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

NASBETHE COMPLETE CURRICULUMthe Elementary and SecondaryEducation Act. Thus, NCLBempowers states and schools tofocus on a well-rounded, comprehensiveeducation, which in turnallows states to reevaluate theirpolicy frameworks—includingaccountability structures—for allcore subject areas.Specific to assessment, policy canbe developed in a variety of ways tomeet the needs of an individual state.For example, states and local districtscould form regional coalitions tohelp alleviate the expense of testdevelopment. A policy could also beadopted that would allow localdistricts to use state-approvedassessments—regardless of whodeveloped them. Another optionwould be to allow for local schooldistricts or regional consortia todetermine the most effectivemethods for assessing students,whether it is performance tasks orportfolios. Regardless of the optionthat best suits a particular state’sneeds, the important factor is toalign any assessment measures withstate standards, curriculum frameworks,or other requirements.The grade levels of the assessmentsare also an important considerationfor policymakers. Oneoption for states to consider is todevelop and administer assessmentsat the 8th grade, as a way of maintainingand building K-8 programsfor all students. This would incorporatethe earlier discussions on theimportance of early learning in thearts and foreign languages. Statesthat already test students in theeighth grade in many curricular areasmay want to opt for another gradefor assessing students in the arts andforeign languages.Texas Musicians to the RescueIn Texas, music powerhouses have come together to address budgetcuts in the arts. The Texas Music Project, a nonprofit organization thathelps raise funds for school music programs across the state, recentlylaunched a public awareness campaign that includes the sale of a CDseries. The CD contains songs from big-name artists such as WillieNelson, Erykah Badu, and the Dixie Chicks, and all proceeds from thesale of the CD, called Don’t Mess With Texas Music, will be used tosupport music education programs throughout the state. The project isbeing supported by more than 30 music and arts organizations, as well asa host of musical artists. More information on the project can be foundonline at www.texasmusicproject.org.States should also consider otherpossible accountability measures asalternatives to assessment. Programmonitoring is one option, as isrequired reporting. States that movein this direction would need to havestrong policy in place in order tomonitor compliance.Recommendation 9: Urge theNational Assessment GoverningBoard to increase the frequencyin the administration of NAEPassessments for both the arts andforeign languages.Both the arts and foreignlanguages have NAEP assessments(foreign language is in the pilotstage). Contrasting the frequencywith which NAEP is assessed inmathematics, compared with the arts,for example, has sent a less thanencouraging signal to the states aboutthe importance of the arts as a coresubject. It also reduces the potentialthat states will benefit from therelease of test items, results ofvalidity and reliability field tests ofassessment exercises, and other waysin which the federal-state relationshipworks for math, reading, writing, andscience in large-scale assessment.FundingFunding is a cornerstone of everystate and local educational system, aswell as for every curricular area. Inthat regard, the arts and foreignlanguages are no different. However,competition with other core areas hasalso placed arts and foreign languageprograms low in the pecking orderfor funding.Recommendation 10: UrgeCongress and legislatures to makea greater commitment to the artsand foreign languages.At the federal level, the NationalEndowment for the Arts (NEA) andthe National Endowment for theHumanities (NEH) are two federalagencies that support these areas.Congress created both in 1965 asindependent agencies of the federalgovernment. Funding for the eachagency hovers around $125 million. Instark contrast, the funding level for theNational Science Foundation (NSF)hovers around $5 billion—with around$1 billion going toward K-16 activities.The Department of Educationalso provides minimal funding24