College Board research for NCCAS

Reston, VA

August 30, 2011

College Board staff are involved in four research projects for NCCAS:

Research Overview

International Standards and Benchmarks

21st Century Skills and the Standards

College-level Standards

Child Development research and related Best Practices

International Arts Education Standards

Standards of fifteen countries/regions were analyzed:

• What are the standards and benchmarks of each country individually?

• What are the trends and commonalities among the group as a whole?

Ireland

Canada

FinlandNew Zealand

Australia

Singapore

United States

United KingdomJapan

China

Austria

Netherlands

ScotlandSweden

Venezuela

International Arts Education Standards

Trend or Theme # Countries

Which ones

Generating 14 All except Venezuela

Expressing/Realizing 14 All except Venezuela

Responding/Appreciating 14 All except Venezuela

Awareness of Cultural Institutions

6 Australia, Austria, Finland, Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden

Cross-curricular Connections 9 Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, U.K., U.S.

ICT/Media Arts 9 Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, U.S.

Visual Culture 7 Austria, Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, U.S.

Social Skills 10 All except Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, Venezuela

National Cultural Heritage/Cross-cultural knowledge

10 All except Austria, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Venezuela

Environmental Awareness 6 Austria, Canada, China, Finland, Sweden, U.K., U.S.

Awareness of Prof. Opportunities

3 Australia, Ireland, U.S.

Connections to Communities 6 Australia, Austria, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, U.S.

International Arts Education Standards

Standards built around framework of:

•Generating

•Realizing

•Responding

Australia:

Finland:Each grade band has specific and related:

•Objectives

•Core Contents

•Assessment guidelines

To what extent do the current U.S. National Standards for Arts Education align with the 21st Century Skills Map in the Arts?

Arts Standards and 21st Century Skills

• Flexibility and Adaptability

• Initiative and Self-direction

• Social and Cross-cultural skills

• Productivity and Accountability

• Leadership and Responsibility

• Information Literacy

• Media Literacy

• Information, Communication, & Technology literacy

Arts Standards and 21st Century Skills

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

• Communication

• Collaboration

• Creativity

• Innovation

Arts Standards and 21st Century Skills

Arts Standards and 21st Century Skills

21st Century Skills Map National Standards: Visual Art

Alignment

Skill Outcome Grade Content Standards Does it align?

Comments

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

• Exercising sound reasoning in understanding

• Making complex choices and decisions

• Understanding the interconnections among systems

• Identifying and asking significant questions that clarify various points of view and lead to better solutions

• Framing, analyzing, and synthesizing information in order to solve problems and answer questions.

K-4 Content Standard #1:

Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes

Yes The National Standards for this grade level indicate that students are to:

•Describe how different materials, techniques, and processes cause different responses

•Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories

•Use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner

These goals relate to the P21 outcomes of making complex choices and decisions, understanding the interconnections among systems, and framing, analyzing and synthesizing information in order to solve problems and answer questions.

21st Century Skills

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Communication

Collaboration

Creativity

Innovation

Information Literacy

Media Literacy

Information, Communication, & Technology Literacy

Flexibility and Adaptability

Initiative and Self-direction

Social and Cross-cultural Skills

Productivity and Accountability

Leadership and Responsibility

Arts Standards and 21st Century Skills:Key Findings

21st Century Skills

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Communication

Collaboration

Creativity

Innovation

Information Literacy

Media Literacy

Information, Communication, & Technology Literacy

Flexibility and Adaptability

Initiative and Self-direction

Social and Cross-cultural Skills

Productivity and Accountability

Leadership and Responsibility

Arts Standards and 21st Century Skills:Key Findings

The P21 skills with the highest instances of alignment with the standards were Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Communication, and Creativity.

21st Century Skills

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Communication

Collaboration

Creativity

Innovation

Information Literacy

Media Literacy

Information, Communication, & Technology Literacy

Flexibility and Adaptability

Initiative and Self-direction

Social and Cross-cultural Skills

Productivity and Accountability

Leadership and Responsibility

Arts Standards and 21st Century Skills:Key Findings

The P21 that were least aligned with the standards were Collaboration, Information, Communication, & Technology Literacy, and Productivity and Accountability.

The P21 skills with the highest instances of alignment with the standards were Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Communication, and Creativity.

Consider areas of overlap between P21 skills:

Arts Standards and 21st Century Skills

•Creativity

•Innovation

• Media Literacy

• Information, Communication, and Technology Literacy

• Information Literacy

Consider skills related to work habits/work ethic:

Arts Standards and 21st Century Skills

• Productivity and Accountability

• Leadership and Responsibility

• Initiative and Self-directionThe current standards cover what is to be learned and, often, how it is to be learned, but don’t often reference these skills – the qualities and characteristics students should exhibit while getting there.

Consider the role of technology-oriented skills in the revised standards:

Arts Standards and 21st Century Skills

• Information, Communication, and Technology literacy

• Media Literacy

• Information Literacy

College-level Standards in the Arts

The research on college level standards involves the following components:

• Textbook analysis

• College course analysis

• Analysis and summary of accreditation standards

• Reviews of standards/guidelines of professional organizations

What are the hallmarks of college-level work, in terms of course content and expectations of students?

College-level Standards in the Arts

•History•Theory•Technique•Analysis/criticism

How are these areas handled individually, and what is the level of overlap between them in the different disciplines?

What are best practices in Arts Education as they relate to the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children from the pre-K to college levels?

Child Development and Arts Education

Find College Board/NCCAS research online

The College Board: Arts at the Core

http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/preparation-access/arts-core.

National Coalition for Core Arts Standards

http://nccas.wikispaces.com.