martha+and+Kathy)

**Pennsylvania is adopting new standards at this time as well. On Curriculum Framework, they define their terminology as follows. You can see they use Big ideas.

Big Ideas:** Declarative statements that describe concepts that transcend grade levels. Big Ideas are essential to provide focus on specific content for all students. **Essential Questions:** Questions connected to the SAS framework and are specifically linked to the Big Ideas. They should frame student inquiry, promote critical thinking, and assist in learning transfer. **Concepts:** Describe what students should know (key knowledge) as a result of this instruction specific to grade level. **Competencies:** Describe what students should be able to do (key skills) as a result of this instruction, specific to grade level.

Big Ideas:


 * skills, techniques, elements and principles of the arts can be learned, studied, refined and practiced
 * artists use tools, resources, and their own experiences to create
 * the arts provide a medium to understand and exchange ideas
 * prople provide the medium to understand and exchange ideas
 * use of formal and informal processes to assess quality of art
 * prople use aesthetic and critical processes to aswsess quality

Many of the big ideas are linked to the use of technology in crossing cultural barriers to bring a wide range of styles to all people

They have set up a band for K-2, 3-5, 6-8 amd 9-12

There is a definite progression of simple concepts to more complex as the bands go from K-2 to HS

1. Rigor - yes, intellectual demands are made of students across all grade levels 2. Coherence - yes, there is a definite progression and unified vision 3. Focus - yes, I found their content to be managable 4. Specificity - yes 5. Clarity/Accessiability - I thought this was a bit tough to negotiate and find info 6. Measurability - yes, I think very measurable