Archive for the ‘Standards’ Category
October 8, 2013
My first trip in a float plane
On Sunday I did something that has been on my personal “to do” list for quite some time. To go for a ride in a float (or sea) plane. Not only was it VERY amazing but the weather was perfect! I was up at Libby Camps in the North Maine woods. I’ve written about Libby’s before, my trip to cut ice in the winter of January 2011 was a weekend that I remember fondly. When Matt Libby Sr. said he was going up with one of the Guides to photo the towers on top of some of the mountains close by and invited me to go along, I was very excited! We left at about 7:30 with the early light for best picture-taking conditions.
We no sooner left Madawaska Lake where the Libby camps are located and I asked what kind of a day it was for flying. Matt’s reply was immediate: “They don’t get any better than this”. All I could think of was how fortunate I was to have this special opportunity. Matt has flown thousands of times but he still marvels at the beauty and the land that seems to go on forever. His comments included “this would be a pretty shot with the clouds in the background” “look how neat this tower is” “this camp sits on the prettiest pond”.
Matt pointed out and named the mountains, including Katahdin, the ponds, the Allagash River Waterway, and several of the out camps that Matt and Ellen own on leased property. Matt Jr. and his wife Jessica own and manage the base camp. I love going to Libby Camps for several reasons. One of them is the “culture” that the Libby family is continuously working to build and maintain. In many ways it takes as much time as the maintenance on the buildings, trails, planes, wood piles, ice and so many other continuous tasks that need attention. Many of them before the snow flies.
This is not unlike an arts classroom. The relationships that each of you have with your students is essential and it is based on what to teach, what should be taught in 2013, how it is taught, and understanding what students are learning. There are so many basic components to teaching; materials, classroom equipment, arrangement of the furniture, storage, lighting, and on and on. And then we have standards, curriculum, assessment, etc. But is anything more important than the culture of the classroom? When everything is lined up and in place it is like a perfect morning flying in the north country. You know that you are “flying”! It doesn’t get any better! Not only are you flying as a teacher but kids are flying as well! Their learning is evident through the works of art they produce and how they articulate their learning through words, questions, and desire to learn more.
How do we put this all together when often arts teachers are islands in their schools? Where do you turn for assistance. Some of you teach in K-12 systems and you are the only art and/or music teacher. Fortunately, the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative has now 52 teacher leaders. And, on October 24th 35 of them will be offering workshops and sharing their knowledge and best practices. I hope you will plan on joining us at UMaine, Orono, Collins Center that day for opportunities to learn. Along with the 35 workshops, Lynn Tuttle from the Arizona Department of Education will be sharing the latest information on the National Core Arts Standards. To register please click here https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Media-and-Performing/Conference-Register#.
Please note: The National Core Arts Standards high school draft has been released for public review until October 21. You can access the draft at http://nccas.wikispaces.com/.
Posted in assessment, Communication, Community, Creativity, Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, Leadership, Opportunity, Professional Development, Standards, VPA | Tagged Collins Center, flying, Libby Camps, Lynn Tuttle, Maine arts assessment initiative, national core arts standards, NCAS, Orono, teacher leaders, UMaine | Leave a Comment »
October 6, 2013
Maine Arts Educators will get first-hand info on the National Core Arts Standards
We fortunate that Lynn Tuttle from the Department of Education in Arizona is traveling to Maine for the statewide biennial arts education conference! Lynn’s session is titled Maine and the National Core Arts Standards.
The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards is a group committed to the development of the next generation of arts education standards. Maine educators have reviewed drafts of the PreK-8 standards and have provided feedback to the writing teams. Presently the draft of the high school standards are being reviewed by the public. You have until October 21 to do so. The draft is located at http://nccas.wikispaces.com/.
Lynn Tuttle, one of the national leaders coordinating the revision of the National Standards in the Arts, will present the context and history behind the revision as well as describe the process of revising the standards. The goal of the presentation and discussion is to provide the Maine arts education community with an overview of the context and purpose of the standards as well as an opportunity to have questions answered about the current NCAS draft.
Lynn will also do a follow-up workshop for those who wish to continue the discussion from the opening session called More on the National Core Arts Standards. And the description: Want to know more about the National Core Arts Standards? Wondering how the proposed standards may influence and support high quality teaching and learning in the arts? If so, this follow-up session with the presenter Lynn Tuttle, Director of Arts Education, Arizona Department of Education, facilitated by Bronwyn Sale, Lecturer in Education at Bates College, will provide the opportunity for participants to ask questions in an interactive discussion format.
Along with the opening session there are over 30 workshops to select from to attend during the day.
You can register for the conference at https://tickets.collinscenterforthearts.org/. The $80 registration cost includes lunch. PLEASE NOTE: No purchase orders will be accepted.
You can learn about the workshops being offered at https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Media-and-Performing/conference-education-workshops or Friday’s blog post.
If you have questions please email me at argy.nestor@maine.gov.
Posted in assessment, Curriculum and Instruction, Opportunity, Research, Standards, VPA | Tagged Collins Center for the Arts, National Coalition for Core Arts Standards, national core arts standards, NCAS, NCCAS, Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools, statewide conference, UMaine Orono | 1 Comment »
October 4, 2013
So many great workshops to attend – select 3!
Have you been asked by your administrator to identify what how you will measure, document, or perhaps track students to determine if they can meet the proficiency graduation requirement starting with next years freshman class? Or maybe you are transitioning to a standards-based student-centered classroom? Or perhaps you’re interested in expanding your thinking on formative assessment? These are just some of the questions being addressed by the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative teacher leaders in the workshops being presented on October 24 at the Arts Education: Leading the Way conference being held at UMaine, Orono, Collins Center for the Arts.
You can register for the biennial statewide conference by clicking here https://tickets.collinscenterforthearts.org/.
You can go to the blog post called How Do I Register for the Conference at https://meartsed.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/how-do-i-register-for-the-conference/ that I posted on October 2 for step-by-step instructions that walks you through registering.
You can learn more about the conference by clicking here https://mainearts.maine.gov/.
The conference cost $80.00 and PLEASE NOTE: purchase orders will not be accepted.
If you have questions please email me at argy.nestor@maine.gov.
Starring: YOUR COLLEAGUES from across the state of Maine – presenting a variety of workshops on topics that you are curious about, needing to learn more about, and useful new ideas! The schedule has three time slots when you can attend workshops along with an opening session where Lynn Tuttle, from the Arizona Department of Education, will be providing information on the draft of the National Core Arts Standards.
I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
Posted in assessment, Communication, Community, Curriculum and Instruction, Leadership, Opportunity, Professional Development, Standards, Standards Based Education, VPA | Tagged Arts Education: Leading the Way, Collins Center for the Arts, MAAI, Maine arts assessment initiative, teacher leaders, UMaine Orono | Leave a Comment »
October 1, 2013
Don’t miss this professional development opportunity!
Tomorrow’s blog post will provide more information on the conference!
Posted in assessment, Opportunity, Professional Development, Standards, Standards Based Education, VPA | Tagged Arts Education: Leading the Way conference, MAAI, Maine arts assessment initiative, October 24, Orono, UMaine Collins Center for the Arts | Leave a Comment »
September 30, 2013
Starting today – September 30!
The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) is conducting a public review of substantive portions of draft high school national core arts standards for dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts beginning today, Monday, September 30 and ending Monday, October 21, 2013. Music will include draft high school music standards for the strand of secondary ensembles as part of the review. Everyone with an interest is welcome to participate in the public review. To participate in the review process and to view all public documents related to the arts standards, please go to http://nccas.wikispaces.com.
Thursday, October 24, 2013Lynn Tuttle, Arizona Department of Education Director of Arts Education and one of the leaders in the revision of the National Core Arts Standards will be providing a presentation at the opening session at the Arts Education: Leading the Way conference on the standards. This is a unique opportunity to hear first-hand and to ask questions about the standards document and provide your input on what you think Maine’s next steps should be with the national standards. To learn more about the conference and see the fabulous offerings included in the day please click https://mainearts.maine.gov. To go directly to registration please go to https://tickets.collinscenterforthearts.org. If you have any questions please email argy.nestor@maine.gov. Please note: Purchase orders will not be accepted.
Wednesday October 1, 2013
In coordination with Americans for the Arts, the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards will update the field in a town hall meeting on Tuesday, October 1, 5:00 p.m. -6:00 p.m. EST to discuss the standards revision project. Tune in using Adobe Connect to view the visual presentation: http://artsusa.adobeconnect.com/artsed/
And dial the following line to listen in and ask questions: 712-432-3066, code 584096#
As America’s education system moves toward increased accountability measures, it is imperative that the arts have current standards as well as assessment and evaluation models that can inform best practice for teaching and learning. Join this town hall meeting to learn more about the progress of the arts standards and their anticipated launch in 2014. For more information about joining the town hall session email artseducation@artsusa.org.
Posted in Communication, Curriculum and Instruction, Opportunity, Standards | Leave a Comment »
September 18, 2013
Professional Development Institute
For more than 20 years, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) have supported a Professional Development Institute (PDI) for state arts agency arts education managers. The state arts agency in Maine is the Maine Arts Commission. And the education manager position is the one I am in now. The PDI provides meaningful leadership development and technical assistance. This year’s session marks the first joint PDI with the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE). This organization members are the arts education designee at the Department of Education’s across the country. The position at the Maine Department of Education, Visual and Performing Arts Specialist is part of SEADAE (the position that I held for 7 years.
This opportunity to come together jointly as state agencies and partners brings value and adds capacity to state work. I am grateful to SEADAE for the opportunity to learn from my colleagues in each state over the last 7 years. These three days in Denver are providing me a chance to get up in my helicopter and learn what both of these organizations bring to the arts education environment in this country.
The Denver agenda includes:
- Keynote from Ayanna Hudson, Director of Arts Education, National Endowment for the Arts on Collective Impact. Readings on the topic: “Collective Impact” written by John Kania and Mark Kramer, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2011
“Disseminating Orphan Innovations”, written by Susan H. Evans and Peter Clark
Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2011
- Performance by El Mariachi Juvenil de Bryant Webster, the first elementary mariachi group in the Denver public school system. 250 students have participated since it started in 2004.
- Performance by Wonderbound, a dance group whose centers around: collaboration, community, creation. 11 young dancers make up the professional group.
- An artmaking session lead by Talya Dornbush at the Center for Visual Art that was based on steps of communication that provided food for thought without knowing the entire directions.
- Panel presentation on “collective impact, including Christie Lynch Ebert from the NC Department of Instruction, Anu Valladares, Arts in Ed Director, NC Arts Council, and John Epps, District Arts Coordinator, Denver Public Schools, Cherity Koepke, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Opera CO Young Artists and Diana Green, Arts in Ed program manager, AL State Council on the Arts.
- Presentation on the National Core Arts Standards provided by Lynn Tuttle, Director of Arts Ed, AZ Department of Ed.
- The First Lady of Denver, Mary Louise Lee, who broke out into a song before she spoke to the group. She has an initiative committing to quality arts ed programs for all kids.
- Presentation by Sandra Ruppert, Director of Arts Education Partnership (AEP) on supporting arts education with public policy.
The Denver hospitality has been amazing and the time and details allowed to plan the PDI has been amazing.
Posted in Curriculum and Instruction, Opportunity, Professional Development, Standards, VPA | 2 Comments »
August 30, 2013
Lynn Tuttle will be traveling to Maine to present at the Opening Session at the Arts Education: Leading the Way conference on October 24, UMaine, Collins Center for the Arts. Her presentation entitled Maine and the National Core Arts Standards will provide information for Arts educators on the National Core Arts Standards (NCAS). Lynn will also be doing a follow-up session at the conference for those who wish to go deeper into the conversation about the NCAS.
To help prepare for her visit or if you can not attend the conference but wish to hear Lynn speak on the National Core Arts Standards please join this webinar that is an interview with Lynn. I realize that it is not scheduled at an ideal time for teachers but perhaps you can pass the information on to your administrators to participate in the webinar.
“An Interview with Lynn Tuttle about the Core Arts Standards: Embracing a New Paradigm in Arts Education”
Arts Education Policy Review
Volume 114, Issue 3, 2013
Thursday, August 29 at 2pm ET/ 1pm
Join us as author Jared R. Rawlings interviews Lynn Tuttle, Director of Arts Education, Arizona Department of Education, on the rationale, emergence of media arts, the writing process, impact, and future direction of new core arts standards.
Register now for the latest webinar in our Know More series.
http://www.artsschoolsnetwork.org/know-more.html
Posted in Opportunity, Professional Development, Standards, VPA | Tagged know more series, Lynn Tuttle, national core arts standards, NCAS, webinar | Leave a Comment »
July 23, 2013
Music and Art classrooms featured
You asked for it and now you’ve got it… during this past school year the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) created 4 videos in response to “What do visual and performing arts classrooms look like in a standards-based environment?” That question came up over and over during the first phase of MAAI so we decided to incorporate the search as part of phase 2. The MAAI has continuously listened to the needs of the field and this is one of those “asks” that we responded to.
Debi Lynne Baker taught visual art for many years and most recently K-12 in Greenville. She used technology in her teaching including movie making with her students. She was the perfect person to create the first 4 videos. With hours of footage taken at each school, Debi was able to edit and come up with 4 unique videos under 20 minutes that each tell a story. What you will learn is that there is NO ONE answer to the question and you will also find that the videos provide so much more than just answers to the question!
As we consider creating more videos as part of phase 3 we’d love to hear your feedback on the videos. Please post your comment on the blog or email me at argy.nestor@maine.gov. Thanks!
See for yourself the following MAAI videos at the Maine ARTSEducation YouTube channel located at http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-lElK9bBU_o96Wrg-kNbeg
- Part I: York High School Music Program with Rob Westerberg, students and colleagues
- Part II: Hancock Grammar School Art Program with Jane Snider, students and colleagues
- Part III: Mount Desert Island High School Art Program with Charlie Johnson, students and colleagues
- Part IV: Biddeford Intermediate School Music Program with Andrea Wollstadt, students and colleagues
You will find other arts education videos on the Maine ARTSEducation channel created by MAAI participants.
Posted in assessment, Communication, Community, Creativity, Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, Integration, Leadership, Professional Development, Research, Standards, Standards Based Education, VPA | Tagged Andrea Wollstadt, arts education, Biddeford Intermediate School, Charlie Johnson, Debi Lynne Baker, Hancock Grammar School, Jane Snider, MAAI, Maine, Maine arts assessment initiative, Mount Desert Island High School, Rob Westerberg, standards-based education, student centered, teacher leaders, visual and performing arts education, York High School | Leave a Comment »
June 28, 2013
I am totally exhausted from another summer Maine Arts Assessment Initiative summer institute. THANK YOU to the INCREDIBLE TEACHER LEADERS, LEADERSHIP TEAM, MECA and to the administrators who support your arts teachers who have committed to taking on the leadership role. It was an amazing three days – the discussion around “what does proficiency look like in the arts education classroom” was so worthwhile I thought: wouldn’t it be great if every visual and performing arts teacher could have the opportunity to participate in a similar discussion?!
More details will be included in other blog posts in the near future but for now you can see the group photo of phase 3 teacher leaders and leadership team.
Posted in assessment, Communication, Community, Creativity, Curriculum and Instruction, Dance, Leadership, Media Arts, Music, Opportunity, Professional Development, Research, Standards, Standards Based Education, Technology, Theater, Visual Arts, VPA, YAHOO | Leave a Comment »
June 24, 2013
Institute starts tomorrow!
This is an exciting week and today and tomorrow are jock full of preparing for it! As you know (if you’ve been following the blog) we have launched phase 3 of the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) and tomorrow is the first day of the summer institute. This is a week that I tell myself “Argy, no one ever died of lack of sleep!” since there are so many details to pay attention to. Fortunately, the MAAI leadership team is a wonderful group of educators who have guided the initiative every step of the way. It is an ongoing volunteer job that they have committed to and I want to THANK each and every one of them:
- Catherine Ring, New England Institute for Teacher Education, Executive Director
- Jeff Beaudry, USM Associate Professor, Ed Leadership
- Bronwyn Sale, Bates College, Lecturer in Education
- Bill Buzza, Edward Little High School, Music Educator
- Pamela Kinsey, Easton Schools, Music Educator
So what is the excitement all about? For starters, we have 14 new teacher leaders and 21 returning taking on leadership roles for phase 3. Thirty-five teacher leaders will be creating assessment workshops that will be based on research, practical knowledge and experience, professional development at the institute, and will be on topics that are relevant to visual or performing arts education. They will provide the workshops over the next school year at the regional, mega-regional, and statewide level. The dates for all of these workshops will be made available in the near future. How fortunate we are in Maine that 35 (52 counting all the teacher leaders from the past) visual and performing arts educators are committed to helping other arts educators. This is a HUGE commitment and I certainly appreciate their willingness to take on the leadership role! THANK YOU to the teacher leaders who represent pre-school, elementary, middle, and high school, dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, and all regions of Maine.
- Drew Albert
- Allysa Anderson
- Susan Barre
- Sasha Bladen
- Andrea Chase
- Amy Cousins
- Melanie Crowe
- Jennie Driscoll
- Jen Etter
- Judy Fricke
- Patti Gordan
- Suzanne Goulet
- Mari-Jo Hedman
- Gloria Hewett
- Lisa Ingraham
- Charlie Johnson
- Susan Jones
- Jane Kirton
- Beth Lambert
- Lisa Marin
- Jen Nash
- Jen Neal
- Jenni Null
- Brian McPherson
- Linda McVety
- Leah Olson
- Jeff Orth
- Pam Ouellette
- MaryEllen Schaper
- Ashley Smith
- Jane Snider
- Shari Tarleton
- Shannon Westphal
- Andrea Wollstadt
- Rebecca Wright
The teacher leaders and feedback from the over 800 arts educators who have participated in some way in the first two phases of the initiative have identified these focus areas for phase 3.
- Standards
- Depository
- Advocacy
- Outreach
We will hit the ground running using these Essential Questions to guide the standards segment of the work.
- What is proficiency in the arts in reference to the Maine Learning Results?
- How do teachers in the arts articulate what proficiency is?
- What does it look like at different grade levels?
- How will we do this in Maine?
This work is a direct response to preparing Maine arts educators for LD 1422 which goes into effect with the graduating class of 2018. I hope that you are having conversations around these same questions at the district level to be ready for students graduating showing proficiency of the standards. This will transition us from discussing “seat time” or “one credit in Fine Arts” to talking about what will be in place for students to “fulfill the standards and the guiding principles”?
So, as I spend today and tomorrow gathering resources, organizing groups, answering questions, packing the car, crossing items off the forever long “to do” list, I can’t help but smile! I know how fortunate I am to work in a state with outstanding arts educators and people who truly care about the quality of arts education programs. Each student benefits from the work that each teacher does! I look forward to the traditional group photo that shows the teacher leaders at the end of the institute – tired and full of new ideas ready to hit the ground running! You can look for that photo as well – posted on the blog at the end of this week!
Posted in assessment, Communication, Community, Creativity, Curriculum and Instruction, Dance, Food for thought, Integration, Leadership, Music, Opportunity, Professional Development, Research, Standards, Standards Based Education, Technology, Theater, Visual Arts, YAHOO | Tagged arts education, MAAI, Maine, Maine arts assessment initiative, phase 3, visual and performing arts | Leave a Comment »
On Sunday I did something that has been on my personal “to do” list for quite some time. To go for a ride in a float (or sea) plane. Not only was it VERY amazing but the weather was perfect! I was up at Libby Camps in the North Maine woods. I’ve written about Libby’s before, my trip to cut ice in the winter of January 2011 was a weekend that I remember fondly. When Matt Libby Sr. said he was going up with one of the Guides to photo the towers on top of some of the mountains close by and invited me to go along, I was very excited! We left at about 7:30 with the early light for best picture-taking conditions.
We no sooner left Madawaska Lake where the Libby camps are located and I asked what kind of a day it was for flying. Matt’s reply was immediate: “They don’t get any better than this”. All I could think of was how fortunate I was to have this special opportunity. Matt has flown thousands of times but he still marvels at the beauty and the land that seems to go on forever. His comments included “this would be a pretty shot with the clouds in the background” “look how neat this tower is” “this camp sits on the prettiest pond”.
This is not unlike an arts classroom. The relationships that each of you have with your students is essential and it is based on what to teach, what should be taught in 2013, how it is taught, and understanding what students are learning. There are so many basic components to teaching; materials, classroom equipment, arrangement of the furniture, storage, lighting, and on and on. And then we have standards, curriculum, assessment, etc. But is anything more important than the culture of the classroom? When everything is lined up and in place it is like a perfect morning flying in the north country. You know that you are “flying”! It doesn’t get any better! Not only are you flying as a teacher but kids are flying as well! Their learning is evident through the works of art they produce and how they articulate their learning through words, questions, and desire to learn more.
How do we put this all together when often arts teachers are islands in their schools? Where do you turn for assistance. Some of you teach in K-12 systems and you are the only art and/or music teacher. Fortunately, the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative has now 52 teacher leaders. And, on October 24th 35 of them will be offering workshops and sharing their knowledge and best practices. I hope you will plan on joining us at UMaine, Orono, Collins Center that day for opportunities to learn. Along with the 35 workshops, Lynn Tuttle from the Arizona Department of Education will be sharing the latest information on the National Core Arts Standards. To register please click here https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Media-and-Performing/Conference-Register#.
me arts ed 