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.
Standards Document
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.
I CAN Statements - Download these copies onto your desktop. The I CAN statements are aligned to the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design and allow for edits within the document to create classroom, student friendly posters. There are slight variations between the grade bands for formatting to show multiple versions. Feel free to adjust the format to support your classroom.
Art and Design K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Learn more about the Wisconsin Standards for Art and Design
The standards are built around four artistic processes: Create, Present, Respond, and Connect. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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).
Co-chairs:
Members:
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) facilitator: