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Painting an educational picture: SBOE gives preliminary approval to Fine Arts TEKS
By Zach Markovic, zmarkovic@starlocalnews.com
Revised curriculum standards for all fine arts instruction for kindergarten through 12th grade received preliminary approval from the State Board of Education on Friday, Feb. 1. The curriculum standards outline the topics to be covered in art, music, dance and theater classes.
The current standards, called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), have been in use in the state’s classrooms since 1998. Final approval of the revised standards is expected to occur at the board’s April 19 meeting. The updated standards will be used in classrooms beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.
The proposed revisions create standards for dance instruction in the middle schools. Currently, dance standards only exist at the high school level. The middle school TEKS, with these updates, will also now be based on a student’s proficiency level, rather than grade level. For example, if a student took private violin lessons throughout elementary school, this change would allow the child to be placed in a more advanced middle school orchestra class, rather than in a beginning class. The proposal also increases the number of fine arts classes available at the high school level.
Last week’s meeting was the first by the board since all 15 members were elected in November, following a redrawing of boundary lines. During the first meeting after redistricting and an election, the board members must draw for terms of office, elect officers and be assigned to committees.
The board elected Thomas Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant, as vice chair and Mavis Knight, D-Dallas, as secretary. Barbara Cargill, the chair of the board, was appointed to that post by Gov. Rick Perry in July 2011.
The three officers then made the following committee assignments: Committee on Instruction - Tom Maynard, chair; Sue Melton, vice chair; and Martha M. Dominguez, Geraldine Miller and Marisa B. Perez. Committee on School Finance/Permanent School Fund - Patricia Hardy, chair; Lawrence A. Allen Jr., vice chair; and David Bradley, Ken Mercer and Thomas Ratliff. Committee on School Initiatives - Donna Bahorich, chair; Marty Rowley, vice chair; and Barbara Cargill, Ruben Cortez Jr. and Mavis B. Knight.
Once committees were appointed, the members of each committee elected a chair and the chair appointed a vice chair.
After a redistricting year, state law mandates that eight members receive four-year terms of office and seven members receive two-year terms. In subsequent elections, all will run for four year terms.
Those members who received four-year terms, which will run from Jan. 1, 2013, to Jan. 1, 2017, are Bahorich, Cargill, Dominguez, Maynard, Melton, Mercer, Ratliff and Rowley.
Those members who received two-year terms, which run from Jan. 1, 2013, to Jan. 1, 2015, are Allen, Bradley, Cortez, Hardy, Knight, Miller and Perez.
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