Wisconsin Standards for Theatre

In Wisconsin, a wide variety of theatre education programs is available to students. The 2018 Wisconsin Standards for Theatre offers a voluntary single set of standards to guide and prepare students to be college and career ready in all school settings, including traditional, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Montessori, and other models. School communities have the opportunity to tailor and expand these areas through their own curriculum work. 

Wisconsin’s Vision for K-12^th Grade Theatre is to:

1. Introduce fundamental concepts and aesthetic aspects of theatre to all students, beginning in the elementary school levels;
2. Present theatre at the secondary level that expands exploration through more performance and production opportunities;
3. Offer additional secondary-level theatre experiences that will allow interested students to study theatre in depth and prepare them for entry into a career or college;
4. Demonstrate how theatrical skills directly relate to and can contribute to success in a variety of career paths;
5. Offer opportunities for students to demonstrate their theatrical knowledge and skills through artistic processes of: Create, Perform, Respond, and Connect; and
6. Increase knowledge of theatre for all students through investigating various aspects of theatre across time and cultures.

Here are elements of this tool to look for:

1. The Wisconsin Standards for Theatre focus on the artistic processes of Create, Perform, Respond, and Connect through two strands – Performance and Production. The standards are inspired by the National Core Arts Standards (2014).
2. The Wisconsin Standards for Theatre 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. Supplemental materials providing additional levels, such as those in early childhood and for advanced theatre levels, are being investigated.
3. There are four theatre standards identified for grades kindergarten through 12. These conceptual ideas take into consideration the current Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Theatre (1997) and the National Core Arts Standards (2014), as well as other state examples available and reviewed by the writing team.
4. The overall concept for the theatre standards provide what students should know and be able to do in the identified grade bands. Performance indicators provide student learning expectations to support the standards. The performance indicators allow for flexibility for educators and school communities to identify more specific elements through their own curricular development. This document focuses on the what (and not the how) a learner will know when they reach the identified performance indicators. This set of standards does not prescribe specific strategies, knowledge sets, or theatre examples, but rather allows the school community to identify these areas through their own theatre curriculum plan.

The two strands differentiated within the standards are defined as Theatre Performance and Theatre Production.

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 teachers, administrators, parents, business professionals, theatre industry and service organizations, and leaders from across the state. The process is outlined within the standards review/revision process link.

 

The Theatre Writing Committee started their review in May 2018 and worked throughout the spring and summer of 2018. The committee reviewed survey feedback, the current Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards for Theatre Education (1997), and other theatre standards examples including the National Core Arts Standards for Theatre (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 Theatre was presented to the State Superintendent's Standards Review Council (SSSRC) on September 11, 2018. The SSSRC approved the draft submitted by the Theatre Writing Committee and State Superintendent Evers approved the Wisconsin Standards for Theatre on December 10, 2018.

This work is made possible through the efforts of a dedicated team of educators, administrators, higher education staff, and theatre industry professionals. The Wisconsin Standards for Theatre (2018) was shaped with the goal of creating a tool for educators, parents, community members, and learners to use in their building of skills and knowledge in theatre. Members of the writing committee donated numerous hours and shared their expertise in the development of the theatre standards document.

Sara J Danke Lukaszewicz, Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools, Wisconsin Rapids

Kristi Ross-Clausen, Former K-12 / University of Wisconsin - Madison Theatre Teacher, Appleton

 

Laura Ellen Anderle, Nicolet High School, Glendale

Jennifer Chapman, UW Eau Claire, Eau Claire

Nancy Herbison, Tomahawk High School, Tomahawk

Joshua Jackson, Sherman Multicultural Arts School, Milwaukee Public Schools

Adam Jacobi, Wisconsin High School Forensics Association, La Crosse

Gary Olsen, UW Stevens Points, Stevens Point

Ron Parker, Appleton North High School, Renaissance School, Appleton

Amy Tubbs, Pulaski High School, Pulaski

David Valdés, Theatre Educator & Consultant

 

Julie Palkowski, WI DPI Fine Arts and Creativity Education Consultant

• National Core Arts Standards (2014); NCAS Theatre; Copyright Use;
• Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for Theatre (1997)

• Arizona Theatre Standards (2015)
• Colorado Drama and Theatre Arts Standards (2009)
• International Baccalaureate for Theatre