On February 12, 2019 the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved the release of the draft 2019 Arts Curriculum Framework for public comment. It has been almost 20 years since the state’s arts standards were last revised in 1999, and the new draft makes several important changes. Specifically, it:

• Recognizes media arts as a discipline alongside dance, music, theatre, and visual arts;
• Utilizes a new organizational structure that
  • Is consistent across disciplines, supporting integration,
  • Integrates content from the 1999 framework’s Connections strand into the discipline-specific standards,
  • Includes standards for artistic practice aligned to the National Core Arts Standards;Provides more detailed learning expectations, with two-year instead of four-year grade spans.
• Provides more detailed learning expectations, with two-year instead of four-year grade spans.
• Adds guiding principles focused on engaging students and ensuring exposure to wider range of cultures and styles.

The Department wants to hear from you! Please review the draft and provide comments using this survey. Email Craig Waterman with any questions.