Ingenuity State of the Arts Progress Report 2015-2016 | Page 69

CPS arts education plan progress

goal 1

Create district-level policies that support the arts in every child’s Pre K–12 education experience and
create conditions throughout the district that utilize the arts to support student success.

policy

The Board of Education’s approval of the Plan immediately set the recom mendations of this Goal into
action, and, as examined throughout this report, considerable progress has been made on implementing
them on the ground. That said, each year, each school’s capacity to see the recommendations through
is dependent on annual budgets, course scheduling, and competing priorities. With that in mind, all but
recommendation C are considered ongoing.

Make arts a core
subject by dedicating
120 minutes of arts
instruction per week for
elementary schools.

Expand the number of arts
forms offered to include
visual arts, music, dance,
and theatre at all grade
levels.

goal 2

Ensure district arts curriculum, instruction, and assessment are consistent, support arts learning
pathways from Pre K–12, and utilize both direct arts instruction and arts integration strategies.

arts curriculum,
instruction, and
assessment

District policies and assessments shift as circumstances in the state, city, and district change. Most of the
recommendations under this goal are directly connected to state and federal policies that are currently in
the implementation and planning phases. Recommendation D is no longer applicable, as the CIWP is no
longer tied to a school’s budget, and thus is not a strong indicator of a school’s prioritization of the arts.

Map and align arts
curriculum to the
Common Core State
Standards in order to
support high school
graduation, college entry,
college graduation, and
career readiness.

Align the Chicago Guide for
Teaching and Learning in
the Arts to the forthcoming
Core Arts Standards.

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Expand high school
graduation requirements
to include all four Illinois
recognized art forms.

Add additional art forms
(i.e. media arts) to the
curriculum in the Chicago
Guide.

Set minimum staffing
requirements in the arts
at one certified full-time
employee per school or
an improved ratio such as
one instructor for every
350 students.

Identify and activate
an Arts Liaison in every
school and network for
improved coordination
and communication in
the arts.

Require that the arts
be represented on each
school’s Continuous
Improvement Work Plan
(CIWP).

The Chicago Public Schools Arts Education Plan 2012-15: Bringing the Arts to every Child in Every School. Chicago: Chicago Public Schools, 2012.

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