The Status of Arts Education in Ohio's Public ... - Ohio Arts Council

CREDIT FLEXIBILITY
Ohio has adopted a policy of credit flexibility to
increase the number of students who are ready to
meet the demands of our global and technological
age. This opens new possibilities for arts learning.
According to the Ohio Revised Code (ORC
§3313.603J) students can earn units of high school
credit based on a demonstration of subject area
competency, instead of or in combination with
completing hours of classroom instruction. Ohio’s
operating standards include rules and guidelines
for implementing this credit flexibility. Local
boards of education are required to adopt credit
flexibility policies and communicate the option
annually to parents and students. The provision
applies to both traditional public and community
schools. Ohio’s plan for credit flexibility and other
relevant guidance documents are available through
the ODE website.
Through credit flexibility, individual high
school students in Ohio can propose
their own plans for demonstrating
subject area competency in ways other
than traditional coursework.
Students can replace or combine
traditional coursework with internships,
independent study projects, travel,
community service and other
nontraditional approaches.
They also can use credit flexibility to
integrate their studies. For example, a
student who earns a credit for writing
and producing a play could use half of
that credit toward meeting the fine arts
requirement and half toward meeting the
English requirement.
EDUCATOR LICENSURE STANDARDS
The Ohio Teacher Education and Licensure Standards are sections of the Ohio Administrative Code
(OAC §3301.24) and Ohio Revised Code (ORC §33.19.074) that establish requirements for educator
licensing. The standards include requirements for obtaining and maintaining all available types of
educator licenses, certificates and permits issued by the Ohio Department of Education.
The standards define appropriate licensure for a certified arts specialist:
• A Multi-Age license in dance, drama/theatre, music or the visual arts valid for teaching in grades
prekindergarten through twelve (3301.24.05.D.4).
• An Adolescence to Young Adult license in one of those disciplines valid for teaching grades 7-12.
Qualifications for arts specialists constitute at least an academic major or its equivalent with sufficient
advanced coursework in all areas to be taught as specified by the teacher preparation institution and
approved by ODE. Arts specialists also complete a minimum of three semester hours focused on the
teaching of reading in the content areas they teach. Teachers with Early Childhood licensure are
considered qualified to teach the arts in grades pre-K-3. Teachers with Physical Education (7-12) licenses
also can teach dance. Teachers with Integrated Language Arts licenses also can teach drama/theatre.
Clearly, Ohio’s standards, requirements and codes provide a supportive framework for
offering high-quality arts education in Ohio’s public schools.
Status of Arts Education in Ohio’s Public Schools 8