THE COMPLETE CURRICULUM Ensuring a Place for the Arts and ...

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NASBETHE COMPLETE CURRICULUMChapter 4How Instruction in the Arts andForeign Languages Fits into aStandards-Based System:Recommendations forPolicymakersAs this report has discussed,competition for a slot among thecore subjects is stiff in this era ofstandards-based reform. Class timeand funding are scarce resources, andboth policymakers and educators,driven by assessment and accountability,have made difficult choicesabout what to include in the curriculum.Many policymakers hold to thebelief that reading, writing, andmathematics are the keys to academicachievement and direct time andresources to these areas. Advocatesare concerned about the narrowingof the curriculum and point out theadvantages of both arts and foreignlanguage study. Following are tenrecommendations from the StudyGroup on the Lost Curriculum tohelp policymakers ensure that the artsand foreign languages are an integralpart of each state’s curriculum.16Standards for Studentsand StaffIn order to ensure a role for artsand foreign languages in a standardsbasedsystem equal to that of othercore subject areas, state policymakersmust ensure that there arehigh-quality standards for whatstudents should be able to learn andknow—in both the arts and foreignlanguages.At the national level, much workhas gone into developing studentstandards for foreign languagestudy. In 1999, a coalition of languageorganizations released a comprehensiveset of national standards forstudents in foreign languages. Thestandards were developed to reflectthe languages taught in the UnitedStates, and many go beyond the K-12grades to include post-secondaryeducation. This set of standards hasan expanded view of language learningthat provides for the teaching offoreign languages to all students. Thestandards are based on a set ofunderlying principles called the FiveC’s of Language Education: Communication;Cultures; Communities;Comparison; and Connection.Similarly, at the national level,student standards have been developedfor arts education. In 1992, theConsortium of National ArtsEducation Associations received agrant to begin looking into developingstandards for students. The result wasthe National Standards for ArtsEducation, which focused on the artsfor their intrinsic value in helpingyoung people make connectionsbetween concepts and across subjects.
Ensuring a Place for the Arts and Foreign Languages in America’s SchoolsNational Standards for Foreign Language and Arts EducationThe Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21 st Century provide an expanded view of language learningthat provides for the teaching of foreign languages to all students. The standards are based on a set of underlyingprinciples called the Five C’s of Language Education: Communication; Cultures; Communities; Comparison; andConnection. 22• Communication is seen as the “heart of second language study,” in both face-to-face and written form.• Students gain knowledge and understanding of different cultures through language study, to the degree thatcomplete proficiency cannot be reached until culture is fully understood.• Connections to other bodies of knowledge become available when a student learns a second language.• Comparisons allow a student to contrast languages, and to draw conclusions about the many different ways ofviewing the world.• Finally, language study allows a student to participate in communities, in a culturally appropriate manner.The National Standards for Arts Education, released in 1994, focus on arts being “taught for their intrinsic value...to help students make connections between concepts and across subjects.” 23 Developed by the Consortium of NationalArts Education Associations, the standards state that students:• Should be able to communicate at a basic level in the four arts disciplines—dance, music, theatre, and the visualarts;• Should be able to communicate proficiently in at least one art form;• Should be able to develop and present basic analyses of works of art;• Should have an informed acquaintance with exemplary works of art from a variety of cultures and historicalperiods; and• Should be able to relate various types of arts knowledge and skills within and across the arts disciplines.The standards also addressed culturaldiversity and technology. 24A majority of states have developedcontent standards for both thearts and foreign languages, thuscreating a solid foundation for learningin the arts and foreign languages.However there are still a few states thathave not developed such standards.Developing and adopting high-qualitystandards is critical for creating a solidfoundation for an education system. Inaddition, those states that have alreadyadopted standards should periodicallyreview and update state standards totake advantage of the wealth of informationincorporated into the nationalstandards for both the arts and foreignlanguages.Recommendation 1: Adopt highqualitylicensure requirements forstaff in the arts and foreign languagesthat are aligned with studentstandards in these subject areas.It is also important for states toadopt standards for teacher licensurefor the arts and foreign languages.With regard to developing andapproving standards for teachers thatare aligned with student standards,policy traditionally has not been asstrong—regardless of the subjectarea. This is a critical juncture,however, as the new requirementsthe No Child Left Behind Act haveplaced on states the responsibility toensure a highly qualified teacher inevery classroom. How states will alterlicensure requirements for arts andforeign language teachers remainsunclear. What is clear is that this is akey moment for both subjects, as17
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