National Standards

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR THE CORE ARTS STANDARDS (NCCAS)?

The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards is a partnership of organizations and states leading the revision of the 1994 National Standards for Arts Education.

The standards describe what students should know and be able to do as a result of a quality curricular arts education program. NCCAS is committed to developing a next generation of voluntary arts education standards that will build on the foundation created by the 1994 document, support the 21st-century needs of students and teachers, help ensure that all students are college and career ready, and affirm the place of arts education in a balanced core curriculum.

NCCAS makes the creation of the new arts standards an inclusive process, with input from a broad range of arts educators and decision-makers. The revised standards are grounded in arts education best practice drawn from the United States and abroad, as well as a comprehensive review of developmental research.

I'M READY TO READ THE STANDARDS FOR MY DISCIPLINE/GRADE; WHERE DO I GO?

Teachers Working TogetherThe NCCAS recently launched a new website full of information on the newly developed standards for 2014. It includes in-depth descriptions of the standards for each discipline and grade, and you can create your own customized standards handbook by discipline, process, or grade band. Assessments for each discipline are also available as part of the standards handbook.

Start exploring the standards on the NCCAS website by clicking here.

HOW WERE THE STANDARDS DEVELOPED?

As part of the launch of the Core Art Standards, NCCAS presented a comprehensive webinar on the history of the initiative, the organizations and individuals that partnered to develop the standards, the process they followed in order to produce the final recommendation of Core Art Standards, and other informative details with regard to the work of the NCCAS.

WHO IS PART OF NCCAS AND PARTICIPATED IN DEVELOPING THE STANDARDS?

The organizations listed below are leadership partners in NCCAS.  Visit their websites to learn more about each organization.

Click here for a full list of participants in the creation of the standards.

HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ON NCCAS?

Click here to contact NCCAS directly or click here to browse their website for recommended online resources.