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Regents Art Agenda Alert - Update!
On
Monday, April 19, 2010, the Board of Regents met on endorsement for elementary
level teachers to teach Visual and Performing Arts at grades K - 2. They
reviewed regulation and policy and propose that general classroom teachers
certified in Early Childhood Education take 12 - 15 credits of arts coursework
for an "arts annotation", enabling those classroom teachers to teach art and
music in grades K - 2. The Committee on
Higher Education will meet on Tuesday, April 20, to further discuss this plan.
The New York State
Council of Administrators for Music Education (State NYSCAME) is opposed to this
idea. The arts are core academic subjects. Research shows that the early
elementary years are critical in a student's musical aptitude and education.
Public school teachers of these core academic subjects are required to have both
a bachelor's and a master's degree in order to teach. The quality of
instruction would be very negatively impacted if left to general classroom
teachers with only 12 - 15 credits in the arts. This would not serve our
students well. In addition, the quality of the program at the upper levels will
be severely impacted by a weakening of instruction during these critical early
years.
Listed
below are the links that contain official documents concerning this proposal:
1.
The first one is from Higher Education. The request is to provide an program
where elementary education teachers in early education B - grade 2, could
receive an arts annotation after taking 12 - 15 credits that would focus on age
and developmentally appropriate content and integrated arts instruction in
dance, music, theater and visual arts that would attend to the NYS Learning
Standards in the Arts. This link takes you to the document.
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2010Meetings/April2010/0410hed1.doc
2.
The second document asks for relief on the middle level requirements for art and
music. The discussion item has 2 items - permit school districts to choose any 2
arts disciplines that they will offer in each school and continue to require
one-half unit of study in 2 arts disciplines. The districts would determine the
2 disciplines. OR Permit school districts to provide one or more programs in the
arts disciplines and allow students to complete the arts instructional
requirements in only one discipline. This link takes you to the document.
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2010Meetings/April2010/0410emscd1.doc
3.
An additional topic of discussion for the Board of Regents is the idea of
including Dance and Theatre for the minimum requirement of one-half credit in
art and one-half credit in music for grades 7 and 8. If that passes, students
would have the option of fulfilling their middle level arts requirements
without taking art or music:
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2010Meetings/April2010/0410emscd1.doc
Please contact the following people as soon as possible to express your concern
for this damaging idea. If you have already sent a letter regarding the "arts
annotation," please consider writing a second letter regarding the Middle Level
arts requirements. Time is of the essence:
Dr. David Steiner,
Commissioner of Education:
DSTEINER@MAIL.NYSED.GOV
Mr. Joseph P. Frey, Chair,
Higher Education Committee:
jfrey@mail.nysed.gov
New York State Regents
Members: |
Plan Ahead:
Instructor: Elisabeth Anziano |
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