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Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design

 

Introducing the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design 

We are pleased to introduce this new set of art and design standards. The Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design has been adopted by the Wisconsin State Superintendent for school districts to consider in their work with art education programs. This site provides a video which highlights the standard's framework and links to a full standards document, as well as individual strand versions. Additional resources will be added over time to support the implementation of the standards. We encourage you to visit this site often to see what is new. Check the Arts Education Professional Development Calendar for online and face-to-face standards sessions. 

Standards Document

Music Standards

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design provides a foundational framework that identifies what students should know and be able to do in art. The standards set is provided at - Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design- Full Set and a desktop poster. The Art and Design standards provide a conceptual base for your use in the art classroom for grades K-12. This set of standards may be used for those formal classes which include, but is not limited to: "General Art," Art History, painting, art metals, sculpture, graphic arts, and design.

Learn more about the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design.

Art and Design Education in Wisconsin
Art is an essential part of a comprehensive education in Wisconsin. The 2019 Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design provides a set of academic standards for schools to consider using in developing their own curriculum. The overall focus of art and design as an art form is to build students’ skills and knowledge through multiple opportunities to explore and develop skills and knowledge through four artistic processes: Create, Present, Respond, and Connect. Each encourages students to be innovative in their pursuits of creative thinking and problem solving through the building of artistic literacy, technique, composition, and presentation, and to connect to universal aspects of art and design across time and cultures. This building of these skills sets supports our students by fostering their curious, reflective, and thoughtful nature, and supporting their citizenry skills. These artistic processes and standards aim to provide a foundational set of skills and knowledge for students to become college and career ready.
 
The 2019 Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design are developed by Wisconsin educators, artists, other experts, and the business community. The standards are informed by work being done in other states and at the national level. These standards introduce the analytical elements and aesthetic expressive qualities of art and design to all students, and include:
 
  1. Fundamental concepts of artistic techniques, critical thinking, and creative expression beginning in the elementary levels;
  2. Critical thinking, skill building, and expressing and communicating ideas, feelings, and concepts in greater depth at the secondary levels;
  3. Additional experiences that allow interested students to study art and design in depth, and prepare them for entry into a career and college;
  4. Opportunities for students to demonstrate their art and design knowledge and skills through Creating, Presenting, Responding, and Connecting; and
  5. Investigation of various aspects of art and design through cultural, social, and historical contexts.
Components of the Standards

The standards are built around four artistic processes: Create, Present, Respond, and Connect.

 

  1. The Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design are organized by grade bands: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. This allows for some flexibility in instruction and greater differentiation for the support of students over time. All levels identify proficient for the older grade level in that band.
    Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design with Guiding Terms
    Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design and Guiding Terms

     

 

  1. There are four art and design standards identified for grades Kindergarten through 12. These conceptual ideas take into consideration the current Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Art and Design Education (2000) and the National Core Arts Standards (2014), as well as other examples available and reviewed by the writing committee.

  1. The overall concept for the art and design standards provide what students should know and be able to do in the identified grade bands. Performance indicators provide additional ideas to support the standards. The performance indicators allow flexibility for educators, practitioners, and communities to identify more specific elements through their own curricular development. This document focuses on the what (and not the how) learners will know and be able to do when they reach the identified performance indicators. This set of standards does not prescribe specific approaches or strategies, but rather allows the learning community to identify these areas through their own art and design curriculum plan.

  2. The overall concept for the art and design standards provide what students should know and be able to do in the identified grade bands. Performance indicators provide additional ideas to support the standards. The performance indicators allow flexibility for educators, practitioners, and communities to identify more specific elements through their own curricular development. This document focuses on the what (and not the how) learners will know and be able to do when they reach the identified performance indicators. This set of standards does not prescribe specific approaches or strategies, but rather allows the learning community to identify these areas through their own art and design curriculum plan.

 

 

Resources
The majority of the resources used in developing the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design came from the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Art and Design Education (2000), and the National Core Arts Standards in Visual Art (2014). The artistic processes of this work are based on the National Core Arts Standards © 2015. Rights administered by State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) (All rights reserved).
Additional state standards were utilized by the writing team in their work. The state examples provided various structures and content for comparison. 
Numerous existing sets of standards and standards-related documents have been used in developing the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design. These include:
Toolbox
Welcome to the Toolbox. There are multiple resources populated within the folder topics listed below. Check back to this site often to see what new ideas have been added. If you have a resource you would like to share with the field, please either contact Julie Palkowski, Art and Creativity Education Consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, or become a curator for the WISELearn Educator Portal .
 
Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design - Full 
Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design Poster - Print out your own 11"X17" desk copy of the standards.
Art and Design Lesson Templates - Aligned to the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Disciplinary Literacy Tools. Click the link to make a copy and then store and edit on your own device. 
 
Toolbox Resources 
Additional Resources:
  • WISELearn Resources - Check this resource archive, which is filled with lesson ideas and resources for the classroom. It is searchable by content area.
  • Visit the WISELearn Educator Portal to learn how to become a curator of instructional materials and to share with the field.
Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design Review and Revision Process
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has a transparent and comprehensive process for reviewing and revising academic standards. The process involves the wide gathering of ideas from multiple persons including dance teachers, administrators, parents, business professionals, art industry and service organizations, and leaders from across the state. The process is outlined within the standards review/revision process link.
 
The Art and Design Writing Committee started their review in May 2019 and worked throughout the spring and summer. The committee reviewed survey feedback, the current Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards for Art and Design Education (2000), and other art standards examples including the National Core Arts Standards in Visual Arts (2014). Another part of the process included the public release of a draft with an accompanying survey to gather feedback from the public, key stakeholders, and educators, and a set of public hearings. This feedback further informed the writing committee in their work. The following links provide more information about this process.
 
The final draft of the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design was presented to the SSSRC on September 20, 2019. The SSSRC approved the draft submitted by the Art and Design Writing Committee and State Superintendent Stanford Taylor approved the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design on November 1, 2019.
2019 State Superintendent’s Art and Design Standards Writing Committee
This work is made possible through the efforts of a dedicated team of educators, administrators, higher education staff, artists, and industry professionals. The Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design was shaped by this team’s expertise and generous nature, with the goal of creating a tool that could be used by fellow educators, parents, community members, and the learners in their care, to build skills and knowledge in art and design. Members of the writing committee donated numerous hours and shared their expertise in the development of the art and design standards document. These members include:
WI Standards Art and Design Writing Committee Members
Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design Writing Committee

Co-chairs:

Tiffany Beltz, Irving Pertzsch Elementary School, Onalaska
Jen Dahl, Red Creek & Forrest Street Elementary, Black River Falls
 
Members:
Jaehan Bae, UW Oshkosh - Art Education
Erica Becker, Ashwaubenon High School, Ashwaubenon
Jodi Brzezinski, St. Thomas More High School, Milwaukee
Devon Calvert, Harmony & Consolidated Elementary Schools, Milton
Beth Dobberstein, Palmyra Elementary, Palmyra
Jennifer Handrick, Chippewa Falls High School, Chippewa Falls
Mary Hoefferle, UW Madison, Madison
Frank Juarez, Sheboygan North High School, Sheboygan
Leah Keller, Adams-Friendship Area School District, Friendship
Kelly Kokko-Ludemann, Oconto Falls Elementary School, Oconto Falls
Peter Kuzma, Madison Metropolitan School District, Madison
Jill LaGrange, Summit Elementary School, Oconomowoc
Susan Loesl, Milwaukee Public Schools; Mount Mary College, Milwaukee
Janelle Logterman, Townview and Powers Elementary School , Beloit
Justin Markgraf, Antigo High School, Antigo
Lynn Molenda, Alverno College, Milwaukee
Tasha Newton, Fall Creek Elementary, Fall Creek
Danielle Penney- Edwards, Ashland High School, Ashland
Kathryn Rulien-Bareis, DeLong Middle School, Eau Claire
Kris Schumacher, Beaver Dam Middle School, Beaver Dam
Renee Schumacher, Oshkosh Area School District, ArtsCore
Jessica Steckling, Platteville Middle School, Platteville
Amie Voigts, Belmont Community School District, Belmont
Salena White, Westside Elementary School, River Falls
 
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) facilitator:
Julie Palkowski, WI DPI Arts and Creativity Education Consultant
Standards Writing Team Resources
The majority of the resources used in developing the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design came from the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Art and Design Education (2000), and the National Core Arts Standards in Visual Art (2014). The artistic processes of this work are based on the National Core Arts Standards © 2015. Rights administered by State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) (All rights reserved).
 
● National Core Arts Standards (2014)- Visual Arts
○ Copyright Use
 
Additional state standards were utilized by the writing team in their work. The state examples provided various structures and content for comparison.
Numerous existing sets of standards and standards-related documents have been used in developing the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design. These include:
Wisconsin Implementation Plans

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WI DPI) will be updating the resources on this page to support districts in learning about and implementing the  standards. WI DPI supports a three-year implementation for districts to ensure appropriate time to fully implement the standards into the curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Art and Design Roll Out Graphic

District Teams - As Wisconsin school districts begin to implement the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design, they are encouraged to consider the overall needs of the students in their care. It is essential that the school community discusses the delivery of the standards through a thoughtful alignment of instruction, learning, and assessment. Other factors to support this work will include planned professional learning to build educator and learner capacity of the key concepts. The use of collaborative leadership teams provides a solid start in ensuring proper planning and budgeting to support high-quality learning experiences that focus on access for all students. The principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and equitable learning opportunities for all students are a central focus of the team. In addition, districts are encouraged to leverage the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design to implement instructional support systems that align with the local Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

For questions about this information, contact Julie Palkowski