Arts in Education

	Arts in Education

Maine Learning Results & Arts Education

Contributed by
Anita Bernhardt.

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) is in the process of reviewing the Maine Learning Results. In 1996 when the Legislature adopted the original Learning Results, they simultaneously made a provision for them to be reviewed starting in 2004. During the past year, a panel of 14 educators throughout Maine has immersed itself in the important work of reviewing the Visual and Performing Arts segment of the Learning Results. MDOE has shaped the review with the perspective of national arts consultants, the consideration of national standards documents for the arts, and the thoughtful feedback provided by the discussions and questions of the content panel. It has been the intent of MDOE and the content area panel to build on the existing Learning Results framework, incorporating what we have learned about the arts and student learning since the 1990s to ensure that Maine’s students are college, career and citizenship ready in the 21st century.

MDOE will bring the proposed revised Visual and Performing Arts standards to the Legislature in January 2007. The proposed revised standards differ from the 1996 document in a significant manner. The proposed 2007 Visual and Performing Arts standards acknowledge the unique Disciplinary Literacy (Standard A) and Creation, Performance and Expression (Standard B) for each of the
disciplines of the arts and lists these separately for each of the disciplines, Dance, Music, Theater and Visual Arts. The revised standards continue to recognize the common applicability of Creative Problem Solving (Standard C), Aesthetics and Criticism (Standard D) and Relationship among the arts and other disciplines, history and world culture and more (Standard E) to all the disciplines of the arts. MDOE, the content area panel and the national consultant agree that this format best represents the shared aspects of arts while simultaneously addressing the unique performance indicators for each discipline adequately and clearly.

Argy Nestor, the new arts specialist with MDOE, was a member of the Visual and Performing Arts content panel in 1995 and has worked on the revisions. Recently, Argy shared how impressed she was with the intensity of the process that included panel members’ thoughtful discussions and questioning of each component. “The revisions address the individual needs of the four arts disciplines and recognize their similarities. I am hopeful that arts educators throughout Maine find them more helpful in continuing to shape high quality arts programming for every Maine child.”

Anita Bernhardt is a Distinguished Educator with the Maine Department of Education.

For more information on the Learning Results review and to access the Visual and Performing Arts proposed revised standards and other content area information go to the MDOE website. The document can be accessed at:
www.maine.gov/education/lres/review/index.htm

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