ARTS LEARNING IN ACTION TOOLKIT

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 5

RESOLUTION CHAPTER 124

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 5 – Relative to visual and
performing arts education.

[Filed with Secretary of State September 5, 2003.]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
SCR 5, Scott. Visual and performing arts.
This measure would declare the Legislature’s acknowledgment and support of standards-based instruction in the visual and performing arts in all California public schools, prekindergarten through grade 12, inclusive.

WHEREAS, The University of California and the California State University realize the demands of a new generation of Californians seeking a quality education and recognize the critical importance of continued access to a broad array of experiences that allow students to obtain the breadth and depth of knowledge necessary for success after college; and

WHEREAS, The University of California and the California State University have instituted a policy that includes visual and performing arts as a college preparatory subject for all high school pupils wishing to enter the institutions of higher education of the state; and

WHEREAS, By 2006 all students entering the University of California and the California State University are required to satisfy the visual and performing arts admission requirement by completing an appropriate course in dance, music, theatre, or the visual arts; and

WHEREAS, High school courses that meet the visual and performing arts admission requirement should provide pupils with an experience in compliance with the Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards adopted by the State Board of Education; and

WHEREAS, Standards-based instruction is the basis for education reform initiatives in California, as evidenced by the emphasis of the State Department of Education on standards-based instruction in the language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and visual and performing arts; and

WHEREAS, The Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards describe what each pupil should know and accomplish in the visual and performing arts, prekindergarten to grade 12, inclusive, in artistic perception, creative expression, historical and cultural context, aesthetic valuing, connections, relationships, and applications; and

WHEREAS, The arts are a recognized part of a quality education, as evidenced by the adoption of the Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards, and by their inclusion in the California Master Plan for Education, and should be included as plans are made for the future of California education; and

WHEREAS, Key factors in the success of standards-based education include access to all of the following:

(a) Qualified teachers at all grade levels and disciplines, supported by
ongoing professional development.
(b) Clear statement of standards that define what each pupil is expected to know and accomplish at each educational level.
(c) High-quality learning materials and resources, including, but not limited to, textbooks and technologies that support learning.
(d) Adequate funding to ensure the essential preconditions for quality teaching and learning at all schools.
(e) Appropriate facilities that support instructional goals.
(f) Assessment of pupil progress at every educational level; now,
therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Members acknowledge and support the implementation of standards-based instruction in the visual and performing arts in all California public schools, prekindergarten to grade 12, inclusive; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.