ARTS EDUCATION

FRAMEWORK PROJECT

2016

Arts Education

Assessment

Framework

National Assessment Governing Board 

U.S. Department of Education 
WHAT IS NAEP? 

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a continuing and nationally representative measure of trends in 

academic achievement of U.S. elementary and secondary students in various subjects. For nearly four decades, NAEP 

assessments have been conducted periodically in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, geography, and 

other subjects. By collecting and reporting information on student performance at the national, state, and local levels, NAEP 

is an integral part of our nation’s evaluation of the condition and progress of education. 

THE 2015–2016 NATIONAL ASSESSMENT GOVERNING BOARD

The National Assessment Governing Board was created by Congress to formulate policy for NAEP. Among the Governing 

Board’s responsibilities are developing objectives and test specifications and designing the assessment methodology for 

NAEP. 

Members

Alberto M. Carvalho Doris R. Hicks Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J.

Superintendent Principal and Chief Executive Professor

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Officer Lynch School of Education

Miami, Florida Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter Boston College

School for Science and Technology Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Honorable Mitchell D. Chester New Orleans, Louisiana

Commissioner of Elementary and W. James Popham

Secondary Education Andrew Dean Ho Professor Emeritus

Massachusetts Department of Professor of Education University of California, Los

Elementary and Secondary Harvard Graduate School of Angeles

Education Education Wilsonville, Oregon

Malden, Massachusetts Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts B. Fielding Rolston

Frank K. Fernandes Chairman

Principal Carol Jago Tennessee State Board of Education

Kaimuki Middle School Associate Director Kingsport, Tennessee

Honolulu, Hawaii California Reading and Literature

Project at UCLA Linda P. Rosen

Honorable Anitere Flores Oak Park, Illinois Chief Executive Officer

Senator Change the Equation

Florida State Senate Tonya Matthews Washington, DC

Miami, Florida President and CEO

Michigan Science Center Cary Sneider

Rebecca Gagnon Detroit, Michigan Associate Research Professor

School Board Member Portland State University

Minneapolis Public Schools Tonya Miles Portland, Oregon

Minneapolis, Minnesota General Public Representative

Mitchellville, Maryland Honorable Ken Wagner

Shannon Garrison Commissioner of Elementary and 

Fourth-Grade Teacher Honorable Ronnie Musgrove Secondary Education

Solano Avenue Elementary School Former Governor of Mississippi Rhode Island Department of 

Los Angeles, California Madison, Mississippi Education

Providence, Rhode Island

Honorable James E. Geringer Dale Nowlin

Former Governor of Wyoming Twelfth-Grade Teacher Chasidy White

Cheyenne, Wyoming Columbus North High School Eighth-Grade Teacher

Columbus, Indiana Brookwood Middle School

Vance, Alabama

Joseph L. Willhoft

Assessment Consultant

Tacoma, Washington

National Assessment Governing Board

Terry Mazany 

Chair

Lucille Davy

Vice Chair 

Mary Crovo 

Project Officer and Deputy Executive Director

1997 NAEP Arts Education Framework Project Team

Council of Chief State School Officers

Ramsay Selden, Project Director

Frank Philip, Consensus Coordinator

Bonnie L. Verrico, Administrative Assistant

The Council for Basic Education

A. Graham Down

Ruth Mitchell

The College Board

Robert Orrill

Carol Myford

Joan Peterson

Dennie Palmer-Wolf

Developed for the National Assessment Governing Board under contract number RN 92167001 by the 

Council of Chief State School Officers with the Council for Basic Education and the College Board. 

Funding for this contract was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with the 

Getty Center for Education in the Arts, a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust.

For further information, contact:

National Assessment Governing Board

800 North Capitol Street, N.W.

Suite 825

Washington, DC 20002–4233

www.nagb.gov

May 2016

For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office

Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0328
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Development of the NAEP Arts Education Framework..................................................... iii

The National Assessment of Educational Progress..........................................................iii

The Arts Education Framework and Assessments........................................................... iii

The Framework Development Process............................................................................ iv

NAEP and National Standards: Cooperation and Coordination......................................iv

Development of the Framework....................................................................................... v

Next Steps........................................................................................................................ vi

NAEP Arts Project Staff and Committees........................................................................... ix

Chapter One: The Arts in U.S. Education............................................................................ 1

The Importance of NAEP to Arts Education..................................................................... 1

The Role of Arts Education...............................................................................................2

The Shape of the Arts Education NAEP........................................................................... 3

Chapter Two: The Content and Processes of the Arts......................................................... 9

Definitions........................................................................................................................ 9

Content Specific to Each of the Four Arts.......................................................................11

Chapter Three: Desired Attributes of the Assessment....................................................... 23

Sample of Students......................................................................................................... 23

The Authenticity of Exercises......................................................................................... 23

Characteristics of the Assessment Exercises................................................................... 24

Forms of Student Response Used in Exercises............................................................... 24

Exercise Formats............................................................................................................. 24

Student Responses.......................................................................................................... 25

Length of Performance Exercises................................................................................... 25

Physical Environment for the Assessment...................................................................... 25

Resources........................................................................................................................ 25

Attributes of Assessment Facilitators.............................................................................. 26

Special Studies................................................................................................................ 26

Background Information................................................................................................. 29

Ethical Responsibilities to Students................................................................................ 29

Issues and Strategies Specific to Each Art Form............................................................ 30

Desired Emphasis for Each Arts Area............................................................................. 35

Chapter Four: Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions........................................... 39

Appendix A: The Content Outlines..................................................................................... 63

Dance Content Outline.................................................................................................... 66

Music Content Outline.................................................................................................... 73

Theatre Content Outline.................................................................................................. 87

Visual Arts Content Outline............................................................................................ 94

Appendix B: Public Hearings............................................................................................. 106

Report on the February Public Hearings: The Issues Paper.......................................... 106

Report On the October Public Hearings........................................................................108

Appendix C: Planning: Schedules and Timelines............................................................. 112

Significant Dates for the Steering and Planning Committees.......................................112

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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DEVELOPMENT OF THE NAEP ARTS

EDUCATION FRAMEWORK

THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally 

representative and continuing assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in 

various subject areas. Since 1969, assessments have been conducted to provide 

comprehensive information on student knowledge and skills at ages 9, 13, and 17 and, 

more recently, for students in grades 4, 8, and 12. Because the information on student 

performance and related factors is available to policymakers, parents, educators, and the 

general public, NAEP is an integral part of the nation’s evaluation of the condition and 

progress of student achievement.

NAEP is a congressionally mandated project of the U.S. Department of Education’s 

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In 1988, Congress created the National 

Assessment Governing Board to set policy for NAEP. The 26-member, broadly 

representative Board selects subject areas to be assessed, develops assessment objectives 

and specifications through a national process, and sets appropriate achievement goals, 

among other responsibilities.

THE ARTS EDUCATION FRAMEWORK AND ASSESSMENTS

This framework was used to develop the 1997, 2008, and 2016 NAEP Arts Education 

Assessments. For 2016, NAEP tested students in music and the visual arts based on a 

nationally representative sample of eighth-grade schools. Results of the 2016 arts 

assessment will be released in spring 2017. Due to budget constraints and the small 

percentage of schools with theatre and dance programs, these arts disciplines were not 

assessed in 2016.

In 1997, the NAEP Arts Assessment was conducted nationally at grade 8. For music and 

the visual arts, representative samples of public and nonpublic school students were 

assessed. For theatre, a special targeted sample was selected from eighth-grade schools 

that offered theatre courses and from students who took those courses. Dance was not 

assessed because only a small percentage of schools had regular dance programs. 

Findings from the 1997 and 2008 NAEP Arts Assessments were reported in several ways: 

a brief Highlights Report, a comprehensive Arts Report Card, a CD-ROM containing 

sample tasks and student responses, and an online report of the test development process. 

More information on these materials is available at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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THE FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

In January 1992, the Governing Board issued a request for proposals to develop an 

assessment framework and specifications for a planned 1997 Arts Education Assessment. 

The contract was awarded to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), with 

the College Board and the Council for Basic Education as subcontractors. The 18-month 

project began in September 1992 and concluded in March 1994.

The purpose of the contract was to develop and recommend a framework and other 

design features for an arts education assessment that included dance, music, theatre, and 

the visual arts. The recommended form of the assessment was designed by a 32-member 

planning committee with guidance from a steering committee. The planning committee 

was responsible for recommending the content and contributing to the assessment 

framework and other design documents. Composed of K–12 teachers, arts educators from

higher education, practicing artists, assessment specialists, and laypersons, the planning 

committee was chaired by Frank Philip of CCSSO. 

The 29-member steering committee was co-chaired by Ramsay Selden, director of the 

State Education Assessment Center at CCSSO and project director; and A. Graham 

Down, president of the Council for Basic Education. The committee included 

representatives from professional education organizations, parent groups, artist 

organizations, business, policymakers, and the public at large. The steering committee 

provided policy and procedural guidance during the project. 

NAEP AND NATIONAL STANDARDS: COOPERATION AND COORDINATION

The development of the NAEP Arts Education Assessment Framework coincided with the

development of the National Standards for Education in the Arts (National Standards). 

This confluence of a standards-setting process and its immediate application in creating a 

national assessment provides an unprecedented opportunity to align standards and 

assessment in a model for arts education. 

The two projects—NAEP and the National Standards—have a special role in establishing

the importance of the arts in the education of all U.S. students. 

The leadership of both groups has ensured that the projects will be coordinated in every 

aspect of the work, from crafting a common vision through matching schedules and 

sharing personnel. From the project’s inception, the process has been predicated on the 

assumption that the National Standards and the NAEP Arts Assessment should reflect a 

common vision of arts education. 

At the leadership level, A. Graham Down, chair of the oversight committee for the 

standards project, also co-chaired the steering committee for the assessment project. 

Seven members, or approximately one-fourth of the standards oversight committee, were 

also invited to serve on the steering committee for the assessment project. Frank Philip 

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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and Joan Peterson, who co-chaired the National Council of State Arts Education 

Consultants task force for the standards project, served as coordinator for the NAEP Arts 

Assessment Project and consultant for the College Board (a subcontractor to CCSSO), 

respectively. 

Each of the four subcommittees of the NAEP Arts Assessment Framework planning 

committee included representatives from the writing task forces of the standards project 

and either the president or the president-elect of the national arts education professional 

organizations. Each executive director of the major national arts education organizations 

was a member of the steering committee of the assessment project. 

The meeting schedule, the dates for hearings, and the release of drafts for the assessment 

project were aligned to follow similar events of the standards project. The standards 

project shared the developing drafts of the standards with the planning committee of the 

assessment project in a regular and timely fashion to ensure a smooth articulation 

between the two.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE FRAMEWORK

ISSUES

Ruth Mitchell and Dennie Palmer-Wolf, consultants to the project, wrote an issues paper 

that identified the major areas of concern for the assessment design. Published in early 

January 1993, the paper was designed to be the focus of the national hearings scheduled 

in February 1993. The paper helped frame significant questions for the assessment and 

placed them in a broader context for understanding the role and feasibility of a national 

assessment in the arts.

NATIONAL HEARINGS

In considering the design of the proposed National Assessment for Arts Education, the 

project’s management team decided to seek public input at two points in the development

process: 

 The February 1993 hearings were designed to gather responses and reactions 

to the issues paper. The San Francisco hearing was held in conjunction with a 

major arts education conference attended by many prominent writers and 

leaders in arts education. The Orlando, Florida, hearing was scheduled for a 

time and location that allowed teachers, parents, and students to attend. The 

New York City hearing attracted the arts community from one of the country’s

major population centers.

 Hearings were conducted in Seattle, Chicago, and Washington, DC, in 

October 1993 to solicit input and reaction to a draft of the assessment 

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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framework. Appendix B contains a brief description of the hearings; a 

complete report is available from CCSSO.

NEXT STEPS

The framework development process produced the design documents and 

recommendations. This framework describes the proposed assessment. The specifications

document explains the details for developing the assessment instrument. The 

development process also produced documents that suggest the nature and range of 

contextual information that should be collected along with the assessment and a set of 

strategies for reporting the results to the public and to the field. The second phase of the 

process began with a contract that NCES awarded to the Educational Testing Service in 

May 1994 to design the assessment exercises. Field testing of the exercises was 

scheduled for February 1995 and February 1996.

RECENT CHANGES IN THE ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE 

A complete and comprehensive assessment in any subject area depends on funding from 

Congress. Because of a funding shortfall, the 1994 math and science assessments were 

postponed until 1996. In September 1994, the Governing Board executive committee 

recommended that the arts assessment be rescheduled for 1997. This would provide the 

opportunity for a two-stage field test in 1995 and 1996. The expanded field test would 

allow thorough development of the many complex, performance-based assessment tasks.

GUIDELINES FOR THE PROJECT

The steering committee’s first task was to develop guidelines to inform the planning 

committee’s work on drafting the framework. A major issue confronted the committee: 

how to balance “what is” in U.S. arts education with “what ought to be.” Although the 

issue cannot be resolved completely, the creative tension it has generated continues to be 

a source of positive energy for the assessment design.

Another important issue must be mentioned. Early in the process, the steering committee 

insisted on a policy of inclusion in arts education. This means that the proposed NAEP 

Arts Assessment should reinforce the promise of arts education for all, including those 

students whose physical and mental abilities need additional support for artistic 

expression. Engaging the wheelchair-bound child in dance movement, or reviewing the 

theatrical performance of the hearing-impaired middle school student, for example, are 

recommended for the administration of the assessment.

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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Steering Committee Guidelines

1. The assessment should affirm and articulate the arts as ways of knowing and forms of 

knowledge with a unique capacity to integrate the intellect, the emotions, and physical skills 

in the construction of meaning.

2. The assessment should honor the discrete disciplines (dance, music, theatre, visual arts), but 

should at the same time encourage students to see the artistic experience as a unified whole 

and make connections between the arts and other disciplines.

3. The NAEP assessment and national standards processes must work hand in hand.

4. Where possible, the assessment should examine and report on developing abilities so 

younger and older students exhibit stages in the development of the same capability. 

5. The assessment should connect with students’ real-life experiences so students can use their 

personal knowledge in areas such as street dance, their everyday experience with TV drama, 

or their understanding of traditional regional art forms and community arts resources.

6. The assessment should assess students’ knowledge, attitudes, and performance in the 

modalities and forms of expression characteristic of the arts (music, dance, painting or 

drawing, acting) as well as verbal or written linguistic modes; that is, writing or talking 

about the arts.

7. The assessment should go beyond quantification to include critical judgment. An effort 

should be made to ensure that reporting includes descriptive information on student 

performance as well as numerical data.

8. The assessment should use a common list of background variables to recognize differences 

and inequities in school resources and the conditions related to achievement, such as teacher 

qualifications, instructional time in the arts, school structure, cultural and social background 

of the school community, and incentives. This recognition must be evident in reported data. 

Results have meaning only in terms of the availability and continuity of arts instruction. 

9. The assessment should address both processes and products, and should expand the public’s 

information about the importance of each.

10. The assessment should be based on a comprehensive vision of arts education and should 

communicate that vision clearly. The assessment should focus on what ought to be in arts 

education rather than what is, but idealism should be tempered with reality. Hence, exercises 

should model multifaceted and thoughtful activities without making unreasonable demands 

on time, materials, and human resources.

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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Steering Committee Guidelines (continued)

11. To stimulate support for arts education, the assessment should produce information useful to 

a variety of audiences—students, artists, teachers, and administrators; local, state, and 

national policymakers; and community members such as parents and business persons—and 

be disseminated in a variety of ways for different audiences.

12. The assessment should sample student performances under two conditions: a general sample 

reflecting universal expectations and a specialized sample for students in magnet and 

advanced programs at grade 12.

13. The assessment should reflect a pluralistic view of arts education in terms of both individual 

products and the cultural bases of the arts. It should be oriented toward the demonstration of 

student learning, be sensitive to a variety of instructional approaches, include the range of 

contemporary theories evident in arts education, and include examples of appropriate 

exercises addressing universal themes.

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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NAEP ARTS PROJECT STAFF AND

COMMITTEES

STEERING COMMITTEE

Adrienne Bailey

Educational Consultant

Chicago, IL

John Bonaiuto

Secretary of Education

South Dakota Department of Education

Pierre, SD

Harry Clark

President

International NETWORK of Performing

and Visual Arts Schools

Pittsburgh, PA

Nicolette Clarke

Executive Director

Vermont Council on the Arts

Montpelier, VT

Elliott Eisner

Professor of Education and Art

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Harriett Fulbright

President

Center for Arts in the Basic Curriculum

Washington, DC

Eduardo Garcia

Arts Education Consultant

Plainsboro, NJ

Keith Geiger

President

National Education Association

Washington, DC

Kay Goodwin

Arts Advocate

Ripley, WV

Michael Green

President

National Academy of Recording

Arts and Sciences

Burbank, CA

Richard Gurin

President and CEO

Binney & Smith, Inc.

Easton, PA

Ronne Hartfield

Executive Director of Museum 

Education

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, IL

Tom Hatfield

Executive Director

National Art Education Association

Reston, VA

Jerome Hausman

Director, Center for Arts Curriculum

Planning and Evaluation

Urban Gateways

Chicago, IL

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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Samuel Hope

Executive Director

National Office for Arts Accreditation

in Higher Education

Reston, VA

Rebecca Hutton

Executive Director

National Dance Association

Reston, VA

Joan Katz

Director, Elementary/

Secondary Service

Public Broadcasting Service

Alexandria, VA

Robert Lloyd

Dean

Visual Studies Institute for Teachers

Andover, MA

John Mahlmann

Executive Director

Music Educators National Conference

Reston, VA

Greg McCaslin

Director, Education and Information

New York Foundation for the Arts

New York, NY

Michael Moore

President

Association of Institutes for

Aesthetic Education

Bowling Green, OH

David O’Fallon

Staff Director, Arts Education

Partnership Working Group

The Kennedy Center

Washington, DC

Bethany Rogers

Coalition of Essential Schools

Brown University

Providence, RI

John Terrell Scott

Professor of Art/Artist

Xavier University

New Orleans, LA

Kent Seidel

Director, Teacher Services and 

Advocacy

Educational Theatre Association

Cincinnati, OH

Albert Shanker

President

American Federation of Teachers

Washington, DC

Carol Sterling

Director, Arts Education

American Council for the Arts

New York, NY

Kathryn Whitefill

President-Elect

National PTA

Pasadena, TX

Barbara Wills

Executive Director

American Alliance for Theatre

and Education

Tacoma, WA

Kelvin Yazzie

Artist

Flagstaff, AZ

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Advisors to Planning and

Steering Committees

Paul Lehman

Senior Associate Dean

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI

Brent Wilson

Professor

Penn State University

University Park, PA

PLANNING COMMITTEE

Angelique Acevedo

Artist/Teacher, Arts Curriculum

Integration Specialist

Bear Creek High School

Lakewood, CO

Carolyn Adams

Dance Teacher, Harlem Dance

Foundation

Director, Dance Program

City College of New York

Chair, Dance/USA’s National Task

Force on Dance Education

New York, NY

Marianna Adams*

Curator of Education

Museum of Art

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Donna Kay Beattie*

Asst. Professor of Art Education

Brigham Young University

Provo, UT

Ellyn Berk

Arts Consultant

New York, NY

Deborah Brzoska*

Fine Arts Coordinator

Vancouver School District

Vancouver, WA

Linda Gregoric Cook

Registered Drama Therapist

New Orleans Schools

New Orleans, LA

Jennifer Davidson*

Arts Education Consultant

Oakland Schools

Waterford, MI

Meredith Davis

Professor/Head, Department of

Graphic Design

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC

Maxine DeBruyn

Dance Chair

Hope College

Holland, MI

Ed Gero

Director of the Ensemble

George Mason University Actor

Shakespeare Theatre

Washington, DC

MacArthur Goodwin

Education Associate

South Carolina Department of Education

Columbia, SC

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________________________

*Arts subgroup leaders.
Robert W. Gross

Multimedia/Assessment Specialist

Fine Arts Department Chair

Carl Sandburg High School

Orlando Park, IL

Mark Hansen

President

National Art Education Association

Arts Resource Coordinator

Forest Lake Public Schools

Forest Lake, MN

Jorge Huerta

Professor of Theatre

University of California, San Diego

La Jolla, CA

Sandra June McCollister

Assistant Professor, Art Education

Southwest Texas University

San Marcos, TX

Claudette Morton*

Director

Rural Education Center

Western Montana College

Dillon, MT

Nancy Norwood

Media Arts Instructor

Minnesota Center for Arts Education

Golden Valley, MN

Barry Oreck*

Director of In-School Programs

Arts Connection

New York, NY

Nancy Pistone

Arts Education Consultant

Pittsburgh, PA

Theresa Purcell

President

National Dance Association

Dance/Physical Education Specialist

Brunswick Acres Elementary School

Kendall Park, NJ

Janice Ross

Dance Lecturer

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Nancy Roucher

Co-Director

Florida Institute for Art Education

Sarasota, FL

Laura Gardner Salazar

President

American Alliance for Theatre 

Education

Professor of Theatre

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, MI

Will Schmid

President

Music Educators National Conference

Professor/University of WisconsinMilwaukee

Milwaukee, WI

Laurel Serleth

Drama Specialist

Evanston Schools District 65

Evanston, IL

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________________________

*Arts subgroup leaders.
Scott Shuler*

Arts Education Consultant

Connecticut Department of Education

Hartford, CT

Suzanne Shull

Music Teacher

Ridgeview Middle School

Atlanta, GA

Ruth Ann Teague

Music Teacher

Arthur P. Milton Elementary School

Gary, IN

Cheryl Tibbals*

Director of Assessment Administration

New Standards Project

Oakland, CA

Jorja Turnipseed

Professor of Music Education

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, MS

Willie Anthony Waters

Conductor

Miami, FL

Advisors to Planning and

Steering Committees

Paul Lehman

Senior Associate Dean

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI

Brent Wilson

Professor

Penn State University

University Park, PA

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Project Staff

Ramsay Selden

Project Director

Council of Chief State School Officers

Washington, DC

Frank Philip

Consensus Coordinator

Council of Chief State School Officers

Washington, DC

Jon Quam

Project Advisor

Council of Chief State School Officers

Washington, DC

Ed Roeber

Project Advisor

Council of Chief State School Officers

Washington, DC

Bonnie Verrico

Administrative Assistant

Council of Chief State School Officers

Washington, DC

Project Officer

Mary Crovo

Assistant Director for Test Development

National Assessment Governing Board

Washington, DC

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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________________________

*Arts subgroup leaders.
Subcontractors

Graham Down

President

Council for Basic Education

Washington, DC

Stephanie Soper

Program Manager

Council for Basic Education

Washington, DC

Ruth Mitchell

Assessment Consultant

Washington, DC

Robert Orrill

Executive Director, Academic Affairs

The College Board

New York, NY

Carol Myford

Research Scientist/ETS

Consultant/The College Board

Princeton, NJ

Joan Peterson

California Department of Education

Consultant/The College Board

Sacramento, CA

Dennis Palmer Wolf

Executive Director/PACE

Harvard University

Consultant/The College Board

Consultant/Council for Basic Education

Cambridge, MA

Liaisons for Funding Organizations

Doug Herbert

Director, Arts in Education Program

National Endowment for the Arts

Washington, DC

Mary Ann Stankiewicz

Consultant/The Getty Center for

Education in the Arts

Assistant Vice President for

Academic Affairs

Ringling School of Art and Design

Sarasota, FL

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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CHAPTER ONE

THE ARTS IN U.S. EDUCATION

THE IMPORTANCE OF NAEP TO ARTS EDUCATION

This is an important moment for U.S. culture. The arts are becoming part of the national 

vision of what all students should know and be able to do. The evidence is clear:

National standards for student achievement have been developed in the arts in a 

process that paralleled the standards discussions being held in mathematics, 

language arts, science, history, and other areas. 

The standards process, while demanding, has generated important discussion and 

debate about which art forms, what kind of knowledge, and what skills in the arts 

are important for all students. 

The Governing Board—with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, 

an independent federal agency, in collaboration with the Getty Center for 

Education in the Arts, a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust—commissioned the 

development of this framework for a planned national assessment of student 

performance in the arts in 1997. The present document, the framework, sets out 

for the educational community and the public the scope of what will be included 

and how the arts will be assessed.

The framework process was a bold one. Pushing beyond the limits of the arts and 

music assessments of the l970s, this framework calls for the inclusion of theatre 

and dance as well. This work led to lively discussions of the importance of design 

and the media arts. 

Such recognition brought not only long-awaited satisfaction, but also responsibility. 

Faced with the significant opportunity to create an assessment solely about learning in the

arts, the steering and planning committees met the challenge with a proposed assessment 

that is, at once, feasible, fair, and wise. The vision for the assessment—this framework—

has two noticeable characteristics. First, the committees have wrestled with the difficult 

central issues of arts education. Second, they have proposed a plan that would recognize 

vision in the face of current practice. 

The process for the NAEP Arts Education Framework is founded on a vision of a society 

that believes the arts are essential to every child’s complete development. Throughout 

their lives, they will draw from artistic experience and knowledge as a means of 

understanding what happens both inside and outside their own skin, just as they use 

mathematical, scientific, historical, and other frameworks for understanding. They are not

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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expected to become talented artists. The expectation is that they will experience enough 

of the discipline, challenge, and joy of creating in different art forms to intimately 

understand the human significance of dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts. 

The NAEP Arts Assessment helps to realize this vision. Assessment has the unique ability

to fix attention in education. “What you test is what you get”—and its corollary, “you 

don’t get what you don’t test”—are well proved in our educational system. As the only 

national assessment in the United States, where our radically decentralized education 

system resists the comprehensive national examinations found in other countries, NAEP 

assessments are noticed when results are published biennially. 

A group of art teachers once asked Alan Sandler, an architect long involved with 

education, “So why do we have to assess at all? We know our students’ work. What’s the 

point?” Sandler replied, “Good assessment is like good architecture. It directs people’s 

attention and their activity in worthwhile ways.” 

NAEP does not assess students individually or report individual student results; instead, it

reports on student achievement in general in a subject area. NAEP results show, for 

example, that students can handle the mechanics of writing fairly well, but do not express

ideas persuasively; that they are reasonably proficient at routine computations, but do not 

perform well in applying mathematical concepts; and that their knowledge of history 

seems to leave them without a firm sense of chronology. The information provided by 

NAEP has had a discernible effect on the present educational reform. Having an arts 

assessment included in NAEP makes an important statement about the need for all 

children in our country to obtain the special benefits of learning that only the arts provide.

THE ROLE OF ARTS EDUCATION

The standards, public attention, and this framework itself together make a statement 

about the role of the arts in U.S. education: They are as basic as literacy and numeracy. 

They are basic because they bestow meaning on the world through movement, sound, 

color, and gesture—nonverbal systems of communication essential to understanding. We 

as human beings shape our world by transforming the activities of the physical body into 

meaning that defines human experience.

The arts are basic in a purely educational sense. They are essential to education reform 

because they give meaning to learning. They are an important vehicle for learning the 

skills so prized by reformers in both the education and business communities—problem 

solving, higher-order thinking, flexibility, persistence, and cooperation. The arts make 

schools better places to be, places where acceptance and encouragement foster growth. 

Students who learn to value the discipline of the arts equip themselves for challenges in 

work and in life.

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However, to value the arts as basic and as instrumental to learning other things is to sell 

them short. Through music, dance, theatre, and the visual arts, students become part of 

the human heritage of creativity. Through the arts, we touch transcendence and go beyond

the mundane and the practical to the eternal and ideal. Participation itself expands the 

boundaries of the arts, so that every student—every person—who produces, performs, or 

responds is adding to the body of artistic wealth. This is the power of the arts: a sense of 

contributing to an eternal conversation reaching backward and forward beyond time. 

No child in a U.S. school should be deprived of the opportunity to see, hear, touch, and 

understand the accumulated wisdom of our artistic heritage, and to make his or her own 

contributions through productions and performances. Education can no longer be defined 

without the arts.

THE SHAPE OF THE ARTS EDUCATION NAEP

When the framework development process began in early 1993, an issues paper posed a 

series of questions. Answers that were forged out of a year of spirited discussion and 

thoughtful consideration are provided to the most important of those questions.

• How can the NAEP Arts Assessment combine realism and vision? The task of 

designing an arts assessment is complicated by the fact that currently the arts are 

often a marginal experience for students at the elementary and middle school levels 

and are an elective subject in high school. In addition, many schools have cut arts 

education to the bone: It is occasional, rarely involves dance or theatre, and seldom 

combines in-school and out-of-school arts experiences. In some cases—in arts magnet

schools or schools that have elected to use the arts to motivate learning—arts 

education is abundant. Given this disparity of opportunity, how is it possible to design

a national assessment for all students?

This question was a point of concern and discussion for a year. Throughout the NAEP 

framework process, the committees struggled with the tension between “what is” and 

“what ought to be.” Should only those programs that predominate in many schools be 

assessed? To do so would omit dance, theatre, and in some cases elementary arts 

instruction altogether. On the other hand, should we assess as if all children continually 

studied dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts beginning in kindergarten, and 

specialized in at least one art form in their high school years? To assess only on this 

assumption would risk frustration, since NAEP takes a representative sample of students 

from various types of schools and school populations across the country.

We need to know both kinds of information. Both are essential for understanding the 

“fit,” or what is happening in the schools today, and the “gap,” or how far students’ 

abilities and knowledge are from the ideal. The information gained from the NAEP Arts 

Education Assessment will indicate where arts education needs to be strengthened and 

extended so future students can fully realize their potential.

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• What is the model of arts learning that will inform the kinds of exercises and examples

developed for the assessment? Traditionally, only production and performance have 

been assessed, but many teachers, scholars, and artists would argue that there is an 

important place for aesthetics and for the social, cultural, and historical contexts of 

art. However, given this more diversified notion of artistic understanding, are these 

skills considered separable or integrated? Any assessment design will portray and 

broadcast an image of arts education.

The NAEP framework process and the National Standards have framed a vision of arts 

education that integrates the aesthetic, social, cultural, and historical contexts of the arts 

with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in the arts. Skills are not 

considered as separable, and it has been decided to report the achievement of students as 

a whole according to the various artistic processes, not on separate scales for isolated 

knowledge or technical skills. The image of arts education portrayed by the NAEP Arts 

Education Assessment is as close to a vision of the arts as basic, unified, and pervasive as

practically possible.

• What methods of assessment should be used? Portfolios, performances, written 

responses, interviews, and observations can and have been a part of assessment 

programs. But they are more costly and labor intensive than multiple-choice and 

short-answer questions. What kind of design decisions does this lead to? 

Many arts educators worry that an assessment of the arts will artificially quantify those 

essential aspects of the arts that seem unquantifiable—inspiration, imagination, and 

creativity. This framework has been designed to honor the essential aspects of the arts as 

much as is compatible with the constraints of funding and time available in schools for 

the NAEP assessment.

All advocates of arts education can take considerable comfort in the fact that 

longstanding assessments used by the arts—portfolios and performances—are now being 

adopted by other disciplines. Artists have always selected their works for portfolios and 

assessed their own work as they did so. Juries, panels, and audiences have always 

assessed performing artists. Therefore, the problem does not involve protecting the arts 

from inappropriate testing techniques, but extending the legitimate use of portfolios and 

performance measures beyond the theatre, the concert hall, the studio, and the individual 

classroom to the national level. 

Performance assessments (the generic term for the class of assessments that is beginning 

to augment and, in some instances, replace conventional paper-and-pencil, machinescorable tests) have a long history in assessing the arts. It is entirely appropriate for the 

NAEP Arts Assessment to continue to move national assessments forward, much as they 

did by using many performance exercises in the 1970s NAEP visual arts and music 

assessments.

Consequently, the Assessment consists largely of multiple, related exercises organized 

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around an activity. For example, in a theatre exercise, a group of students might assume 

characters and act out a scene from a story they have read or heard. This is a production 

exercise. Then they may respond individually in writing to open-ended questions about 

what they might change in their characters if they could do the scene again and why they 

would make those changes. The students might also respond to multiple-choice items 

asking them to identify elements of the scene. Questions and multiple-choice items 

should always be embedded in an exercise and not administered in isolation. The 

production exercise and the open-ended and multiple-choice items would all be scored 

separately.

The significant knowledge and skills unique to each domain are embedded in an exercise 

in a way that clearly shows their application or use. Students might be asked to perform a 

movement typical of a traditional dance and thus to show by posture, alignment, and 

movement that the student knows and can apply the form and cultural context of the 

dance.

A special study was proposed to explore the use of portfolios. An existing successful 

national assessment using portfolios is the Advanced Placement Studio Art Portfolio 

Evaluation, which shows feasibility for such an assessment. However, the committees 

decided that the financial resources of the assessment would be better used in gathering 

information across the widest possible range of arts education than on an expensive and 

smaller portfolio project. 

• Should the definition be cut so sharply into four strands? What place, for instance, 

will be made for design and for media arts—courses that enroll many students and 

that link the arts to important fields like communication and industry? And what about

the interdisciplinary nature of much artistic work: musical theatre; architecture; and 

the writing, design, and illustration of books? 

The inclusion of all four strands—dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts—in the 

assessment is already a step forward. Design and media arts are included as integral parts 

of these strands. A special study was proposed to explore the interdisciplinary nature of 

the arts by answering important questions about the problems interdisciplinary work 

poses: Where can you find truly interdisciplinary action (as opposed to layers of separate 

disciplines) and how can it be assessed?

• Whose art? A Mark Morris performance folded country-western music and clog 

dancing into forms and sequences that owe much to George Balanchine and Martha 

Graham. An audience would understand the stark costumes and pale faces of a Paula 

Jossa Jones piece more fully if they had seen and thought about Asian performance 

forms like butto theatre. These are only two of countless illustrations that 

contemporary American arts use to understand and borrow work that comes from 

world cultures and from all quadrants of American life. If this is to be a national 

assessment, how can its samples and requests reflect not only the diversity of children 

taking the assessment, but also the pluralism that American culture exhibits?

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The samples of possible stimulus materials will demonstrate the commitment of the 

NAEP Arts Framework process to embracing the pluralism that enriches our national arts.

The largest possible range of the arts has been recommended as the field from which 

assessments can be designed.

• Who will be sampled for the assessment? Will learning about the arts be assessed 

wherever it occurs, or only if students have had formal arts classes? How will students

who play in garage bands or who attend dance academies outside of school be 

identified and assessed?

A third special study (the two others were special studies of interdisciplinary learning in 

the arts and portfolios) was proposed to look at the accomplishments of students in 

special programs such as arts magnet schools and districts with exemplary regular arts 

education programs. The nature and extent of student learning in the arts is gleaned from 

contextual questions that are factored into the information gained from the assessment 

itself when the NAEP results are reported.

• Learning and production in the arts require time. Dancers and musicians must warm 

up before performing, visual artists may need to mix paints, actors must think 

themselves into character. How will it be possible to examine student performance in 

various aspects of an arts discipline (for example, performing, choreography, 

response to performance, or criticism) in ways that are safe and valid? 

The framework recommends to the designers of the NAEP assessments that the nature of 

the arts should be the guiding factor in specifying the shape and length of the 

assessments. It is expected that time for preparation and warmup will be allowed in 

addition to the time spent in production exercises and answering open-ended questions.

The task of constructing a NAEP assessment in arts education is both simple and 

complex. It is simple because there is apparent substantial agreement about the purposes 

of an arts education as a result of the discussions and deliberations in the standards 

development and the NAEP framework process. On the other hand, it is complex because

of the difficulty in constructing an assessment that accurately appraises student 

achievement on a national level with all the variables of experience and environment, and

delivers it in a timely, cost-efficient manner. 

For some, the NAEP Arts Assessment will be too soft; for others, it will be too hard. For 

some, it will go too far; for others, not far enough. Such is the nature of a process that 

strives for consensus (agreement at certain levels of acceptance) rather than absolute 

agreement (a process that builds from a broad base of national input). 

As a large-scale national assessment, NAEP can accomplish certain goals in 

understanding what K–12 students know and can do in a way that no other assessment 

can. It has a special role to play in its ability to define and refine an essence of knowledge

and experience in the arts from the rich and diverse array of possibility. But NAEP cannot

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and should not be the sole assessment of arts education. Nor should it be thought of as the

standard-by-standard measuring instrument for the voluntary National Standards. Many 

of the standards will have to be examined in other assessment formats over a longer 

duration than is possible with NAEP. However, it is one significant and unique measure 

that takes its place beside important work going on in many states, universities, private 

organizations, local districts, and classrooms. 

During the course of framework development, the committees examined large-scale 

assessments from other countries, including Australia, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and

Scotland. Much has been learned about the challenges in dealing with these complex 

subjects and the ways in which they might be assessed using authentic and valid means.

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CHAPTER TWO

THE CONTENT AND PROCESSES OF THE ARTS

Because the assessment depends on a precise definition of what students should know 

and be able to do, this chapter first defines the processes and content of the arts in general

and then lists the content and processes specific to each of the arts disciplines.

DEFINITIONS

As defined by both this assessment framework and the voluntary National Standards, arts

education refers to dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts. The committees also felt it 

was important to include within these categories functional design areas such as 

architecture, industrial design, graphic design, and the media arts. In the discussion 

below, it is assumed that all four of the arts disciplines are included. It is also assumed 

that the processes and the content identified are applied in combination and are always 

integrated at various levels.

PROCESSES

Creating refers to generating original art. This may include, but should not be limited to, 

the expression of a student’s unique and personal ideas, feelings, and responses in the 

form of a visual image, a character, a written or improvised dramatic work, or the 

composition or improvisation of a piece of music or a dance.

Performing/interpreting means performing an existing work—a process that calls on the 

student’s interpretive or re-creative skills. Typically, performing an existing work does 

not apply to the visual arts, where reproducing an artist’s existing work is not central. 

However, it does suggest the engagement and motivation involved in creating a work of 

art.

Responding includes many varieties, including an audience member’s response to a 

performance and the interactive response between a student and a particular medium. The

response is usually a combination of affective, cognitive, and physical behavior. 

Responding involves a level of perceptual or observational skill; a description, analysis, 

or interpretation on the part of the respondent; and sometimes a judgment or evaluation 

based on criteria that may be self-constructed or commonly held by a group or culture. 

Responding calls on higher-order thinking and is central to the creative process. Although

a response is usually thought of as verbal (oral or written), responses can and should also 

be conveyed nonverbally or in the art forms themselves. Major works of art in all 

traditions engage artists in a dialogue that crosses generations.

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CONTENT

Two major components of learning are expected of students who study the arts. Students 

should gain knowledge and understanding about the arts, including the personal, 

historical, cultural, and social contexts for works; and they should gain perceptual, 

technical, expressive, and intellectual/reflective skills. Both components are found in each

arts discipline.

When students use the artistic processes of creating, performing, and responding, they 

draw from various kinds of knowledge and understanding about the arts to construct 

meaning. Students need to be able to place the arts in broader contexts to fully appreciate 

their significance. These contexts include a personal perspective, an understanding of 

how the arts fit into the students’ immediate society and broader culture, and a historical

perspective. Students need knowledge of aesthetics to understand varied concepts and 

philosophies of the nature, meaning, and intrinsic value of the arts that people from 

different cultures and periods have formulated and held. Students also need to know 

about and understand the different forms of expression, the structure of each, and the 

various technical processes by which art forms can be created. 

The acquisition and application of skills determine the quality of the learning experience. 

Without the necessary skills, creating, performing, and responding cannot take place. 

Perceptual skills are needed to collect the sensory stimuli and discern nuance. Technical 

skills are needed to produce the work with quality. Expressive skills are needed to add a 

unique and personal nature to the work. Intellectual/reflective skills are needed to test 

different creative possibilities, solve artistic problems, refine one’s work, and help each 

student consider the arts thoughtfully and beyond superficial qualities. 

Throughout the processes of creating, performing, and responding in the arts, students are

called on to apply knowledge and skills simultaneously. Knowledge and skills rarely 

function in isolation; one implies the other. Few important artistic behaviors are entirely 

based on knowledge, and arguably, none involve only skills. A skill cannot be mastered in

the absence of relevant knowledge. Skills and techniques (knowing how) are infused with

creating, performing, and responding. Students involved in these processes not only gain 

knowledge about the arts, but they also learn through and within the arts. Similarly, 

students use this knowledge of aesthetics and history as they create, perform, or respond 

in the arts. More knowledge is often gained as students engage in artistic processes. 

The framework provides a general vision for the four arts disciplines and the flexibility to

accommodate differences among them. Each discipline fits into the grand scheme of the 

framework, preserving the distinguishing characteristics of each medium.

For example, teachers and artists working in the visual arts place a high value on 

firsthand creative expression and response to visual media, but often give lower priority 

to the performance or duplication of existing art. Music education, on the other hand, has 

typically placed great emphasis on the performance of existing music and on students’ 

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responses to performance and through the performance. K–12 music education programs 

historically have minimized their emphasis on students’ original musical compositions. 

Theatre views creating and performing as a combined act, and views the response of the 

audience, director, actors, and designers to the work as integral to the development of a 

performance. For dance, the processes of creation, performance, and critical evaluation of

the work, while all present, often merge. 

Exhibit 1 illustrates each art discipline’s approach to the common framework. Each cell 

represents a subscale in which results may be reported. The columns will be summarized 

to report a comprehensive score for each arts area.

Exhibit 1. The framework matrix 

CONTENT SPECIFIC TO EACH OF THE FOUR ARTS

DANCE

Dance incorporates creation, performance, and response. When actively involved in these

processes, students not only learn about dance, but they also learn through and within

dance. Dance skills and technique weave throughout the processes of creating, 

performing, and responding. Students use and apply knowledge of different dance forms 

and styles (aesthetics) along with personal, social, cultural, and historical contexts 

whether they are creating, performing, or responding. 

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The following framework depicts the expectations of dance education.

Dance Assessment Framework

Arts Processes in Dance

Creating—When creating in dance, students:

 Invent solutions to movement problems, generating and selecting from 

alternatives.

 Follow improvisational and compositional structures.

 Collaborate to achieve solutions.

Performing—When performing in dance, students:

 Accurately recall and reproduce movement.

 Demonstrate physical technique. 

 Communicate through movement (expression).

Responding—When perceiving, analyzing, interpreting, critiquing, and judging 

dance, students:

 Identify compositional elements and notice details.

 Identify contexts (stylistic, cultural, social, historical) of the dance.

 Make informed critical observations about the dance’s and the dancer’s 

technical and artistic components.

Based on Specific Content From Dance

Knowledge—Students apply knowledge of: Skills—Students apply cognitive, affective,

and motor skills, including:

Context: 

• Personal

• Social

• Cultural

• Historical

Aesthetics

Form and Structure

Processes

Perceptual

Intellectual/Reflective

Expressive

Technical

Creating in Dance 

Students must have the ability to create dance and to express their understanding through 

the language of movement. To convey ideas and feelings, students make use of 

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movement and elements of choreography. They reveal in their dances insights into 

themselves, their social and cultural worlds, and their concepts of nature and the arts. 

Through a knowledge of vocabulary and compositional structures, students are able to 

collaborate with others in shared expression and the creation of dance.

Performing Dance 

Dance uses the human body as both an instrument and a thinking medium. Students 

progressively develop dance knowledge, skills, techniques, and responses that allow them

to use their bodies with confidence, success, and insight. Physical skills in dance include 

coordination, agility, flexibility, balance, strength, and control of movement. Through 

dance, students gain spatial awareness, bodily awareness, musicality, and an increased 

ability to observe and refine movement. Dance also fosters an awareness of historical, 

cultural, and stylistic elements involved in the creation and performance of movement. In

dance, the cognitive, motor, and affective domains operate interdependently and 

simultaneously. Students apply intellectual skills throughout the process of creating and 

performing. 

Responding to Dance

Responding to dance must include the vital dimension of experiencing, knowing, and 

thoughtfully interpreting dance. Whether responding to one’s own dance or to the dance 

of others, students should develop new levels of understanding, insight, and perceptual 

acuity as a consequence of interacting with dance.

Knowledge and Skills

In dance, knowledge and skills are inextricably connected. Students combine both 

attributes to express themselves through movement and to create dance works that exist 

always within larger cultural contexts. Likewise, knowledge about dance is often learned 

through the act and skill of dancing.

The content for dance integrates knowledge and skills. It includes the use of a movement 

and verbal vocabulary to compose and describe dance. Students are expected to know and

use dance forms and structures and to be able to apply effective criteria in the critique of 

dance.

MUSIC

Music is a form of artistic expression communicated through the medium of sound. 

Music processes include creating (composing and improvising), performing (playing, 

singing, and conducting), and responding (listening, moving, analyzing, and critiquing). 

Music uses a unique set of symbols. Performance of music demands the integrated 

development of intellectual/cognitive, feeling/affective, and psychomotor skills.

The student expectations for music are illustrated in the following framework.

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Music Assessment Framework

Arts Processes for Music

Creating—When improvising, composing, or arranging music, students:

 Apply historical, cultural, and aesthetic understanding by creating stylistically

appropriate alterations, variations, and improvisations.

 Use standard and/or nonstandard notation to express original ideas.

 Evaluate, refine, and revise successive versions of original work. 

 Demonstrate skill and expressiveness in the choice and use of musical 

elements.

 Present the created work for others.

Performing—When singing or playing music with musical instruments, students:

 Select appropriate repertoire.

 Apply skill by performing with technical accuracy.

 Develop an appropriate and expressive interpretation by applying 

understanding of structure and cultural and historical contexts of music.

 Read musical notation accurately.

 Evaluate, refine, and revise the performance.

 Present the performance for others.

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Responding—When perceiving, analyzing, interpreting, critiquing, and judging music, 

students:

 Select repertoire for listening.

 Analyze the elements and structure of music.

 Compare and contrast various musical styles.

 Identify formal and expressive qualities that distinguish a particular style of 

music.

 Place music within its cultural and historical context.

 Make critical judgments about technical and expressive qualities of musical 

performances and compositions.

 Use movement or words to interpret and describe personal responses to 

music.

Based on Specific Content in Music

Knowledge—Students apply knowledge of: Skills—Students apply cognitive, affective,

and motor skills, including:

Context: 

• Personal

• Social

• Cultural

• Historical

Aesthetics

Form and Structure

Processes

Perceptual

Intellectual/Reflective

Expressive

Technical

Creating

In music, performers are creative when interpreting a piece of music. However, for 

purposes of this assessment framework, creating refers specifically to improvising and 

composing new music. When improvising, musicians spontaneously create an original 

work or variation within certain limits or guidelines established by the particular style in 

which they are performing. For example, a person improvising in the blues operates 

creatively within the limits of the blues style. When composing music, students usually 

have the freedom to create what their imagination dictates, including the choice of any 

style or genre. Students should also have time to evaluate and revise their work before 

presenting it to the public.

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Performing/Interpreting

All students should be able to sing and to perform on instruments. For purposes of the 

national assessment, performing refers to the process of singing and playing existing 

musical works (repertoire). The performing process involves a wide variety of critical 

judgments and sophisticated understanding of musical syntax to develop an interpretation

and a performance of that interpretation. As with all the arts, students are constantly 

applying and exercising higher order thinking, such as analyzing, synthesizing, and 

evaluating, while creating and performing music.

Responding

Although composers and performers respond to the music they are creating and 

performing, for purposes of NAEP the response process focuses on the role of the 

audience. Composers, improvisers, and performers always seek to elicit a response from 

their audience. Students therefore must learn to understand and respond to music.

Individuals respond to music in three general ways: physically, intellectually, and 

emotionally. Physical responses to music involve movement, such as dance or other 

rhythmic movement. Intellectual responses to music include activities such as labeling, 

analyzing, classifying, placing a work within a particular context, and making critical 

judgments about a work or performance. Emotional responses are the wide range of 

affect. All three types of responses play an essential role in making individual judgments 

about music.

The Artistic Process of Music as a Whole

NAEP will assess students’ ability to carry out the processes—creating, performing, and 

responding—each of which consists of several essential components or steps. For 

example, all three processes involve analyzing and evaluating. These three processes also

require students to understand the syntax of music as well as cultural and historical 

contexts.

Knowledge and Skills

As with all the arts, knowledge and skills in music are so closely intertwined that it is 

nearly impossible to separate them.

Music knowledge includes the contexts of music, the form and structure of music, and the

musical processes. Knowing musical context includes understanding the historical period,

style, and culture in which a work is created; the performance traditions of that time or 

place; and the appropriate aesthetic criteria for judging the quality of the work and its 

performance.

Knowing form and structure includes understanding the building blocks of music: the 

materials, notations, elements, and forms of musical works. Knowing musical processes 

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includes understanding the sequence and criteria for judgments involved in developing a 

new work, performing an existing work, or developing an opinion about a work or 

performance heard.

Music skills enable individuals to apply what they know by creating, performing, or 

responding to music. Technique is students’ physical ability to transform their musical 

ideas into new creations or performances that accurately convey those ideas. Although 

technique is important to the processes of creating and performing, other skills are 

equally important. Perceptual skills enable the student to hear and interpret the details 

that make up music. These skills allow students to recall music in the mind even when it 

is not aurally present. Expressive skills give the work the meaning and feeling that moves

the listener. Such skills also provide the basis for recognizing and responding to 

expression when it is present in a work or performance.

THEATRE

Theatre is rooted in religious festival and the universal impulse of humans to play, 

imitate, create, and share ideas and feelings. Much of the joy of the theatre lies in 

bringing together diverse people, ideas, and artists in the interaction of production 

elements, performers, and the audience. A social art form, theatre reveals both the human 

condition and the human experience. It transports players and audiences through time and

space.

In theatre, creating and performing are so closely related that the assessment will 

combine creating and performing as the framework below suggests.

Theatre Assessment Framework

Arts Processes for Theatre

Creating/Performing—When creating and performing in theatre, students:

 Develop scripts and scenarios.

 Develop characters through an acting process.

 Make design and technical choices to communicate locale and mood for 

dramatic material for theatre, film, and television.

 Direct by interpreting dramatic texts and organizing time and people in 

planning and rehearsing improvised and scripted scenes.

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Creating/Performing—When creating and performing in theatre, students:

 Develop scripts and scenarios.

 Develop characters through an acting process.

 Make design and technical choices to communicate locale and mood for 

dramatic material for theatre, film, and television.

 Direct by interpreting dramatic texts and organizing time and people in 

planning and rehearsing improvised and scripted scenes.

Responding—When perceiving, analyzing, interpreting, critiquing, and judging 

works in theatre, students:

 Describe and analyze artistic choices in their own work and construct 

meaning.

 Describe and compare elements, styles, genre, media, and dramatic literature.

 Place work in context (personal, social, historical, and cultural).

 Evaluate performances as audience and critic.

Based on Specific Content From Theatre

Knowledge—Students apply knowledge of: Skills—Students apply cognitive, affective,

and motor skills, including:

Context: 

• Personal

• Social

• Cultural

• Historical

Aesthetics

Form and Structure

Processes

Perceptual

Intellectual/Reflective

Expressive

Technical

Creating and Performing

Different theatre processes call for different creative processes. All call for imaging, 

conceiving, and generating. In addition, playwriting requires the use of the first three 

processes to create character, story, and dialogue. Acting calls for discovering and 

developing emotion and circumstances for a character. Designing calls for discovering, 

developing, and organizing an environment. To direct, students must analyze a script and 

develop an interpretation by organizing the time, place, spaces, and rhythms of a 

production. Creating in filmmaking and television demands the development and 

organization of the elements of theatre as well as the special elements of the medium.

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Performing is central to theatre studies. Performing is the evidence of creating; it is the 

process viewed and heard by an audience. Performing is a highly complex collaborative 

activity in which the performer is aware of the audience and responds and adjusts the 

performance accordingly. The ways of learning demanded by performance are equally 

complex, requiring the interplay of all the processes noted in creating. Performing is 

impossible to assess through any means other than the processes themselves.

Responding

Responding refers to students’ reactions both as spectators to others’ work and when 

reflecting on their own work. They respond to outside artists and performers and those in 

their own school. They examine artistic choices in ideas, stories, scripts, designs, and 

actions by explaining, describing, clarifying, comparing, and evaluating. They apply their

knowledge of the theatre and their analytical skills to determine which elements are 

successful in a performance. However, responding in theatre is more than analysis; it 

involves emotional and intuitive behaviors as well. Students become responsive audience 

members of theatrical performances, films, and television presentations. They recognize a

variety of theatrical genres and styles and identify and compare them in theatre, film, and 

television. They reflect on how theatre creates meaning in their lives and in the lives of 

others now and in the past. Students describe the role and influence of theatre, film, and 

television in their lives and relate the impact of theatre and television in their locality, in 

their nation, and in the world.

Knowledge

Knowledge means knowing about the art of theatre—its historical, cultural, social, and 

personal contexts; its forms and structure; how it creates meaning; and its aesthetic 

qualities. Students understand the literary, visual, aural, oral, kinesthetic, and 

psychological aspects of a theatrical event. They are able to engage in self-criticism and 

consider form, structure, contexts, and aesthetic responses.

Skills

Skills are the abilities associated with the technical, perceptual, and expressive processes 

of theatre. This category includes activities such as creating a text, acting, staging, 

designing, and articulating a response. Abilities to create, perform, and respond in the 

theatre are predicated on the application of both knowledge and skills simultaneously.

VISUAL ARTS

The visual arts are rightly described in the plural; at their broadest and most interesting, 

they include forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, folk art, and the 

decorative arts. They also embrace new media (film, photography, computer imaging, and

video) and functional design areas such as architecture, industrial design, and graphic 

design. Under the influence of media, conceptual, and performance arts, the visual arts 

are increasingly about the realization of ideas in formats that are simultaneously visual, 

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spatial, and temporal. The visual arts enable students to reflect on what they inherit from 

past and present world cultures.

In the NAEP Assessment Framework for Arts Education and related documents, the term 

“design” is often used in conjunction with “visual arts” because of an important 

distinction that has to do with functionality. The framework’s particular use of the term 

“design” refers to ways of thinking, problem-solving strategies, and criteria for 

evaluation commonly applied by graphic designers, industrial designers, architects, and 

filmmakers in which concern for function and user/audience characteristics are as 

important as self-expression and aesthetic dimensions. This distinction adds emphasis to 

those aspects of visual arts that surround us but are often not considered products of 

legitimate artists. Rather than fragmenting the field, the emphasis can add to a full and 

robust understanding of the effects of visual arts in our everyday life.

This use of the term “design” should not be confused with the visual composition or 

organization of elements and “principles of design” in a work of art. In describing this 

latter concept, the document uses the terminology “principles of visual organization.”

The framework below illustrates the vision for visual arts education.

Visual Arts Assessment Framework

Arts Processes for the Visual Arts

Creating—When creating works of art and design, students define, invent, select, 

represent, create, and reflect:

 Subjects, themes, problems, and ideas that reflect knowledge and 

understanding of context and values (personal, social, cultural, and historical) 

and aesthetics.

 Visual, spatial, and temporal concepts in planning works of art and design.

 Form, media, techniques, and processes to achieve “goodness of fit” with the 

intended meaning or function.

 Preliminary or formative ideas (sketches, models, etc.) before final execution.

 A product that reflects ongoing thoughts, actions, and new directions.

 Relationships between process and product, personal direction, and 

application of concepts learned to daily life.

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Responding—Students describe, analyze, interpret, evaluate, articulate, and apply:

 Content, form, context, and aesthetics.

 Relationships between form and context, form and meaning or function, and 

critical/analytical models through understanding of the works of critics, 

historians, aestheticians, and artists and designers.

 Attitudes and prior knowledge.

 The development of a personal belief system and world view informed by 

experience in the arts.

Based on Specific Content From the Visual Arts

Knowledge—Students apply knowledge of: Skills—Students apply cognitive, affective,

and motor skills, including:

Context: 

• Personal

• Social

• Cultural

• Historical

Aesthetics

Form and Structure

Processes

Perceptual

Intellectual/Reflective

Expressive

Technical

Creating

Creating in the visual arts and areas of functional design involves students in the 

construction and communication of meaning through the making of a tangible object, 

visible performance, or environment. It involves feeling, thinking, and doing. The 

creative process fully integrates the artist’s intuitive and emotional insights to the world 

with rational thought, critical judgment, and the physical and cognitive abilities required 

to make appropriate visual form.

Responding

Responding in the visual arts and design means interpreting works of art or design done 

by other students, other artists and designers, or the students themselves. Responding is 

an interpretive and evaluative behavior that reveals knowledge of how visual form 

communicates meaning. It includes the ability to articulate and formulate judgments. 

Interpretive abilities can be evaluated through oral, written, and visual presentations.

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Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge in the visual arts relates to understanding the meaning of visual form and how

it is conveyed. For example, students must be able to account for the influence of context 

(personal, social, cultural, and historical) on meaning in both creating and responding to 

works of art and design. They explore the content of visual form through examinations of

subject matter, means of representation, media and processes, visual organization, 

composition, and theoretical frameworks (philosophical or aesthetic constructs) for 

creating and interpreting the visual arts. In areas of functional design, knowledge of user 

or audience characteristics is also critical to creating objects and environments that work

—that is, meet performance criteria.

Skills in the visual arts relate to understanding how to construct or interpret meaning in 

visual form. Creating skills include gathering information; analyzing and synthesizing 

experience; generating many visual ideas or solutions; selecting from competing ideas, 

media, or processes; planning and organizing the visual execution of ideas; evaluating 

ideas and form; and applying technical proficiency in the making of visual objects. 

Responding includes many of these skills applied in interpretive contexts. Verbal skills, 

exhibited in oral and written presentations and the construction of convincing arguments, 

are also relevant.

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CHAPTER THREE

DESIRED ATTRIBUTES OF THE ASSESSMENT

Chapter two explained the content of the arts in general and of each art form as it is 

understood for purposes of the NAEP framework. The assessment draws on that content 

for tasks or exercises that take up about 60 minutes of students’ time at grade 4 and 60 to 

90 minutes at grades 8 and 12. The assessment exercises consist mostly of constructed 

responses along with some multiple-choice items. The concept of matrix sampling 

implies that each student who participates in the assessment will do a limited number of 

exercises that contribute a piece of the puzzle. Aggregated, the pieces will form the entire

image of what all students know and can do in the arts.

Some constructed responses ask students to perform using the language of the art form, 

such as dancing a dance, singing a song, acting out an improvised scene, or drawing a 

picture for visual arts. Others will employ short or extended written responses. Typically, 

assessment exercises are designed around stimulus materials where students respond to 

works of art and produce a work of their own.

The conditions described in the following sections govern all assessment exercises.

SAMPLE OF STUDENTS

The sample of students assessed should reflect the general population to provide data on 

the achievements of the nation’s students. In addition, at the middle and high school 

levels (and possibly at the elementary level), students who have pursued a specialized 

area of study, such as instrumental music, should be given the opportunity to demonstrate

the extent to which they have mastered that area of study.

THE AUTHENTICITY OF EXERCISES

Assessment exercises should be as authentic as time and resources permit. In other 

words, if there are several ways to assess the same area of skill and knowledge, students 

should be asked to perform the exercises that most closely parallel the genuine artistic 

behaviors using the appropriate mode of response. For example, the most appropriate 

way to assess students’ singing ability is to have them sing rather than answer written 

questions about singing.

Although the exercises are as authentic as time and resources allow, it is also imperative 

that a national assessment such as NAEP be standardized. This does not suggest that it 

uses all multiple-choice questions, as the word “standardized” has sometimes come to 

mean. Instead, the exercises must offer the same opportunities and the same challenges, 

and should be available in the same circumstances, for all the students assessed. A 

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comparison of students is not possible without standardization. Exercises should be both 

as faithful as possible to artistic learning and standardized in form, content, and context 

for a large number of students.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASSESSMENT EXERCISES

Tasks should be designed to elicit higher order thinking, which may be expressed in 

words but often is best expressed in purely artistic behaviors. Some students whose 

creative achievement is greater than their verbal abilities may score poorly on an arts 

assessment when asked to articulate their artistic understanding in words. Tasks should 

therefore elicit the response in the most appropriate form for determining actual learning.

Tasks should be designed to differentiate between students at both the low and high ends 

of the achievement spectrum. At the low end, it must be possible to measure the 

difference between students with no training and those with some training. At the high 

end, the exercises must provide sufficient richness and depth so that exceptionally 

talented students and those who have pursued in-depth study can demonstrate the extent 

of their accomplishments.

FORMS OF STUDENT RESPONSE USED IN EXERCISES

It is impossible to adequately describe many artistic behaviors in words. Appropriate 

aural, visual, and kinesthetic responses to student performance must therefore be 

developed. However, some components of the artistic process can be expressed in words. 

Obviously, students’ ability to use appropriate dance, musical, dramatic, or visual arts 

vocabulary can be assessed only by asking students to use that vocabulary. Evaluating 

products, performances, and compositions often requires speaking or writing.

EXERCISE FORMATS

The following issues must be considered carefully:

 Performance exercises should be demanding, rigorous, and authentic. They 

should require students to engage in activities typical of the artistic process. 

Assessment exercises should actively involve students as both participants and

audience members with attention to the integration of the artistic processes—

creating, performing, and responding. Students’ knowledge of the arts, the 

skills and techniques they are able to employ, and their understanding of the 

historical, personal, social, and cultural contexts in which the arts exist should 

be embedded and assessed within the framework of the three processes.

 Performance exercises should require students to apply and demonstrate what

they know and are able to do. These performance exercises are to include 

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multiple tasks. In theatre, for example, different students might plan, write, 

develop dialogue, act, design sets, create dramatic material, interpret, and 

critique performances and productions, as well as demonstrate an 

understanding of the role and influence of theatre, film, and electronic media 

in their lives and in other historical, cultural, and social contexts. Open-ended 

questions, requiring students to respond in writing to prompts, should be part 

of the exercises rather than administered in isolation.

STUDENT RESPONSES

Student responses will vary from written explanations and analyses to individual 

performances and group productions, with the latter two dependent on the availability of 

videotape or onsite trained observers. Students will perform exercises in groups and 

individually. Groups will vary in size depending on the demands of the exercise.

The guideline for selecting a mode of response should be the authenticity of the task. 

Does it match what is expected of a performer or respondent in that art form? Are the 

students given an opportunity to show that they can critically appraise a complete piece 

of music, an exhibition of drawings, a dance, or a play?

LENGTH OF PERFORMANCE EXERCISES

Authenticity should be the guideline for this category. Dancers and musicians must warm 

up; painters and designers must think and brainstorm before producing their work; actors 

must set a scene both physically and mentally. NAEP Arts Assessment exercises have 

traditionally been designed to intrude only minimally on a school’s schedule; however, 

intrusiveness can be mitigated by the value of the assessment exercises so that the school,

the teachers, or the students will not resent the time spent on them.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT FOR THE ASSESSMENT

If arts creation and performance are to be properly assessed, appropriate and adequate 

rooms must be provided. When possible, designated school space (art rooms, music 

rooms, dance studios, or areas suitable for theatre) should be used to provide an authentic

environment. If such space is not available, multipurpose areas with room to carry out the

exercises should be used.

RESOURCES

Resources are needed to maintain an authentic environment for assessment. Assessments 

may use audio and video clips to which students could be asked to respond. They may 

need audio and video capacity (tape recorders and video recorders) if performances are to

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be scored offsite. Paper and pencil, art materials, costumes, storyboard formats, and 

microphones may also be required.

ATTRIBUTES OF ASSESSMENT FACILITATORS

Training of facilitators is important in this NAEP assessment. Facilitators who will 

conduct this assessment in the schools must be sensitive to the creative process and must 

possess some understanding of the arts discipline being assessed.

In addition, some representatives of the arts disciplines have requested specific attention 

to the attributes of the facilitators. For dance, a substantial part of learning involves 

understanding and learning movement from live demonstrations. To assess students’ 

knowledge and skills, they must be placed in an authentic dance situation. Videotape 

stimulus materials may not provide enough three-dimensional information for students to 

fully grasp the movement requested of them. It may be important to have a person with 

special dance training administer the assessment.

For theatre, an arts-trained facilitator provides a cooperative, comfortable atmosphere so 

that students do not feel inhibited or hampered in their efforts to create and perform.

In the visual arts, onsite facilitators should be knowledgeable about students, classrooms, 

and the visual arts. Although the administration of the exercises will strive for the greatest

reliability through video, written, photographic, or actual object prompts and stimulus 

presentations, unanticipated situations can best be handled by experienced facilitators. A 

working knowledge of art materials and techniques is desired as well as familiarity with a

broad approach to art education, including production, critical thinking and writing about 

art, historical and social context of art, and the philosophy of art.

SPECIAL STUDIES

The planning and steering committees recommended three special studies to accompany 

the large-scale assessment.

AN EXPLORATION OF INTERDISCIPLINARY ASSESSMENT

This study would have two major objectives: (1) to identify interdisciplinary content in 

the arts that could be a suitable target of the assessment and (2) to see how assessments of

this interdisciplinary content could be planned, developed, and scored. The study could 

have very useful implications for developing assessments that address interdisciplinary 

connections across disciplines in education and for resolving some problems and 

questions involved in such assessments.

First, three kinds of interdisciplinary work must be defined and considered as suitable for 

the NAEP Arts Assessment. Interdisciplinary can mean combining the parts of a single 

arts discipline; for example, combining jazz and classical music or painting and ceramics.

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Interdisciplinary can involve combining disciplines among the arts themselves; for 

example, the production of a music video, which includes all four arts. Finally, 

interdisciplinary can mean a combination of the arts and other subjects, such as studying 

the physics of musical sounds or understanding the importance of art in the social 

structure of Colonial America.

Assessing both the first and third types of interdisciplinary learning requires more 

resources than we can expect for the NAEP Arts Education Assessment (although in the 

future, it might be possible to connect or relate portions of two NAEP assessments; for 

example, the arts and history). We concentrate this proposed special study on the second 

definition, a combination of two or more of the arts disciplines—dance, music, theatre, 

and the visual arts.

The first step of this special study would be to analyze the content of the arts assessment 

(as specified in the framework, content outlines, and standards) to identify those aspects 

of the content that are truly, inherently, and significantly interdisciplinary. It is important 

for interdisciplinary assessments (as well as instruction) to address legitimately 

interdisciplinary topics or issues. Interdisciplinary activities can be conceived 

specifically, but that must be avoided; we must attend to aspects of learning that are truly 

and impartially interdisciplinary. This first step would identify such topics or issues to 

determine and describe the kinds of interdisciplinary work that are present, are important,

and that must be assessed.

Next, a small number of those topics or issues should be selected and plans should be 

developed for how to assess them. A premium should be placed on adherence to the intent

of the topic, issue, or goal. Given its nature, what assessment techniques would be useful 

and appropriate? This determination will help reveal the kinds of responses that are 

needed or appropriate to measure these areas, which is the main purpose of the study. For 

this reason, a range of interdisciplinary topics or issues, and their appropriate assessment 

responses, should be explored.

These plans should then lead to a series of practical trials and considerations. What 

exercises should be administered? How should they be administered? How should they 

be scored? How should scores be attributed to the structural parts of the assessment?

An exercise could be as simple as asking students to assess a piece of music for its 

qualities as music and as stimulus for dance, with sketches of proposed moves for the 

dance. Alternatively, the exercise might be to take a scene from a musical and evaluate 

the contributions of music, dance (or choreographed motion), acting, scene, and costume 

design to the effect.

Such exercises would elicit information of a different order than that focused on a single 

art form. We would be able to judge how evenly the students’ knowledge was spread 

across the art forms (if that is the objective); whether they could apply knowledge and 

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skills across the board; and how they perceived meaning expressed in the facets of the 

scene.

There is little doubt of the potential need and value of such interdisciplinary exercises. 

Developing and scoring them, however, presents unresolved problems. Is it possible to 

write scoring rubrics that are themselves interdisciplinary, or should we use multiple, 

discipline-specific rubrics? Can we do both, thereby leaving open the option to use one 

exercise as the origin of multiple scores? Can we score interdisciplinary exercises with 

any degree of reliability, once we know what the goal is? Do we need to use raters from 

each of the disciplines involved (i.e., four different raters in the case of the opera 

excerpt)?

It is fortunate that difficulties do not imply impossibilities. The findings of a special 

exploratory study on the assessment of interdisciplinary arts learning could yield 

information about how students understand the interdisciplinary aspects of the arts in 

real-life settings. The findings should also inform interdisciplinary assessment and 

encourage cross-disciplinary teaching. This “connecting” technique could also lead to 

economical uses of assessment resources by providing multiple pieces of information 

from a single stimulus.

A PORTFOLIO STUDY

In a sense, portfolio assessment is coming home for arts educators. It is fitting that largescale use of portfolio procedures and principles be tested with the arts. A portfolio is a 

collection of work produced over time and unified by a theme or purpose. For a NAEPlike assessment, the time element causes problems. How are the conditions of collecting 

and maintaining a portfolio to be managed and, for some period of time, to be 

standardized sufficiently to allow for valid comparison?

Nevertheless, portfolios are being used and these problems are being addressed in largescale assessments in writing and mathematics. NAEP, in its writing and reading 

assessments, is experimenting with portfolios of students’ work. In the arts, the Advanced

Placement (AP) Studio Art Portfolio Evaluation asks students to submit collections of 

original works that are then assessed holistically by groups of raters.

One basic form of special study would be a portfolio of drawings or paintings, much like 

the AP Studio Art Portfolio. Size, theme, and deadline specifications would have to be 

determined, and raters would be trained to look for age-appropriate abilities across 

several works as opposed to isolated examples. The key issue for NAEP is how and 

whether portfolio methods can be incorporated as a data collection approach at the 

national level.

Many other kinds of portfolios in the arts are possible; for example, a dancer could record

the development of a suite of dances, a theatre director could keep a portfolio of 

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developments during the production of a play, or a singer could keep an audiotape 

portfolio of his or her performance.

The focus of a portfolio special study would be to explore the feasibility of the 

assessment format for NAEP. Its success would depend on maintaining a delicate balance

between the demands of a standardized assessment and a student’s need for unhampered 

development of ideas.

COMPARING ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMS

The United States is not without exemplary arts education programs. There are excellent 

high schools for the performing arts and elementary schools whose entire instructional 

program is built around the arts. There are also school districts in which all students 

receive regular, sequential arts education taught by qualified arts educators in grades K–

12. What qualities do these programs have that may or may not be present in other 

schools or districts? A special study is proposed to examine and compare student 

performance on the NAEP Arts Education Assessment when students are involved in 

programs with these different levels of resources and implementation.

A special study would select schools and districts that reflect variety in program breadth 

and depth. Students would be given the same assessments as students in matched schools 

that are already part of the national sample. In that way, it would be possible to determine

the effects of special training. Do students know more? Can they apply what they know 

more effectively? By looking at contextual variables, we will also obtain information 

about the effects of different intensities of arts study. 

Due to budget constraints, these three recommended special studies have not been 

conducted.

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION

Contextual information requested at the time of the assessment is essential to 

understanding the results of the national assessment. The planning committee has 

prepared a set of general and specific questions to help profile a school’s educational 

environment and culture. Questions ask about instructional content, instructional 

practices and experiences, teacher characteristics, school conditions and context, 

conditions beyond school, and reporting groups. Typically, NAEP uses three 

questionnaires: one for the student, one for the teacher, and one for the principal. The 

NAEP Arts Assessment includes contextual questionnaires for students and schools.

ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO STUDENTS

These responsibilities include ensuring the physical safety of students—for example, not 

asking them to perform dance movements before being properly warmed up or to 

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undertake theatrical improvisations involving potentially dangerous props or scenery. 

Ethical responsibility also means respecting the ethnic and cultural sensibilities of 

students by choosing topics for assessments that would not be construed as insulting or 

biased against any ethnic, racial, religious, geographic, or cultural group.

The assessment is sensitive to students’ privacy and does not ask them to reveal personal 

information. The assessment provides guidelines for the protection of any student 

videotapes or audiotapes.

ISSUES AND STRATEGIES SPECIFIC TO EACH ART FORM

In addition to this framework, the NAEP Arts Project has developed a series of 

documents that recommend design parameters to the Governing Board. As discussed in 

the introduction, this framework is intended to be a broad description of the proposed 

NAEP Arts Education Assessment, much like an artist’s color rendering of a new building

helps the casual observer visualize the end product.

Likewise, the specifications document is similar to specific blueprints or working 

drawings for the test development contractor. This higher level of specificity and clarity 

was needed to construct the assessment in the second phase of the project in 1994. Thus, 

the following descriptions are broad suggestions about what the assessment looks like in 

the various arts areas. Practitioners seeking more specific and detailed prescriptions as a 

guide in building their own assessments should refer to the specifications document.

DANCE

Standardized assessment of dance provides a unique challenge. First, the art form itself is 

temporal; it leaves few lasting traces and no permanent objects to assess. Second, 

evidence of learning in dance can be particularly difficult to separate from innate ability 

because all children are constantly developing and practicing their instrument—the body. 

Because the child’s body is both an instrument of creating in dance and an everyday 

functional body, a dance assessment must be careful to distinguish between growth and 

learning that is the result of dance training and that which comes from another source. 

Typical physical activities such as sports, self-directed movement improvisation, playing,

and watching and imitating are sources of dancelike behavior that are distinct from 

formal education in creative movement.

Repertoire

Dance has no universally accepted pedagogies or methods for dance education. Because 

so little dance instruction exists in schools, the NAEP Arts Assessment must be extremely

careful to avoid limiting the exercises to a narrow range of styles.

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Use of Videotape

There are two possible applications of video technology in dance. First, videotape may be

a reliable and cost-effective means of recording student responses. Second, videotape 

may be a way to provide a stimulus for the response. However, the use of video presents 

problems that must be addressed. In the collection of data:

The presence of the camera may change student responses.

Subtlety and nuance of behavior may be lost in the translation from three to two 

dimensions.

It is difficult to position video cameras properly to see and record every student 

during the entire exercise.

As a stimulus for student response, video prompts must be of good quality and the 

playback equipment must project an image that can be seen clearly by the students. If 

slides or color reproductions of various dance styles can be used, they would likewise 

need to be of appropriate size to allow individual examination.

Space

The dance assessment will require a quiet space for watching and responding to 

videotapes and a gym or other spacious, well-lighted room free of obstructions for the 

movement exercises.

Time

A substantial period of time is needed to extract a meaningful sample of what students 

know and can do. Two types of assessment exercises combine to present an appropriate 

overview of dance: performance exercise and open-ended, paper-and-pencil tests. A test 

time of 60 minutes for grade 4 and 90 minutes for grades 8 and 12 is preferred. The test 

could combine one performance exercise for creating/performing with open-ended verbal

or response exercises for responding.

Class Design

To put students at ease, the size of the group for movement activities should be no fewer 

than 4 students and no more than 12. Each student should have adequate space to fully 

perform the exercises. The arrangement of students should be changed frequently to 

allow everyone to be observed and to assess student performance independently.

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MUSIC

Repertoire

Assessments in music should include activities that give the students opportunities to 

perform, compose, explain, and express their responses to music. Assessing students’ 

ability to create, perform, and respond to music requires making choices about which 

music to use. Singing, playing, and listening are processes that necessarily involve 

repertoire. One of the great challenges to the developers of a national assessment is to 

select appropriate repertoire.

There is no “canon,” or universal body of musical literature, studied by all students in the 

United States. Developers of NAEP, therefore, cannot assume that all students have 

studied particular musical works. Examples used in the assessment must be drawn from 

the rich musical diversity of the United States and the world.

Because students do not have a common singing or playing repertoire, they must either 

learn a work during the assessment through sight-reading and/or rote imitation or they 

must be allowed to perform a work they already know.

Stimulus Materials

Stimuli for music exercises will be both aural and visual. These stimuli should be 

provided through videotapes, audiotapes, notated music, and other visual formats.

Sources for stimuli include:

High-quality recordings of the suggested repertoire, including commercial 

recordings of a variety of music from across the United States and around the 

world, and recordings and notated examples in standard general music text series.

Visual materials, including still images and video recordings.

Specially recorded examples for the assessment.

Collections of notated repertoire for performance and selective music lists 

developed by professional music educators.

THEATRE

Like dance, theatre is temporal, and the acts of creation and performance are central to 

any assessment in theatre. Therefore, ways must be found either to rate student responses 

as they occur or to record students’ acts of creating and performing so that they can be 

rated fairly later.

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Videotaping

To adequately assess the creating and performing exercises, students need to be 

videotaped under the best conditions possible. There must be enough light so that all 

actions and facial expressions can be captured by the camera. Microphones must be 

placed in ways to pick up all of the sounds. Because many schools do not have complete 

stages or auditoriums, the space required for the exercises should be large and open so 

that students can move unhampered by furniture or architectural barriers. Unless the 

quality of the information and data collected can be otherwise assured, raters with theatre 

education expertise will have to be onsite.

Facilitators

The assessment facilitators must provide a cooperative, comfortable atmosphere so that 

students do not feel inhibited or hampered in their efforts to create and perform. This 

atmosphere can best be created by a theatre educator. At the same time, due to the nature 

of the assessment and the need for reliability, facilitators may not coach the students.

Group Work

Because theatre is a collaborative art form, many of the creating and performing exercises

should be done by groups of students. The size of the group will vary depending on the 

specific exercise.

Stimulus Materials

The choice of stimulus material is especially sensitive in theatre. Some exercises need to 

be culturally neutral so that student responses are not restricted by unfamiliarity with a 

particular style or period of theatre. However, it will be important to provide scripts or 

videos of scenes that are from easily recognizable works.

Electronic Media

In this century, live theatre has been transformed to reach broader audiences through film 

and television productions. Any assessment in theatre should include a strong film and 

electronic media component, recognizing that there are significant differences among live

theatre, film, and electronic media. The assessment exercises in this area should involve 

students in both the similarities and the differences.

VISUAL ARTS

It is important for the physical design of the NAEP Arts Assessment to reflect the creative

process and the nature of the exercises that students are asked to perform. For example, 

art and design activities should encourage students to study the train of thinking (as 

revealed in notes and sketches) for insight, which may alter the direction of their creative 

solution. If the test design does not foster such a review, it is not authentic. A test form 

that allows students to keep the whole process in view is better than a booklet format in 

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which previous responses are covered by turning the page. Likewise, formats must allow 

for sufficient drawing space to encourage detail. In addition, careful decisions must be 

made regarding the proportions of the space in which students will draw or paint, the 

diagrams or visuals chosen to encourage thinking, and the design of typographic prompts 

that move students through the activity.

Because art and design activities carried out in the classroom rely heavily on discussion 

with teachers, the assessment itself must encourage students in the absence of teachers. 

The infusion of prompt questions, visuals, and videotaped demonstrations may simulate 

the role of the teacher in arts instruction. They also could encourage the redesign of 

solutions by staging the introduction of new concepts throughout the design process, thus 

assessing students’ abilities to analyze and evaluate during the creative process.

Assessment exercises for the visual arts can emanate from many sources, such as the 

work of art or design; a problem/theme/issue; cultural/historical contexts; and artists’ selfexpression. Although exercises may begin their focus from one of these orientations, all 

four approaches can assess the same content (subject matter, form, content, media and 

processes, criticism, and aesthetics). Some approaches will be more effective than others 

for certain age groups.

If technically feasible, some of the exercises should be designed as sequential, 

interconnected units that cross grade levels, with some units displaying levels of 

complexity appropriate for more advanced students. Exercises should include a mix and a

balance of creating and responding experiences that engage a wide variety of knowledge 

and skills in studio production, art criticism, art history, and aesthetics. Exercise content 

should be sensitive to equitable representation both in production (i.e., two- and threedimensional work, conventional and nonconventional or inventive media) and in style or 

context (i.e., classical and folk art of all cultures, gender-equitable selections).

Inferring Understanding From Student Responses in the Visual Arts

Students complete exercises that require a range of intellectual, technical, perceptual, and

expressive skills. The analysis of the evidence that results from the performance of those 

skills (i.e., art works, journals, critical writing, process review) enables experts in the 

field to make inferences about the students’ mastery and understanding of the visual arts. 

The content may include personal, social, cultural, historical, and aesthetic contexts; art 

forms and structures; and critical and creative art processes. Because the nature of how 

the data are gathered will be a departure from past NAEP approaches, the validity of 

these inferences is a central issue in assessment. The richness of the data is extremely 

important for an accurate characterization of learning in the visual arts.

Time

Art is a process during which many different kinds of sophisticated and complex 

perceptual, expressive, creative, and technical actions take place. The student needs time 

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to work through these processes. The idea of small-, medium-, and large-sized assessment

blocks works well for the processing needs of visual arts and design.

Raters or Scorers

Scorers will need more advanced levels of experience and understanding than facilitators.

They need to be aware of and have experience in the subtle visual and contextual 

discrimination necessary to rate a creating or responding product. Substantial training in 

and experience with scoring of portfolio-type process materials are essential.

DESIRED EMPHASIS FOR EACH ARTS AREA

Following are recommendations concerning the grade-level distribution of the assessment

exercises across the three artistic processes for each arts discipline. The distribution of 

exercises across the artistic processes will be described in terms of “proportion of the 

exercise pool,” but such proportions are not intended to refer simply to the proportions of 

the total number of exercises in a given category. Simple proportions of exercises are 

problematic because single exercises may vary widely in the amount of time they require 

and the amount of information they yield (especially across, but also within, formats). In 

this document, specifications of “proportion of the exercise pool” correspond to 

proportion of total student time at a particular grade level that would be required if the 

entire grade-level pool could be administered to a single individual. This specification is 

tempered by the understanding that the statistical efficiency of different exercise formats 

may vary. It should not be taken to refer strictly to numbers of exercises in different 

categories.

DANCE

Dance is first and foremost a physical art form. The assessment of dance education 

should include a distribution of content that reflects a major emphasis on dance at all 

grade levels. At grade 4, creating receives more emphasis than performing and 

responding. The proportion of student time spent on creating at grade 8 should be less 

than at grades 4 and 12 because middle school students have special needs in overcoming

“being alike” rather than “being original.” At grade 12, responding receives increased 

emphasis over creating and performing.

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Recommended Percentages for Dance

Grade 4 Grade 8 Grade 12

Creating 40% 20% 30%

Performing 30% 40% 30%

Responding 30% 40% 40%

When computing total scores for the dance assessment, the relative weights for creating, performing, and 

responding should reflect the proportion of time spent on each process at each grade level.

MUSIC

The nature of music requires a unique allocation of assessment priorities. Some parts of 

the musical process require more time to complete than others. Creating a composition 

may take months or years, but listening and responding to the composition may require 

only minutes.

Most music students at the fourth-grade level spend more time on performance, such as 

singing and playing instruments. Older students spend more time in responding activities,

such as analyzing and critiquing. The National Standards establish the expectation that 

musically educated individuals should create (improvise, compose, and arrange) music. 

All students should spend a substantial percentage of their instructional time engaging in 

creating activities. The recommended percentages for the three processes in this 

assessment are as follows:

Recommended Percentages for Music

Grade 4 Grade 8 Grade 12

Creating 20–30% 20–30% 20–30%

Performing 40–50% 35–45% 30–40%

Responding 25–35% 30–40% 35–45%

When computing total scores for the music assessment, the relative weights for creating, performing, and 

responding should reflect the proportion of time spent on each process at each grade level (for example, at 

grade 4, 25% for creating, 45% for performing, and 30% for responding; at grade 8, 25% for creating, 40% 

for performing, and 35% for responding; at grade 12, 25% for creating, 35% for performing, and 40% for 

responding).

THEATRE

At grade 4, the emphasis in theatre curriculum is on students doing, not on their 

responding skills, recognizing that some analysis is required when creating and 

performing. For this reason, it is recommended that the assessment emphasis in grade 4 

be weighted so that 70 percent of the subscores are collected in the area of creating and 

performing, with 30 percent collected in responding. To achieve this weighting, it is 

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estimated that 70 percent of the student assessment time will need to be focused on 

creating and performing, with 30 percent devoted to responding exercises.

At grades 8 and 12, it is recommended that 60 percent of subscores be collected in 

creating and performing, with 40 percent collected in responding. To achieve this 

emphasis, it is estimated that 60 percent of student assessment time be devoted to 

creating and performing, with 40 percent allocated to responding. It is further 

recommended that responding exercises include an evaluation of students’ reactions as 

practitioners as well as critics. In this way, the assessment will reflect the collaborative 

nature of theatre.

Recommended Percentages for Theatre

Grade 4 Grade 8 Grade 12

Creating/Performin

g 

70% 60% 60%

Responding 30% 40% 40%

When computing total scores for the theatre assessment, the relative weights for creating/performing and 

responding should reflect the proportion of time spent on each process at each grade level.

VISUAL ARTS

At all three grade levels, students should spend a greater proportion of time working on 

creating exercises (50–70 percent) than on responding exercises (30–50 percent):

Recommended Percentages for Visual Arts

Grade 4 Grade 8 Grade 12

Creating 50–70% 50–70% 50–70%

Responding 30–50% 30–50% 30–50%

When computing total scores for the visual arts assessment, creating and responding should be equally 

weighted at each grade level (for example, at grades 4, 8, and 12, 50% for creating and 50% for 

responding).

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CHAPTER FOUR

PRELIMINARY ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL DESCRIPTIONS

The attention now turns from the design of the NAEP Arts Assessment and its exercises 

to interpreting the results. For the information to be useful as a basis for policy decisions, 

it is important to report how many students achieve at certain levels. Governing Board 

policy defines three levels of achievement—basic, proficient, and advanced—to be used 

in reporting the results of the NAEP Arts Education Assessment at grades 4, 8, and 12. 

These achievement levels describe how well students should perform on the assessment.

According to NAEP, Basic denotes partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills 

that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade assessed. Proficient represents 

solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter. Advanced 

performance on this assessment represents superior performance.

Because the assessment is based on the new National Standards, which sets high 

expectations for student learning, the results will describe the range of scores from the 

lowest level, proceeding through (or beyond) the areas of expected achievement. The 

NAEP proficient level is set as the target for students and represents the achievement 

levels described in the National Standards. The planning committee recognizes that due 

to inadequate opportunities for arts study in many schools, a number of students may 

score below the basic level. Although this may be cause for concern, it will also 

demonstrate the deficiencies in arts education instruction or indicate where additional 

study opportunities must be provided if all students are expected to achieve the worldclass standards.

These preliminary achievement level descriptions will be used by the test development 

panel to guide test and item construction. This will ensure that exercises in the NAEP 

Arts Education Assessment will provide information on the various types of knowledge 

and skills included in the achievement level descriptions for each grade level. After the 

assessment is field tested, refined, and administered to the national sample of students, 

the preliminary achievement level descriptions could be used to inform the final 

achievement level-setting process. In this stage, panelists examine the assessment 

exercises and the student performance data to recommend to the Governing Board the 

achievement levels to be used in reporting the NAEP Arts Education Assessment results.

Due to the complexity of the NAEP Arts Assessment in addressing the various arts 

disciplines, the Governing Board decided not to conduct the achievement level-setting 

process for the NAEP Arts Assessment.

The achievement levels portrayed here in the NAEP Framework are general in nature and

describe only the broad expectations. They are framed by the three major arts education 

processes—creating, performing, and responding—and are set at the three grade levels 

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examined. For additional detail in each of the four arts areas at grades 4, 8, and 12, refer 

to the specifications document.

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Dance

NAEP uses the following descriptors as expectations for student achievement:

• Basic denotes partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade assessed.

• Proficient represents solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter, as suggested in the National Standards for Arts 

Education.

• Advanced performance on this assessment represents superior performance.

Grade 4

Dance Process Fourth-grade students at the basic level in dance: Fourth-grade students at the proficient level in dance: Fourth-grade students at the advanced level in dance: 

Creating 

• Stop after finding a single solution to a movement 

challenge and rely on imitation of others rather than 

generating their own ideas. 

• Find multiple ways to solve a movement challenge but may

rely on only one movement element. 

• Find multiple ways to solve a movement challenge 

incorporating a variety of movement elements (time, 

space, and force). 

• Create a movement sequence that has a clear beginning, 

middle, and end but may be unable to repeat it accurately. 

• Create a movement sequence that has a clear beginning, 

middle, and end and make effective use of time, space, and 

force; accurately repeat it. 

• Create, repeat, and perform a dance that has a clear 

beginning, middle, and end; make effective use of time,

space, and force; and communicate an idea. 

• Participate as observers or performers but will not offer 

any ideas to the group or partner in the process of creating 

a movement sequence. 

• Contribute and work cooperatively with a partner or a 

group of students in creating a movement sequence. 

• Contribute and work cooperatively with a partner or 

group of students in the process of creating a dance that

successfully communicates a shared idea. 

Performing 

• Accurately reproduce and perform locomotor and 

nonlocomotor movement. 

• Accurately reproduce and perform locomotor and 

nonlocomotor movement using time, space, and force. 

• Accurately reproduce and perform locomotor and 

nonlocomotor movement using time, space, and force; 

perform with confidence and use the entire body. 

• Have difficulty maintaining balance, isolating various 

body parts, and controlling their movement while 

performing basic movement sequences. 

• Maintain balance and alignment, and control all of the 

body parts while performing basic movement sequences. 

• Maintain body alignment while performing basic 

movement sequences; possess strength, flexibility, 

balance, and coordination. 

• Perform without commitment or expressive qualities. • Perform movement phrases with full physical commitment. • Perform movement sequences expressively through 

both literal and abstract gestures and movements. 

Responding 

• Discuss dance using general vocabulary. • Recognize and label some movement elements. • Use appropriate dance vocabulary to describe 

movement elements and details. 

• Speculate about the culture and/or time period of a dance. • Accurately place a dance in a culture and time period. • Accurately describe dances from a variety of cultures 

and time periods. 

• Give personal opinions about a dance, offering no 

supportive rationale. 

• Give personal opinions about a dance, providing 

supporting rationale. 

• Give personal opinions about a dance, providing 

supportive rationale; identify individual elements of the

dance, including but not limited to the quality of the 

performance and production elements (for example, 

sound, costumes, lighting, set). 

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Dance 

Grade 8

Dance Process Eighth-grade students at the basic level in dance: Eighth-grade students at the proficient level in dance: Eighth-grade students at the advanced level in dance: 

Creating 

• Stop after finding a single solution to a movement 

challenge and rely on imitation of others rather than

generating their own ideas. 

• Find multiple ways to solve a brief movement challenge. • Find multiple ways to solve a brief movement 

challenge, choosing the most effective solution and

articulating the reasons for the selection. 

• Create and accurately repeat a movement sequence that

demonstrates a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

• Create, repeat, and perform dance that demonstrates 

effective use of time, space, force, body shapes, dynamics,

and rhythm; has a beginning, middle, and end. 

• Create, repeat, and perform dance that demonstrates 

effective use of time, space, force, body shapes, 

dynamics, and rhythm; has a beginning, middle, and

end; deals with an issue of personal significance. 

• Participate as observers or performers but will not offer 

any ideas to the group or partner. 

• Contribute and work cooperatively with a partner or a 

group of students in creating a movement sequence. 

• Contribute and work cooperatively with a partner or 

group of students in creating a dance that successfully

communicates a shared idea. 

Performing 

• Perform locomotor and nonlocomotor movements using

accurate time, space, and force in a variety of ways. 

• Accurately demonstrate basic dance steps, positions, and

patterns from a variety of dance styles and traditions. 

• Accurately perform dances from a variety of styles and

traditions. 

• Have difficulty maintaining proper alignment of the body

and lack clarity in movement while performing basic 

movement sequences. 

• Maintain body alignment while performing basic 

movement sequences; possess strength, flexibility,

balance, and coordination. 

• Maintain body alignment appropriate to the dance form

while performing a variety of dances; possess strength, 

flexibility, balance, and coordination. 

• Perform without commitment or expressive qualities. • Perform dance sequences, communicating expressively 

through both literal and abstract gesture and movement.

• Perform a dance expressively through both literal and 

abstract gesture and movement to communicate an idea

or feeling. 

Responding 

• Label some elements of dance using general vocabulary. • Use appropriate dance vocabulary to describe movement 

elements and choreographic principles viewed in a dance.

• Use appropriate dance vocabulary to describe and 

analyze the use and effect of movement elements and

choreographic principles in a variety of dances. 

• Speculate about the culture and/or time period of a dance. • Accurately describe dances from a variety of cultures and

time periods. 

• Explain how a dance reflects and impacts a society

politically, culturally, and socially. 

• Give opinions about a dance, offering some supporting

rationale. 

• Give opinions with supporting rationale about works of 

dance; identify individual elements of the dance, including

but not limited to the quality of the dancers and production

elements (for example, sound, costumes, lighting, set). 

• Give opinions with supportive rationale about dances;

make critical judgments about the form, content, and 

meaning of dance. 

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Dance 

Grade 12

Dance Process Twelfth-grade students at the basic level in dance: Twelfth-grade students at the proficient level in dance: Twelfth-grade students at the advanced level in dance: 

Creating 

• Stop after finding a single solution to a brief movement

challenge and rely on imitation of others rather than 

generating their own ideas. 

• Use improvisation to find multiple ways to solve a brief 

movement challenge, choosing the most effective solution

and articulating reasons for the selection. 

• Select and manipulate improvised movement material to 

make a complete dance. 

• Create and accurately repeat a dance that demonstrates a 

clear beginning, middle, and end. 

• Create, repeat, and perform dance that demonstrates 

effective use of time, space, force, body shapes, dynamics,

and rhythm; has a beginning, middle, and end; and deals 

with an issue of personal significance. 

• Create, repeat, and perform dance that demonstrates 

effective use of time, space, force, body shapes, 

dynamics, and rhythm; has a beginning, middle, and 

end; includes choreographic principles such as theme 

and variation, canon, call, and response; and deals with a 

contemporary social issue. 

• Participate as observers or performers but will not offer 

ideas to the group or to partners in the process of creating

a movement sequence. 

• Contribute and work cooperatively with partners or a 

group of students in the process of creating a movement

sequence. 

• Contribute and work cooperatively with partners or a 

group of students in the process of creating a dance that

successfully communicates a shared idea. 

Performing 

• Accurately recall and perform movement sequences using

time, space, and force. 

• Accurately recall and perform dances from a variety of 

dance styles and traditions; demonstrate time, space, and 

force; perform accurate dance steps, positions, and patterns 

from a variety of dance styles and traditions. 

• Accurately recall and perform from a variety of dance 

styles and traditions; demonstrate time, space, and 

energy; perform accurate dance steps, positions, and 

patterns; perform with confidence using the entire body

and demonstrating full commitment and involvement. 

• Have difficulty maintaining proper alignment of the body

and lack clarity in movement while performing basic 

movement sequences. 

• Maintain body alignment appropriate to the dance form 

while performing complex movement sequences. 

• Maintain body alignment appropriate to the dance form,

demonstrate clear articulation with all parts of the body 

while performing complex movement sequences, will 

self-correct during and after each performance of the 

complex movement sequence. 

• Perform a dance without commitment or expressive 

qualities. 

• Perform a dance expressively through both literal and 

abstract gesture and movement to communicate an idea.

• Perform a dance expressively through both literal and 

abstract gesture and movement to communicate an idea;

vary the choreography to communicate a different idea. 

Responding

• Use appropriate dance vocabulary to describe movement 

elements and choreographic principles viewed in a dance.

• Use appropriate dance vocabulary to describe and analyze 

the use and effect of movement elements and 

choreographic principles viewed in a variety of dances. 

• Use appropriate dance vocabulary to describe, analyze,

compare, and contrast how different choreographers 

manipulate the movement elements and choreographic 

principles to communicate meaning. 

• Identify the cultural context and historical period of 

various dances. 

• Explain how a dance reflects and impacts a society

politically, culturally, and socially. 

• Compare and contrast the ways in which different dances 

reflect and impact societies politically, culturally, and 

socially; use historical and cultural information to 

enhance their own work in dance performance, 

choreography, and criticism. 

• Give opinions with supporting rationale about works of 

dance; identify individual elements of the dance, including

but not limited to the quality of performance and 

production elements (for example, sound, costumes, 

lighting, set). 

• Give opinions with supporting rationale about works of 

dance; make critical judgments about the form, content,

and meaning of dance. 

• Give opinions with supporting rationale about works of 

dance; use a set of aesthetic criteria to make and support

critical judgments about the form, content, and meaning 

of dance; use cultural references to reflect sensitively 

upon the intent and meaning of the choreography of 

others. 

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Music

NAEP uses the following descriptions as expectations for student achievement:

• Basic denotes partial mastery of the content but performance that is only adequate for work at the three grade levels.

• Proficient represents solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter, as suggested in the National Standards for Arts

Education.

• Advanced performance on this assessment represents superior performance. 

Grade 4

Musical Process Fourth-grade students at the basic level in music: Fourth-grade students at the proficient level in music: Fourth-grade students at the advanced level in music: 

Creating 

• Compose short pieces that are inconsistent in the 

manipulation of dimensions such as instrumentation,

form, loudness, tempo, meter, tonality, and mood. 

• Compose short pieces or accompaniments that are 

consistent* in the manipulation of dimensions such as 

instrumentation, form, loudness, tempo, meter, tonality,

and mood. 

• Compose longer pieces and accompaniments and may 

be able to imitate various styles when creating original

music. 

• Improvise repetitious “answers” to given rhythmic and 

melodic phrases, demonstrate little understanding of style 

and form when creating simple melodic or rhythmic 

accompaniments or embellishments. 

• Improvise varied “answers” to given rhythmic and 

melodic phrases and create simple melodic or rhythmic 

ostinato accompaniments or embellishments on familiar 

melodies using appropriate matching styles and forms. 

• Improvise varied “answers” to given rhythmic and 

melodic phrases; improvise melodies and rhythms 

using matching styles and forms; demonstrate a high 

level of independence and creativity, going beyond the 

demands of the task. 

Performing 

• Sing in unison with others but have difficulty singing 

independently. The performance may contain inaccurate 

pitches and rhythms or may lack expression. 

• Sing independently and can sing partner songs, rounds, 

and ostinatos as a member of an ensemble, responding 

appropriately to the cues of a conductor. The performance 

is technically accurate (correct pitches and rhythms) and 

expressive (attention to dynamics, phrasing, and style). 

• Sing independently and can sustain their own part in an 

ensemble. The performance is technically accurate and 

expressive. While the students will be able to follow a 

conductor’s cue, they will also be able to make 

independent decisions about expressive qualities to 

enhance the performance. Advanced students may be 

able to sing a range of more than a 10th, use a strong 

and focused tone quality, and sing a solo part on an 

ostinato or in a round or partner song. 

• Play easy, rhythmic, melodic, and chordal patterns on 

classroom instruments such as the recorder, xylophone, 

keyboard, or autoharp. The performance may be 

inconsistent, containing technical and expressive 

inaccuracies. Basic students may have difficulty keeping

up with an ensemble. 

• Play easy, rhythmic, melodic, and chordal patterns on 

classroom instruments such as the recorder, xylophone, 

keyboard, or autoharp. The performance is technically 

accurate (correct pitches and rhythms) and expressive 

(attention to phrasing and dynamic). Proficient students 

should be able to play independently and in unison with

others as members of an ensemble. 

• Play an instrument with technical accuracy and 

expression. The repertoire is more difficult than that 

performed in a music class or beginning ensemble 

class. Advanced students can play independently as a 

soloist and as a member of an ensemble, demonstrating 

knowledge of tone production and expression that goes 

beyond the demands of the task. 

• Read notation with difficulty and require practice to 

produce a performance that may contain technical and

expressive inaccuracies. 

• Read notation sufficiently to perform simple melodic or 

rhythmic phrases accurately after practice. The repertoire 

difficulty is at the level recommended by the National

Standards and should include whole, half, quarter, and 

eighth notes; corresponding rests; and pitch notation in the 

treble clef. Proficient students should be familiar with 

basic symbols for dynamics, meter, tempo, and 

articulation, and expressive symbols (for example, p, f, 

cresc.). 

• Read notation sufficiently to perform melodic or 

rhythmic phrases accurately at sight. The difficulty of 

the repertoire may exceed that recommended by the 

National Standards. The performance indicates use of 

basic symbols for dynamics, meter, tempo, and 

articulation, and expressive symbols (for example, p, f, 

cresc.). 

* For the purpose of this assessment, the term “consistent” has been chosen to define the quality of a created work. Consistency is the logical use of musical elements (pitch, meter, rhythm, form, timbre,

dynamics, and other expressive qualities) to achieve style and balance.
Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Music 

Grade 4 (continued)

Musical Process Fourth-grade students at the basic level in music: Fourth-grade students at the proficient level in music: Fourth-grade students at the advanced level in music: 

Responding 

• When listening to music, recognize when music changes 

from one section to another, but may not be able to 

identify simple forms. Basic students may be able to 

identify various genres of Western music as being the 

same or different, but lack sufficient knowledge of musical 

terminology to support responses; distinguish being nonWestern music from Western music without being able to 

make distinctions about geographical origins; and 

recognize a limited number of musical instruments by 

sight, sound, and name. 

• When listening to music, identify elements and simple 

forms through movement and verbal response (for 

example, ABA and call and response); identify various 

genres of Western music and have sufficient knowledge of 

musical terminology to support responses; identify nonWestern music and make distinctions about geographical 

origins; recognize voices and most band and orchestra 

instruments by sight, sound, and name; and recognize 

instruments that are unique to folk, popular, and nonWestern styles. 

• When listening to music, identify selected extended 

musical forms (for example, theme and variations, 

fugues); predict events in the music such as cadences; 

identify various genres of Western music and use an 

extensive vocabulary of musical terminology to support 

responses; identify non-Western music by origin and 

genre; recognize, name, and classify instruments of the 

symphony orchestra; and recognize and name some 

instruments unique to folk, popular, and non-Western 

styles. Advanced students are able to defend 

preferences based on musical understanding. 

• Evaluate the quality of a performance or composition with

limited insight and by using general, nonmusical 

terminology. 

• Accurately evaluate the quality of a performance or 

composition and use appropriate musical terminology to

support a response. 

• Accurately evaluate the quality of a composition or 

performance and use appropriate musical terminology

to support responses, improve their own performance 

or composition through self-evaluation and practice. 

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Music 

Grade 8

Musical Process Eighth-grade students at the basic level in music: Eighth-grade students at the proficient level in music: Eighth-grade students at the advanced level in music: 

Creating 

• Compose short pieces (melodies, rhythms, or 

accompaniments) that are inconsistent in the use of 

musical elements. 

• Compose short pieces (melodies, rhythms, or 

accompaniments) that are consistent in the use of musical 

elements to achieve unity, variety, tension/release, and 

balance. Proficient students can use traditional (acoustic 

instruments, voice) or nontraditional (synthesized sounds,

Musical Instrument Digital Interface—MIDI) sound 

sources. The composition may be recorded using 

traditional or nontraditional methods or notation (analog 

recording, digital sequencing, conventional notation, or 

notation created for the piece). 

• Compose music in familiar styles that are consistent in

the use of musical elements and creative using 

traditional or nontraditional sound sources and 

notation, able to generate many ideas from which to 

choose and evaluate and refine work in progress. 

• Improvise (vocally or instrumentally) with uncertainty 

short melodies or rhythms that are inconsistent with the 

style and guidelines given for the task. 

• Improvise (vocally or instrumentally) melodic or rhythmic 

variations or simple harmonic accompaniments that are 

consistent with the style of music being used for the task. 

• Improvise (vocally or instrumentally) extended 

melodies, rhythms, or accompaniments in familiar 

styles; demonstrate a high level of independence and 

creativity in approaching and completing the task and

may go beyond the demands of the task. 

Performing 

• Sing independently, but the performance may contain 

inaccurate pitches and rhythms or lack expression. (At the 

basic level, the young male whose voice is changing may 

be able to sing cambiata parts written for a narrow range, 

but a general lack of understanding about his own voice 

causes technical errors (for example, attempts at matching 

pitch may result in one- or two-octave leaps)). 

• Sing independently and can sustain a part in an ensemble 

section. The performance is technically accurate and 

expressive. Repertoire difficulty is at the level 

recommended by the National Standards and includes twoand three-part ensemble singing. (At the proficient level, 

the young male whose voice is changing should be able to 

sing songs or cambiata parts written specifically for his 

range.) 

• Sing independently and can sustain a part in an 

ensemble. The performance is technically accurate and

expressive. Advanced students may be able to sing 

repertoire more difficult than the level recommended 

by the National Standards, use a tone quality that is 

well supported and focused with possible vibrato, sing 

a solo part in a chamber ensemble of three or four 

parts, sing with a range of more than a 12th, and/or 

create an expressive and stylistically correct 

performance without the aid of instruction. (At the 

advanced level, the young male who is in the process 

of a voice change can control the flow of breath and 

placement so that he can avoid accidents. He 

understands his limitations and can make adjustments 

by deliberately changing octaves or by requesting 

appropriate keys so that he can create a successful 

singing experience for himself.) 

• Play an instrument as a soloist, accompanist, and/or 

member of an ensemble. The performance is inconsistent,

containing technical and expressive inaccuracies, and the 

repertoire difficulty is below the level recommended by 

the National Standards.

• Play an instrument with technical accuracy and expression

as a soloist, accompanist, and/or member of an ensemble. 

Repertoire difficulty is at the level recommended by the 

National Standards.

• Play an instrument with technical accuracy as a soloist, 

accompanist, and/or member of an ensemble (including 

chamber ensemble). The performances are expressive 

and stylistically correct. Repertoire difficulty exceeds 

the level recommended by the National Standards,

requiring technical facility and knowledge of 

production and style that go beyond the proficient level 

of playing. 

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Music 

Grade 8 (continued)

Musical Process Eighth-grade students at the basic level in music: Eighth-grade students at the proficient level in music: Eighth-grade students at the advanced level in music: 

Responding 

• Read notation with difficulty and require practice to be 

able to perform simple melodies or rhythms that may 

contain technical and expressive inaccuracies. 

• Read notation sufficiently to perform simple melodies or 

rhythms accurately after practice. The repertoire is at the 

level recommended by the National Standards and should 

include whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and dotted 

notes; corresponding rests; and pitch notation in both treble 

and bass clef. Proficient students should be familiar with 

basic symbols for dynamics, meter, tempo, and 

articulation, and expressive symbols (for example, p, f, 

cresc.) and should be able to use standard notation to 

record musical ideas. 

• Read notation quickly, sufficiently, and accurately to be 

able to perform simple melodies at sight; read music 

accurately and expressively after practice that is more 

difficult than the level recommended by the National

Standards. Students can record musical ideas correctly 

using notation. 

• When listening to music, can identify simple forms (for 

example, ABA and rondo) and can identify some Western 

music by historical periods and genre, but have insufficient 

knowledge of musical terminology to discuss style. Basic 

students can identify some styles of folk, popular, and nonWestern music; make “same” and “different” distinctions 

about the geographic origins of non-Western music; and 

recognize and name some instruments used in Western and 

non-Western music. 

• When listening to music, can identify and discuss 

commonly used musical forms (for example, theme and 

variations, fugues) and can identify some Western music 

by historical periods with sufficient knowledge of musical

terminology to support responses. Proficient students 

identify and describe stylistic elements heard in folk, 

popular, and non-Western music; identify some nonWestern music by country; recognize most instruments of 

the band and orchestra; and identify other instruments 

unique to folk, popular, and non-Western styles. 

• When listening to music, can identify, compare, and 

contrast elements of complex musical forms (for 

example, sonata-allegro, fugue); able to predict certain 

events in music such as phrase lengths or direction of 

resolutions in cadences, as well as genre and style of 

unfamiliar music; and have a working vocabulary of 

musical terminology for discussing the expressive 

qualities of various styles of Western music, from 

Renaissance to contemporary. Advanced students 

identify and describe musical elements heard in a wide 

variety of folk, popular, and non-Western music styles;

classify some non-Western music by country and 

genre; recognize and classify instruments of the band 

and orchestra; and identify instruments unique to folk, 

popular, and non-Western styles. 

• Evaluate compositions or performances with limited 

insight or use of musical vocabulary. Basic students can 

identify technical problems in performances, but responses 

are limited to common musical terms (for example, fast, 

slow, loud, soft). 

• Evaluate the quality of compositions or performances and

use a basic musical vocabulary to defend response, use 

self-evaluation to improve successive performances. 

• Can compare and contrast the quality of compositions 

and performances using specific musical terms to 

describe technical and expressive elements of music 

and their relationship to the style of music being 

played. As performers, advanced students use critical 

analysis and independent study to improve successive 

performances. 

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Music

Grade 12

Musical Process Twelfth-grade students at the basic level in music: Twelfth-grade students at the proficient level in music: Twelfth-grade students at the advanced level in music: 

Creating

• Compose original pieces, but the results are fragmented 

and lack unity. Basic students can compose only for media 

close to their own performing instrument or voice. 

• Compose original pieces that are consistent in the use of 

musical elements using traditional or nontraditional media 

and/or notation, arrange simple pieces with or without 

accompaniment based on knowledge of vocal and/or 

instrumental ranges and style, demonstrate creative use of 

expressive elements. 

• Compose complex works that show consistency, 

creativity, expression, and a high level of technical 

skill; generate many original ideas, selecting and 

refining as they work; and may be able to orchestrate 

pieces for several instruments or arrange for several 

voices. 

•

Improvise (vocally or instrumentally) melodies or rhythms 

within limited sets of pitches, rhythms, and styles. 

• Improvise original pieces, variations, and harmonic 

accompaniments that are consistent with the style used for 

the task. 

• Improvise stylistically and expressively in a variety of 

styles; improvise in one or more favored styles with a 

high level of creativity, expression, and confidence. 

Performing

• Sing independently, but the performance may be 

technically or expressively inconsistent. 

• Sing independently and can sustain their own part in an 

ensemble section. The performance is technically accurate 

and expressive. Repertoire difficulty is at the level 

recommended by the National Standards and includes 

four-part harmony with or without accompaniment. 

• Sing independently and can sustain a solo part in a 

chamber ensemble of four or more parts. The 

performance is technically and stylistically accurate 

and expressive. Advanced singers should be able to 

sing repertoire that exceeds the difficulty level 

recommended by the National Standards and produce a

tone quality that is strong, vibrant, and stylistically 

correct. 

• Play an instrument as a soloist, accompanist, and/or 

member of an ensemble. The performance may be 

inconsistent, containing technical and expressive 

inaccuracies, and the repertoire difficulty may be below 

the level recommended by the National Standards.

• Play an instrument with technical accuracy as a soloist, 

accompanist, and/or member of an ensemble (including

chamber ensemble). Performances are expressive and 

stylistically correct. Repertoire difficulty is at the level 

recommended by the National Standards and includes 

four-part harmony with or without accompaniment. 

• Play an instrument with technical accuracy as a soloist, 

accompanist, and/or member of an ensemble (including

chamber ensemble). Advanced students play with 

technical facility, expression, range, and tone quality 

needed to accurately perform musical works that 

exceed the level of difficulty recommended by the 

National Standards.

• Read notation sufficiently to perform easy selections 

somewhat accurately after practice and describe how 

musical elements are used in a given score of one or two 

staves, use standard notation to read simple melodies and

rhythms.

• Sight-read music accurately and expressively at the level of

difficulty recommended by the National Standards.

Proficient students read notation sufficiently to describe 

how the elements of music are used in a given score of up 

to four staves. Students use standard notation to record 

musical ideas.

• Read notation of technically difficult literature and 

accurately incorporate expressive symbols and stylistic 

qualities in performance and can sight-read music at a 

difficulty level recommended by the National

Standards, read a full instrumental or vocal score and 

accurately describe how the elements of music are 

used, use standard notation to record musical ideas, and

interpret nonstandard notation used by some 20thcentury composers.

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Music

Grade 12 (continued)

Musical Process Twelfth-grade students at the basic level in music: Twelfth-grade students at the proficient level in music: Twelfth-grade students at the advanced level in music: 

Responding

• When listening to music, can identify musical forms (for 

example, theme and variations, symphony), can identify 

some Western music by historical periods, and have some 

knowledge of musical terminology to support responses. 

Basic students can identify some styles of folk, popular, 

and non-Western music, making some distinctions about 

the geographical origins of non-Western examples, and 

can recognize most instruments of the symphony 

orchestra. Basic students may be able to identify other 

instruments unique to Western, folk, popular, and nonWestern styles. 

• When listening to music, can identify and discuss elements

of extended musical forms (for example, concerto, opera), 

can identify Western music by historical periods and have 

sufficient knowledge of musical terminology to support 

responses, can accurately predict styles or genres of 

unfamiliar music. Proficient students are able to describe 

stylistic elements heard in folk, popular, and non-Western 

music; identify some non-Western music by country; 

recognize instruments of the band and orchestra; and 

identify many other instruments unique to folk, popular, 

and non-Western styles. Students can discuss acoustical 

characteristics of different classes of instruments. 

• When listening to music, can identify, compare, and 

contrast elements of complex musical forms (for 

example, oratorio, sonata-allegro form); have an 

extensive vocabulary for identifying and discussing the

elements and the expressive qualities of various styles 

and periods of Western music, from Medieval through 

contemporary; can make predictions about genre, style,

and composers of music that is being heard for the first 

time; can identify and describe musical elements heard 

in a wide variety of folk, popular, and non-Western 

music styles; can classify non-Western music by 

country and genre and may know one or more of these 

styles in-depth; are able to recognize, name, and 

classify instruments of the symphony orchestra; 

identify a wide variety of instruments unique to folk, 

popular, and non-Western styles; and discuss acoustical

characteristics of different classes of instruments as 

well as synthesized sound. Advanced students can 

evaluate the aesthetic qualities of music and can 

explain the musical processes that the composer uses to

evoke feeling. 

• Evaluate compositions or performances and use a basic 

musical vocabulary. Basic students can evaluate technical

aspects of performances, but may lack sufficient 

knowledge to judge stylistic qualities. 

• Compare and contrast the quality of compositions or 

performances, use a basic musical vocabulary to describe 

the elements of music (pitch, rhythm, tempo, 

instrumentation, ensemble). Proficient students use a 

process of self-evaluation to improve successive 

performances. 

• Compare and contrast the quality of compositions and

performances using specific musical terms to describe 

technical and expressive elements of music and their 

relationship to the style of music being played; can 

offer suggestions to improve performances; and as 

performers, use critical analysis and research to 

improve successive performances. 

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

49
Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Theatre

NAEP uses the following descriptions as expectations for student achievement:

• Basic denotes partial mastery of the content but performance that is only adequate for work at the three grade levels.

• Proficient represents solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter, as suggested in the National Standards for Arts

Education.

• Advanced performance on this assessment represents superior performance.

At grade 4, students are not as willing to “fall into dramatic play” as they are up to age 8. Students need to be motivated and challenged to participate. They 

are interested in dealing with adult problems and often insist on bringing realistic details to their work. They prefer to work in groups of their own gender. 

Most performance work at this level is informal production. Students are making critical and creative choices in all aspects of the creating and performing 

processes.

Grade 4

Theatre

Processes Fourth-grade students at the basic level in theatre: Fourth-grade students at the proficient level in theatre: Fourth-grade students at the advanced level in theatre: 

Creating/

Performing 

• Collaborate to develop scripts and scenarios and to 

improvise dialogue in which they describe one of the 

following: characters, environments, or situations. 

• Collaborate to develop scripts and scenarios in which they

describe characters, environments, and situations; and 

improvise dialogue to tell a story. 

• Collaborate to develop scripts and scenarios in which 

they describe characters, environments, and situations;

improvise dialogue to tell a story with a clear 

beginning, middle, and end. 

• Develop characters and assume roles using some 

movement and vocal expression. 

• Develop characters using variations of movement and 

vocal expression, assume roles that exhibit concentration,

and contribute to the action of the dramatization. 

• Develop characters using variations of movement and 

vocal expression; assume roles that exhibit 

concentration, focus, and commitment; and contribute 

to the action of the dramatization. 

• Use some of the design choices the group has made, and 

remain within the playing space during the dramatic play.

• Make design choices that reflect environments that 

communicate locale and mood using visual and aural 

elements, and collaborate to establish playing spaces by 

safely organizing available materials to suggest some the 

following: scenery, properties, lighting, sound, costumes,

and makeup. 

• Make design choices that reflect environments that 

communicate locale and mood using visual and aural 

elements, and collaborate to establish playing spaces 

by safely organizing available and imagined materials 

to suggest scenery, properties, lighting, sound, 

costumes, and makeup. 

• Participate in the improvisations as a way of organizing

their classroom dramatizations. 

• Collaboratively plan improvisations as a way of organizing

their classroom dramatizations. 

• Collaboratively plan improvisations as a way of 

organizing their classroom dramatizations, taking a 

leadership role. 

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Theatre

Grade 4 (continued)

Theatre

Processes Fourth-grade students at the basic level in theatre: Fourth-grade students at the proficient level in theatre: Fourth-grade students at the advanced level in theatre: 

Responding 

• Describe artistic choices in their own dramatic work, 

identifying elements of classroom dramatizations they 

chose in their creative and performing work. 

• Describe and analyze artistic choices in their own dramatic

work, identifying and describing elements of classroom 

dramatizations; provide rationales for personal choices in 

their creative and performing work; and constructively 

suggest alternatives. 

• Describe and analyze artistic choices in their own 

dramatic work, identifying and describing elements of 

classroom dramatizations; provide rationales for personal 

choices in their creative and performing work; and 

constructively suggest alternatives for dramatizing roles, 

arranging environments, and developing situations along 

with means of improving the collaborative process. 

• Describe some elements and effects of theatre, film, and 

television. 

• Describe and compare various elements and effects of 

theatre to film and television. 

• Describe and compare various elements and effects of 

theatre to film and television, and provide rationale for 

those they felt were most effective. 

• Place work in personal and social contexts by identifying 

similar characters and situations in theatre, film, and 

television. 

• Place work in personal, social, and cultural contexts by 

identifying and comparing similar characters and situations

in theatre, film, and television. 

• Place work in personal, social, historical, and cultural 

contexts by identifying and comparing similar characters, 

situations, and themes in theatre, film, and television. 

• State personal preferences, as an audience, for entire 

performances and for certain parts of them. 

• Evaluate performances as an audience, articulating 

emotional responses to dramatic performances; state 

personal preferences for entire performances and for 

certain parts of them. 

• Evaluate performances as an audience, articulating 

emotional responses to dramatic performances; state 

personal preferences for entire performances and for 

certain parts of them; and provide reasons for their 

preferences. 

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

51
Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Theatre

Eighth-grade students are sometimes inhibited by their physical growth and development. They may hide or flaunt their changing voices or bodies. A 

shyness may develop when there was none before. They may be very interested in the opposite sex but refuse to play or have any relationship with someone 

they either admire or do not like. These changes may make it seem as though students are taking a step backward from where they were at earlier stages; 

however, the stage is natural and the students must not be judged negatively in assessing achievement relating to these aspects.

Grade 8

Theatre Processes Eighth-grade students at the basic level in theatre: Eighth-grade students at the proficient level in theatre: Eighth-grade students at the advanced level in theatre: 

Creating/

Performing 

• Individually and in groups, develop scripts and scenarios 

from adaptations of storylines or create original work that 

includes simple characters, environments, and actions. 

• Individually and in groups, develop scripts and scenarios 

from adaptations of storylines or create original work that 

includes characters, environments, and actions that create 

tension and suspense. 

• Individually and in groups, develop scripts and 

scenarios from adaptations of storylines or create 

original work that includes characters, environments, 

and actions that create tension, suspense, and 

resolution in a coherent and well-formed scene that is 

compelling, focused, and unique. 

• Develop characters that suggest artistic choices through 

limited script analysis and the rehearsal process, 

demonstrating some acting skills. 

• Develop characters that suggest artistic choices through 

script analysis and the rehearsal process, demonstrating 

acting skills, working in an ensemble, and interacting as 

invented characters. 

• Develop characters that suggest artistic choices 

through script analysis and the rehearsal process, 

demonstrating acting skills, working in an ensemble, 

and interacting as invented characters; and demonstrate

and maintain believability and emotional authenticity 

of invented characters. 

• Make designs to communicate locale, understand the use 

of a few technical theatre elements, and work 

collaboratively to select and create some elements of 

scenery and properties to signify environment and 

costumes to suggest character. 

• Make designs to communicate locale and mood; 

understand the use of the most technical theatre elements; 

and work collaboratively and safely to select and create 

some elements of scenery, properties, lighting, and sound 

to signify environment and costumes and makeup to 

suggest character. 

• Make designs to communicate locale, mood, and 

theme; understand the use of technical theatre 

elements; and work collaboratively and safely to select 

and create some elements of scenery, properties, 

lighting, and sound to signify environment and 

costumes and makeup to suggest character. 

• Direct by interpreting dramatic texts and rehearsing 

improvised and scripted scenes. 

• Direct by interpreting dramatic texts and rehearsing 

improvised and scripted scenes demonstrating social and 

consensus skills. 

• Direct by interpreting dramatic texts and leading 

groups in planning and rehearsing improvised and 

scripted scenes demonstrating social and consensus 

skills. 

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Theatre

Grade 8 (continued)

Theatre

Processes Eighth-grade students at the basic level in theatre: Eighth-grade students at the proficient level in theatre: Eighth-grade students at the advanced level in theatre: 

Responding 

• Describe their artistic choices and construct meaning, 

describing the perceived effectiveness of their 

contributions to developing improvised and scripted 

scenes. 

• Describe and analyze their artistic choices and construct 

meaning, articulating those meanings and describing the 

perceived effectiveness of their contributions to 

developing improvised and scripted scenes. 

• Describe and analyze their artistic choices and 

construct meaning, articulating those meanings and 

describing the perceived effectiveness of their 

contributions to the collaborative process of developing

improvised and scripted scenes. 

• Describe archetypal characters and situations in dramas 

from and about various historical periods; define the 

elements of film (composition, movement, sound, and 

editing); and describe characteristics of characters, 

environments, and actions in theatre, musical theatre, film, 

and television. 

• Describe and compare archetypal characters and situations 

in dramas from and about various genres and historical 

periods; identify the elements of film (composition, 

movement, sound, and editing); and describe 

characteristics and compare the presentations of 

characters, environments, and actions in theatre, musical 

theatre, film, and television. 

• Describe and compare archetypal characters and 

situations in dramas from and about various artistic 

styles, genres, and historical periods; identify the 

elements of film (composition, movement, sound, and 

editing) and explain how these elements are integral to 

the content of the work; and describe characteristics 

and compare the presentations of characters, 

environments, and actions in theatre, musical theatre, 

film, and television, recognizing the special relationship

between audience and performers. 

• Place work in personal and social contexts by analyzing 

the social impact of dramatic events in their lives, in the 

community, and in other cultures; and explain how culture 

affects the content of dramatic performances and how 

social concepts such as cooperation, communication, selfesteem, risk taking, and sympathy apply in theatre and 

daily life. 

• Place work in personal, social, and cultural contexts by 

analyzing the emotional and social impacts of dramatic 

events in their lives, in the community, and in other 

cultures; and explain how culture affects the content of 

dramatic performances and how social concepts such as 

cooperation, communication, collaboration, self-esteem, 

risk taking, sympathy, and empathy apply in theatre and 

daily life. 

• Place work in personal, social, historical, and cultural 

contexts by analyzing the emotional and social impacts 

of dramatic events in their lives, in the community, and 

in other cultures; and explain how culture affects the 

content and production values of dramatic 

performances and how social concepts such as 

cooperation, communication, collaboration, selfesteem, risk taking, sympathy, and empathy apply in 

theatre and daily life. 

• Evaluate performances as audience by using articulated 

criteria to describe the perceived effectiveness of artistic 

choices found in dramatic performances. 

• Evaluate performances as audience by using articulated 

criteria to describe and analyze the perceived effectiveness

of artistic choices found in dramatic performances. 

• Evaluate performances as audience by using articulated

criteria to describe, analyze, and constructively evaluate

the perceived effectiveness of artistic choices found in 

dramatic performances. 

• Identify a few exemplary artists and works of theatre, film,

and television. 

• Identify some exemplary artists and works of theatre, film,

and television. 

• Identify some exemplary artists and works of theatre, 

film, and television; explain why they are considered 

exemplary. 

• Describe the effect of publicity on audience response to 

dramatic performances. 

• Describe and analyze the effect of publicity, study guides, 

and programs on audience response to dramatic 

performances. 

• Describe and analyze the effect of publicity, study 

guides, programs, and physical environments on 

audience response to dramatic performances. 

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

53
Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Theatre

Twelfth-grade students are young adults. Connected to a real and often confusing world, they struggle to make sense of their environment and the world 

around them. They are more willing to role-play someone else than play themselves. They rely on peer groups and the media for their identity and their 

information. They are open to new ideas.

Grade 12

Theatre

Processes Twelfth-grade students at the basic level in theatre: Twelfth-grade students at the proficient level in theatre: Twelfth-grade students at the advanced level in theatre: 

Creating/

Performing 

• Develop scripts and scenarios with character, conflict, and 

resolution. 

• Develop imaginative scripts and scenarios so that story and

meaning are conveyed to an audience. 

• Develop imaginative scripts and scenarios for theatre, 

film, and television that include original characters with

unique dialogue that motivates action so that the story 

and meaning are conveyed to an audience. 

• Develop characters through the acting process, including 

analyzing the physical and social dimensions of characters;

and in a group, present the characters. 

• Develop characters through the acting process, including 

analyzing the physical, emotional, and social dimensions 

of characters, and in an ensemble, create and sustain 

characters that communicate with audiences. 

• Develop characters through the acting process, 

including analyzing the physical, emotional, and social 

dimensions of characters, and in an ensemble, create 

and sustain characters from classical, contemporary, 

realistic, and nonrealistic dramatic texts that 

communicate with audiences. 

• Make design and technical theatre choices to communicate

locale and mood by sketching designs for a set, lighting, 

props, costumes, or makeup appropriate for a scene or 

scenario; select sound effects to convey environment; and 

demonstrate knowledge of production elements (stage 

management, promotional or business plans) for a 

production. 

• Make design and technical theatre choices to communicate

locale and mood by sketching designs for a set, lighting, 

props, costumes, or makeup appropriate for a scene or 

scenario, considering some cultural and historical 

perspectives; select music and sound effects to convey 

environments that clearly support the text; and design 

some production elements (stage management, 

promotional or business plans) for a production. 

• Collaborate with a director to develop a unified 

production concept and make design and technical 

theatre choices that communicate this as well as locale 

and mood by sketching a design for a set, lighting, 

props, costumes, or makeup appropriate for a scene or 

scenario, considering the cultural and historical 

perspectives as well; select music and sound effects to 

convey environments that clearly support the text and 

reflect a unified production concept; design coherent 

stage management, promotional, or business plans for a

production; and explain how scientific and 

technological advances have impacted set, lights, 

sound, costume design, and implementation for theatre,

film, and television productions. 

• Direct by interpreting dramatic texts and organizing time 

and people in planning and rehearsing improvised and 

scripted scenes. 

• Direct by interpreting dramatic texts and organizing time 

and people in planning and rehearsing improvised and 

scripted scenes, effectively communicating directorial 

choices to an ensemble. 

• Direct by interpreting dramatic texts and organizing 

time and people in planning and rehearsing improvised 

and scripted scenes, effectively communicating 

directorial choices, including a unifying concept to an 

ensemble; and explain and compare the roles and 

interrelated responsibilities of the various personnel 

involved in theatre, film, and television productions. 

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

54
Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for Theatre

Grade 12 (continued)

Theatre

Processes Twelfth-grade students at the basic level in theatre: Twelfth-grade students at the proficient level in theatre: Twelfth-grade students at the advanced level in theatre: 

Responding

• Describe artistic choices and construct meaning by 

evaluating their own collaborative efforts and artistic 

choices. 

• Describe and analyze artistic choices and construct 

meaning by evaluating their own collaborative efforts and 

artistic choices, and analyze the effect of their own cultural

experiences on their dramatic work. 

• Describe and analyze artistic choices and construct 

meaning by evaluating their own collaborative efforts 

and artistic choices, analyze the effect of their own 

cultural experiences on their dramatic work, and 

articulate and justify personal aesthetic criteria that 

compare perceived artistic intent with the final aesthetic

achievement. 

• Describe some elements, genres, media, and dramatic 

literature from various cultures and historical periods. 

• Describe and compare elements, styles, genres, media, and 

dramatic literature, focusing on comparing how similar 

themes are treated in drama from various cultures and 

historical periods. 

• Describe and compare elements, styles, genres, media, 

and dramatic literature, focusing on comparing how 

similar themes are treated in drama from various 

cultures and historical periods and discussing how 

theatre can reveal universal concepts. 

• Place work in personal, social, historical, and cultural 

contexts by identifying some of the lives and works of 

representative theatre artists in some cultures and historical

periods. 

• Place work in personal, social, historical, and cultural 

contexts by identifying and comparing the lives, works, 

and influence of representative theatre artists in various 

cultures and historical periods. 

• Place work in personal, social, historical, and cultural 

contexts by identifying and comparing the lives, works, 

and influence of representative theatre artists in various 

cultures and historical periods and identifying cultural 

and historical influences on American theatre; and 

analyze the social impact of underrepresented theatre 

and film artists (for example, Native American, 

Chicano). 

• Evaluate performances as audience and critic, analyzing 

and critiquing parts of dramatic performances. 

• Evaluate performances as audience and critic, analyzing 

and critiquing parts of dramatic performances, taking into 

account context. 

• Evaluate performances as audience and critic, analyzing

and critiquing parts of dramatic performances, taking 

into account context and constructively suggesting 

alternative artistic choices; analyze and evaluate critical

comments about dramatic work, explaining which 

points are most appropriate to inform further 

development of the work; and analyze how dramatic 

forms, production practices, and theatrical traditions 

influence contemporary theatre, film, and television 

productions. 

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

55
Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for the Visual Arts

NAEP uses the following descriptions as expectations for student achievement:

• Basic denotes partial mastery of the content but performance that is only adequate for work at the three grade levels.

• Proficient represents solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter, as suggested in the National Standards for Arts 

Education.

• Advanced performance on this assessment represents superior performance.

In creating and responding to works of art and design, fourth-grade students are involved in exploratory, trial-and-error experiences.

Grade 4

Grade 4

Visual Arts

Processes 

Fourth-grade students at the basic level in visual arts: Fourth-grade students at the proficient level in visual arts: Fourth-grade students at the advanced level in visual 

arts: 

Creating/

Performing 

• Develop one or two ideas/approaches to a problem, with 

little originality in content or form, reflecting no 

awareness of the relationship between the art/design work 

and the context. 

• Develop several ideas/approaches to a problem, some of 

which are original in their content and form, and reflect 

some awareness of the relationship between the art/design 

work and the context. 

• Develop many ideas/approaches to a problem, most of 

which are original in content and form, and reflect 

awareness and understanding of the relationship 

between the art/design work and the context. 

• Visually and in written form demonstrate a limited 

understanding of the relationship between principles of 

visual organization and the construction of meaning or 

function. 

• Visually and in written form demonstrate a general 

understanding of the relationship between principles of 

visual organization and the construction of meaning or 

function. 

• Visually and in written form demonstrate a high level 

of understanding of the relationship between principles

of visual organization and the construction of meaning 

or function. 

• Explore ideas, media, and tools in a limited way. • Explore a variety of ideas, media, and tools. • Experiment creatively with a variety of ideas, media, 

and tools. 

• Demonstrate a limited understanding of the relation-ship 

of design-related problems and processes to real-life 

situations, using a random process to develop a singular 

solution to a problem. 

• Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship of 

design-related problems and processes to real-life 

situations, using a linear process to develop a singular 

solution to a problem. 

• Demonstrate a high level of understanding of the 

relationship of design-related problems and processes 

to real-life situations, understand the relationships 

between the process and its solution, and use a clear 

planning process (models, sketches, diagrams) to 

generate multiple solutions to each problem. 

• Seek the most obvious answer to a question about process 

or content rather than integrate information from a variety 

of sources. 

• Integrate information from a variety of sources, take an 

idea and expand upon it, and find answers to questions 

about process or content. 

• Integrate information from a variety of sources, take an

idea and expand upon it, and invent answers to 

questions about process or content. 

• Find, select, and integrate information from a few sources,

precluding much extension or elaboration of ideas. 

• Find, select, and integrate information from a variety of 

sources, enabling some extension and elaboration of ideas 

and selection of methods and processes from several 

approaches to solving problems. 

• Find, select, and integrate information from a wider 

variety of sources, enabling greater extension and 

elaboration of ideas and selection of methods and 

processes from a variety of approaches to solving 

problems; and facilitate understanding of the 

relationship of these sources to the generation of ideas, 

alternatives, and various problem-solving approaches. 

• Demonstrate a limited ability to recognize personal 

strengths and weaknesses in their own work. 

• Recognize personal strengths and weaknesses, and select 

and discuss own work. 

• Recognize personal strengths and weaknesses; can 

select, discuss, and give specific examples from own 

work; and identify works of varying quality while 

reflecting on personal artistic processes. 

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

56
Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for the Visual Arts

Grade 4 (continued)

Visual Arts 

Processes 

Fourth-grade students at the basic level in visual arts: Fourth-grade students at the proficient level in visual arts: Fourth-grade students at the advanced level in visual 

arts: 

Responding 

• Demonstrate a limited ability to use vocabulary that 

describes visual experiences and/or phenomena. 

• Respond to works of art/design using a general vocabulary 

that describes visual experiences and/or phenomena. 

• Can articulately respond to works of art/design using a 

specialized vocabulary that describes visual 

experiences and/or phenomena and support assertions. 

• Respond to questions about works of art/design (their own 

and others) with answers that focus on basic description 

rather than interpretation. 

• Respond to questions about works of art and design (own 

and others) with answers that demonstrate an ability to 

interpret. 

• Respond to questions about works of art and design 

(their own and others), offering multiple interpretations

that provide evidence of curiosity. 

• Identify obvious patterns of similarity (i.e., style, 

subject/theme, function) in works of art/design but are 

unable to articulate basis for the judgment. 

• Identify obvious patterns of similarity (i.e., style, 

subject/theme, function) in works of art and design, and 

can articulate some similarities in ways that show the 

relationships between the parts and the whole. 

• Identify obvious and not-so-obvious patterns of 

similarity (i.e., style, subject/theme, function) in works 

of art and design and forms of response, and find 

inventive ways to articulate some similarities that show

the relationships between the parts and the whole. 

• Cannot recognize obvious differences and similarities 

between works of art/design, and cannot defend their 

judgments. 

•

Recognize obvious differences and similarities between 

works of art/design, defending how similarities and 

differences relate to history, culture, and human needs. 

• Recognize both obvious and not-so-obvious 

differences and similarities between works of 

art/design, defending how similarities and differences 

relate to history, culture, and human needs. 

NAEP 2016 ARTS FRAMEWORK

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for the Visual Arts

In creating and responding to works of art and design, the eighth-grade student shows emerging abilities to make intellectual and visual selections and decisions based on personal values and intent 

to construct or interpret meaning.

Grade 8

Visual Arts

Processes 

Eighth-grade students at the basic level in visual arts: Eighth-grade students at the proficient level in visual arts: Eighth-grade students at the advanced level in visual 

arts: 

Creating/

Performing 

• Operate within a limited definition of context in designrelated problems that focus on immediate, real-life 

situations with prescribed problem-solving approaches. 

• Operate within an expanded definition of context in 

design-related problems that include broader issues of 

environment, human factors, and social behavior with 

diverse problem-solving approaches. 

• Operate within an expanded definition of context in 

design-related problems that incorporates understanding of the relationship between the process of 

design and the solutions that result from it, using 

inventive problem-solving approaches. 

• Do not recognize competing priorities or performance 

criteria in the definition of the problem; address only one 

aspect of the problem at a time; and cannot recognize 

principles guiding organization of form, content, or 

function. 

• Recognize competing priorities or performance criteria in 

the definition of the problem; identify alternative solutions;

and recognize principles guiding organization of form, 

content, or function. 

• Recognize competing priorities in the definition of the 

problem; predict outcomes of solutions that reflect 

alternative needs of users/audience; and recognize and 

apply principles guiding the organization of form, 

content, or function. 

• Exhibit limited technical skill with tools and media with a 

tendency to prefer one media to another, more from a sense

of proficiency with the material or tool rather than because 

it is the best choice for the communication of the idea. 

• Demonstrate increased control of media and tools with a 

desire to learn specific techniques to gain greater ability to 

communicate ideas, and make conscious choices that are 

appropriate to the problem. 

• Demonstrate greater control of media and tools, often 

choosing to specialize and practice to develop expertise,

enabling greater facility in the communication of ideas; 

make conscious choices that are appropriate to the 

problem; and experiment with less obvious 

characteristics of the medium. 

• Develop one or two methods for judging ideas in planning 

or simulation (thumbnail sketches, models, maquettes) 

before reaching closure on concepts, visual organization, 

meaning, or production. 

• Devise and employ several methods for judging ideas in 

planning or simulation (thumbnail sketches, models, 

maquettes) before reaching closure on concepts, visual 

organization, meaning, or production. 

• Devise and employ many methods for judging ideas in 

planning or simulation, using both actual images 

(thumbnail sketches, models, maquettes) and mental 

images while decoding meaning before reaching 

closure on concepts, visual organization, meaning, or 

production. 

• Cannot weigh ideas against individually determined or 

group-determined criteria in the creation of works of art/ 

design. 

• Weigh ideas against individually determined or groupdetermined criteria in the creation of works of art/design. • Weigh ideas against individually determined or groupdetermined criteria in the creation of works of art and 

design, reinterpreting and extending group-shared 

criteria. 

• Find, select, and integrate information from a few sources, 

precluding much extension or elaboration of ideas. 

• Find, select, and integrate information from a variety of 

sources, enabling some extension and elaboration of ideas 

and selection of methods and processes from several 

approaches to solving problems. 

• Find, select, and integrate information from a wider 

variety of sources, enabling greater extension and 

elaboration of ideas and selection of methods and 

processes from a variety of approaches to solving 

problems; and facilitate understanding of the 

relationship of these sources to the generation of ideas, 

alternatives, and various problem-solving approaches. 

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for the Visual Arts

Grade 8 (continued)

Visual Arts

Processes Eighth-grade students at the basic level in visual arts: Eighth-grade students at the proficient level in visual arts: Eighth-grade students at the advanced level in visual arts: 

Creating/

Performing 

• Cannot identify personal strengths and weaknesses; and 

within process reviews, provide limited positive and 

realistic evaluation of work. 

• Identify personal strengths and weaknesses, selecting and 

discussing their own work; and within process reviews, 

identify and comment on works of varying quality, 

demonstrating some ability to reflect criteria and insights. 

• Identify and analyze personal strengths and 

weaknesses, selecting, justifying, and discussing their 

own work; within process reviews, identify and 

compare works of varying quality with insight; and 

demonstrate high-level ability to discuss the 

relationship of these works to personal creative and 

technical development. 

• Inappropriately use visual and verbal vocabulary of form 

and principles of organization as a way to construct 

meaning. 

• Appropriately use visual and verbal vocabulary of form 

and principles of visual organization to make inferences 

and construct meaning. 

• Appropriately and articulately use the visual and verbal

vocabulary of form and principles of visual 

organization to make inferences and construct 

meaning. 

Responding 

• Respond to questions of art/design through literal 

discussion, debate, writing, and visual analysis, 

confining inferences made to obvious physical 

characteristics. 

• Respond to questions of art/design through literal and 

metaphorically expanded discussion, supported 

debate, expository writing, and visual analysis, making 

inferences on the obvious and not-so-obvious physical, as 

well as some abstract, characteristics. 

• Respond to questions about art/design through 

extended and metaphorically embellished discussion, 

supported debate, expository writing, and visual 

analysis, making inferences on the obvious and not-soobvious physical and many abstract characteristics, 

revealing a philosophical position. 

• Cannot apply criteria to interpretation of works of art/ 

design but can recognize one or two obvious connecting 

patterns, shared concepts, and inferences or connections 

among works of art and other types of experience or ideas.

• Apply criteria to the interpretation of works of art/ design 

and can recognize most obvious connecting patterns, 

shared concepts, and inferences or connections among 

works of art and other types of experience or ideas. 

• Apply criteria to the interpretation of works of 

art/design; and search for and recognize obvious and 

subtle connecting patterns, shared concepts, and 

inferences or connections among works of art and 

other types of experience or ideas. 

• Do not judge or defend the various dimensions of context 

in which art and design are created and interpreted. 

• Judge the various dimensions of context in which art and 

design are created and interpreted. 

• Judge and defend the various dimensions of context in 

which art and design are created and interpreted. 

• Identify literal ways in which works of art reflect and 

influence the way people perceive experiences in their 

lives and how people’s experiences influence the 

development of specific works. 

• Identify and describe literal ways in which works of art 

reflect and influence the way people perceive experiences 

in their lives and how people’s experiences influence the 

development of specific works. 

• Identify and describe literal and abstract ways in which

works of art reflect and influence the way people 

perceive experiences in their lives and how people’s 

experiences influence the development of specific 

works. 

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for the Visual Arts

In creating and responding to works of art and design, students in grade 12 show evidence of increased awareness about thinking about and processing 

concepts and judgments.

Grade 12

Visual Arts

Processes Twelfth-grade students at the basic level in visual arts: Twelfth-grade students at the proficient level in visual arts: Twelfth-grade students at the advanced level in visual arts: 

Creating/

Performing 

• Recognize one or two predictable approaches to the 

organization of form, theories of meaning, and dimensions 

of context. 

• Recognize and analyze several different predictable and 

inventive approaches to the organization of form, theories 

of meaning, and dimensions of context. 

• Recognize, analyze, and synthesize many different 

inventive approaches to the organization of form, 

theories of meaning, and dimensions of context and 

understand how they impact the content of the work. 

• Generate a single solution to a problem that replicates an 

existing solution; and show little understanding of context, 

audience, and performance criteria. 

• Generate several solutions to a problem, some of which 

depart from known solutions; and show an emerging 

understanding of context, audience, and performance 

criteria. 

• Generate many solutions to a problem, most of which 

depart from known solutions; and show a high degree 

of originality and sensitivity to context, performance 

criteria, and theoretical frameworks of design. 

• Generate one or two alternatives with little recognition of 

personal, conceptual, and critical development across an 

accumulated body of work. 

• Generate several alternatives while recognizing personal, 

conceptual, and critical development across an 

accumulated body of work. 

• Generate multiple alternatives with a high level of 

recognition of personal, conceptual, and critical 

development across an accumulated body of work. 

• Use media, tools, and technical processes with some 

evidence of focused selection and personalization, control 

in communicating meaning, and testing of limits; and work

against the medium without understanding its limits and 

capacity. 

• Use media, tools, and technical processes with greater 

evidence of focused selection, personalization, control in 

communicating meaning, and testing of limits; and can 

work with the medium, understanding its capacity and 

limits. 

• Use media, tools, and technical processes with 

competence and considerable interest in selection, 

personalization, control in communicating meaning, 

and testing of limits; and work and experiment with the 

medium’s more subtle aspects, inventing new limits and

capacities. 

• Respond to a few simple components of challenging 

problems; define superficial, physical dimensions of the 

problem, proceeding haphazardly through the problemsolving process; and are unable to assess the impact of 

process on solutions. 

• Respond to some complex components of challenging 

problems; define most physical and some abstract 

dimensions of the problem, proceeding consciously 

through a linear problem-solving process but not extending

or elaborating upon it; and can assess the impact of process

on the solution. 

• Respond to multiple complex components of 

challenging problems; define most physical and abstract

dimensions of the problem, proceeding intentionally 

through a lateral problem-solving process, extending 

and elaborating upon it; and use analogies and abstract 

principles to understand and assess the impact of 

process on the solution. 

• Make limited use of simulation techniques but are unable 

to predict the outcome of possible solutions. 

• Develop some use of simulation techniques and predict the 

outcome of some possible solutions. 

• Develop a variety of simulation techniques, determine 

appropriateness for specific problems, and predict the 

outcome of most simulated solutions. 

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Preliminary Achievement Level Descriptions for the Visual Arts

Grade 12 (continued)

Visual Arts

Processes Twelfth-grade students at the basic level in visual arts: Twelfth-grade students at the proficient level in visual arts: Twelfth-grade students at the advanced level in visual arts: 

Creating/

Performing 

• Develop design solutions that respond to a partial list of 

performance criteria but are unable to weigh criteria or 

resolve competing demands within the same problem. 

• Develop design solutions that respond to a broad range of 

performance criteria and can weigh criteria or resolve 

competing demands within the same problem. 

• Respond to a full range of performance criteria; define 

problems in differing ways and are likely to redefine 

the problem in terms of specific orientation, context, or 

in-depth focus that meets students’ need for personal 

growth; and weigh criteria and articulate reasons for 

weighting certain aspects of the problem more heavily 

than others. 

• Recognize one or two personal strengths and weak-nesses 

in creating and responding but are unable to select and 

discuss their own work or identify works of varying 

quality related to the progression of personal creative 

development. 

• Recognize some personal strengths and weaknesses in 

creating and responding; and select and discuss their own 

work, identifying works of varying quality related to the 

progression of personal creative development. 

• Recognize most personal strengths and weaknesses in 

creating and responding; and select, identify, and justify

works of varying quality through the insightful and 

focused analysis of the relationship of these works to 

progression of personal creative development. 

Responding 

• Do not refer to the visual and verbal vocabulary of form 

and principles of visual organization in the construction of 

meaning; and recognize obvious, literal relationships of 

ideology, theory, and context to the formal principles. 

• Refer to the visual and verbal vocabulary of form and 

principles of visual organization in the construction of 

meaning; and recognize obvious literal and abstract 

relationships of ideology, theory, and context to the formal 

principles. 

• Refer to and integrate the visual and verbal vocabulary 

of form and principles of visual organization in the 

construction of meaning; and recognize and articulate 

abstract and subtle relationships of ideology, theory, 

and context to the formal principles. 

• Understand and manage simple, obvious relationships 

between context and the creation and interpretation of 

works of art/design. 

• Understand and manage simple, not-so-obvious, and 

abstract relationships between context and the creation and 

interpretation of works of art/design. 

• Understand and manage abstract, complex, and subtle 

relationships between context and the creation and 

interpretation of works of art/design. 

• Develop predictable and common theoretical constructs 

and methods for decisionmaking among competing 

priorities or opinions. 

• Develop predictable and inventive theoretical constructs 

and methods for decisionmaking among competing 

priorities or opinions. 

• Develop inventive and unusual theoretical constructs 

and methods for decisionmaking among competing 

priorities or opinions. 

• Place singular and obvious personal comments within an 

elementary critical process, with little engagement in 

criticism by explaining meaning; identifying, describing, 

and recognizing critical models; and forming belief 

systems. 

• Place varied and thoughtful personal comments within a 

compound critical process, with conscious engagement in 

criticism by explaining meaning; identifying, describing, 

and recognizing critical models; and forming belief 

systems. 

• Place multiple and discerning personal comments 

within a complex critical process, with perceptive 

engagement in criticism by explaining meaning; 

identifying, describing, and recognizing critical models;

and forming belief systems. 

• Cannot identify where design solutions do not function 

well and show limited ability to transfer learning from one 

problem to another. 

• Identify where design solutions do not function well and 

transfer learning from one problem to another. 

• Identify and articulate where design solutions do not 

function well; make adjustments in their own problemsolving process; and transfer learning from one 

problem to another. 

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APPENDIX A

THE CONTENT OUTLINES

The content outlines for the disciplines of dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts are 

based on the work of the NAEP planning committee and on the National Standards in 

each of the arts disciplines. The National Standards in dance, music, theatre, and the 

visual arts were developed by professionals in those disciplines who are members of the 

National Consortium of Arts Organizations. The consortium was funded to develop 

content standards in the arts by the U.S. Department of Education, the National 

Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

The connection between the work of the National Standards task forces and the work of 

the NAEP planning committee is a strong one. Through each phase of the NAEP project, 

the planning committee in each arts discipline based its assessment discussions on the 

concurrent work of the National Standards task force in that discipline.

For purposes of assessment, the NAEP planning committee (composed of specialists in 

dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts) identified major categories in which the content

of the arts could be organized. Thus, in assessing what students know and are able to do 

in each of the arts, the content was formulated around the processes of creating, 

performing, and responding.

In developing standards in the arts, the National Standards task forces initially organized 

their work around the processes of creating and performing, perceiving and analyzing, 

knowing historical and social contexts, and understanding the nature and the meaning of 

each of the arts. Although these categories are not specifically delineated in the final 

document, they can be used to approach and understand the work of each discipline. 

In the content outlines, the NAEP planning committee content categories appear in 

boldface Roman numerals I, II, or III followed by each discipline group’s assessment 

recommendation, which is labeled in boldface capital letters. The Achievement Standards

from the proposed National Standards that delineate the content to be assessed in that 

discipline are cited. For reference purposes, the Achievement Standards number and letter

from the proposed voluntary National Standards are noted in parentheses at the end of 

each statement.

In unfolding the standards for the purposes of assessment, it was sometimes necessary for

the NAEP planning committee to modify the wording (but not the intent) of an 

achievement standard to provide the level of detail needed by assessment developers. 

These modifications occur in italics to indicate the changes made for assessment 

purposes. At the twelfth-grade level, reframing the standards in this way also made them 

more inclusive and therefore more appropriate in the assessment of general students. 

Asterisks are used in music and theatre to indicate the standards that are particularly 

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useful for measurement of the student who has had less than 2 years of specific arts 

instruction at the high school level.

At grade 12, following the pattern of the National Standards, the standards designated as 

proficient are abbreviated with “Pro” and advanced standards are abbreviated with 

“Adv.” Both are followed by the number and letter of the standard being addressed, as in 

grades 4 and 8.

Not all of the proposed National Standards are included in the content outlines. Some 

standards cannot be appropriately evaluated in a large-scale assessment and are more 

appropriately addressed in state level, district level, or classroom-based assessments.

In some assessment examples in the content outline, the music group cited the six levels 

of difficulty as defined in the music glossary in the National Standards. These levels 

were adapted for use in the standards with permission from NYSSMA Manual, Edition 

XXIII, published by the New York State School Music Association in 1991.

The following general comments made by the visual arts group of the NAEP planning 

committee reflect circumstances that called for changes necessary to meet the demands of

the assessment:

1. In the National Standards, the term “design” refers to “composition,” whereas in 

the NAEP Arts Education Assessment Framework and specifications, the term 

“design” refers to the disciplines of architecture, interior design, industrial design,

and graphic design, all of which are included in the NAEP visual arts assessment. 

Therefore, the NAEP visual arts group replaced the word “design” with 

“composition.”

2. The NAEP Arts Education Assessment content outline deals with cognitive skills 

implied but not specified in the standards. Specifically mentioned are areas related

to visual thinking, the construction of meaning, and representation.

3. The NAEP visual arts group’s rewording of the National Standards clearly 

differentiates content that is about “syntax” (organization of visual elements) from

content that is about “semantics” (selection of subject matter) so that these two 

aspects of content can be considered separately. The standards combine these two 

aspects of content in a single statement.

4. The NAEP Arts Education Assessment Framework and specifications use the 

word “form” rather than “image” to include more spatial and temporal 

considerations. Where there are references to “visual” characteristics, the NAEP 

visual arts group added “spatial and temporal” to include three-dimensional art 

and time-based media.

5. The NAEP visual arts group was more specific in its use of terminology to 

provide information to the assessment development contractor. For example, 

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when the standards refer to “characteristics,” the group added words such as 

“characteristics of materials” or “formal and symbolic characteristics” to clarify 

the intended meaning.

6. The NAEP visual arts group felt it necessary to elaborate on issues related to 

application of the arts to daily life and on criticism. Because the standards did not 

address these issues explicitly, the group augmented the content outline to provide

a focus for assessment.

7. The standards use “art forms” and “arts disciplines” to refer to the same concept. 

The NAEP visual arts group standardized that concept under the term “arts 

disciplines” or “other arts,” reserving “visual art forms” for cases in which there is

a need to distinguish painting from printmaking (for example, in the exercise 

design). 

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DANCE CONTENT OUTLINE

DANCE, GRADE 4

I. Creating 

A. Invent Solutions to Movement Problems, Generating and Selecting From 

Alternatives 

(A movement problem is a task that requires effort, thought, and practice to 

solve.)

1. Given a movement problem that requires an original response, devise and test 

out two to three movement solutions; students choose their favorite solution and 

discuss the reasons for that choice (4a).

B. Follow Improvisational and Compositional Structures

1. Create an original dance of at least 30 seconds with a beginning, middle, and 

end expressing the student’s own idea (2a, 2b).

2. Create an original dance phrase of 20 seconds, repeat the phrase accurately, and

vary it (making changes in the time, space, and/or force or energy) (2d).

C. Collaborate to Achieve Solutions

1. Create and perform an original dance of at least 30 seconds with a partner, 

expressing an idea agreed upon by the partner (2e).

II. Performing

A. Accurately Recall and Reproduce Movement

1. Given verbal direction, demonstrate the nonlocomotor movements of bend, 

stretch, twist, and swing (nonlocomotor movements are done in place) (1a). 

Given a live demonstration, perform a combination of these movements.

2. Given verbal direction, demonstrate eight basic locomotor movements (walk, 

run, hop, jump, leap, gallop, slide, skip) traveling forward, backward, sideward, 

diagonally, and turning (locomotor movements travel from one place to another)

(1b). Given a live demonstration, perform a combination of these movements.

3. Given verbal direction, demonstrate movements in straight and curved pathways

(1e).

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4. Given verbal direction and changes in rhythmic accompaniment (e.g., 

drumbeat tempo changes), demonstrate changes in movement that respond to

changes in tempo (1f). 

B. Demonstrate Physical Technique 

(Physical technique is defined as skills that allow the dancer to move with 

appropriate skeletal alignment, body part articulation, strength, flexibility, 

balance, and coordination in locomotor and nonlocomotor movements.)

1. Given verbal directions to move through space as part of a large group,

demonstrate the ability to define and maintain personal space, distance from 

others, and spatial arrangement (form) (1d).

2. While following the movements of a facilitator, demonstrate physical technique,

concentration, and focus while performing movement skills in a group (1g).

3. Given verbal direction, demonstrate the following partner skills: copying, 

leading and following, mirroring (2f).

C. Communicate Through Movement (Expression)

1. With competence and confidence, perform their own dances for peers and 

discuss their meanings (3c).

2. With competence and confidence, perform for peers folk dances from various 

cultures, learned previously through demonstrations by a facilitator (5a).

III. Responding

A. Identify Compositional Elements and Notice Details

1. After viewing a brief movement study, describe the movements (e.g., skip, 

gallop) and the movement elements (such as levels and directions) and suggest 

ideas being communicated in the study (1h).

B. Identify Contexts (Stylistic, Cultural, Social, Historical) of Dance

1. After viewing three dances from particular specific cultures and/or time periods 

(such as Colonial America), describe the cultural and/or historical contexts of 

each dance (5c).

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C. Make Informed Critical Observations About the Dance’s and Dancer’s 

Technical and Artistic Components

1. Observe and discuss how dancers differ from others who move (such as 

athletes, pedestrians) (3a).

2. Take an active role in a discussion of a dance, offering personal reactions and 

interpretations (3b).

3. Observe two dances and discuss how they are similar and different in terms of 

one element of dance (such as space, shapes, levels, pathways) (4b).

DANCE, GRADE 8

I. Creating 

A. Invent Solutions to Movement Challenges, Generating and Selecting From 

Alternatives 

1. Create a warmup exercise and explain how that exercise prepares the body and 

mind for expressive purposes (6c).

B. Follow Improvisational and Compositional Structures

1. Given verbal direction, demonstrate in movement the principles of contrast and 

transition (2a).

2. Given verbal direction, demonstrate movements that exemplify choreographic 

processes such as reordering (2b).

3. Given verbal direction, demonstrate movements in the following forms of AB, 

ABA, canon, call and response, and narrative (2c).

C. Collaborate to Achieve Solutions

1. Demonstrate the following partner skills in a visually interesting way: creating 

and complementary shapes, taking and supporting weight (2e).

2. Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively in a group of three or four during

the choreographic process (2d).

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II. Performing

A. Accurately Recall and Reproduce Movement

1. Memorize and reproduce dance sequences that are at least 32 counts in length

(1g).

2. Given the prompt of a rhythmic pattern drumbeat, reproduce that rhythmic 

pattern in movement (1d).

3. Given the prompt of a spatial pattern drawn on paper, reproduce that pattern by

traveling through space (1c).

4. Given verbal prompts, demonstrate two previously learned dances, each at 

least 32 counts in length, representing two different styles, including basic 

dance steps, body positions, and spatial patterns in demonstration (1b)(5b)(5a).

B. Demonstrate Physical Technique

1. Given verbal prompts, demonstrate through movement sustained, percussive, 

and vibratory qualities (1e).

2. While following the demonstrated movements of a facilitator, demonstrate the 

skills of alignment, balance, articulation of isolated body parts, weight shift, 

elevation and landing, fall, and recovery (1a).

C. Communicate Through Movement (Expression)

1. Create a dance of at least 32 counts that successfully communicates a topic of 

personal significance (3d).

III. Responding

A. Identify Compositional Elements and Notice Details

1. After viewing a dance, describe the movements and movement elements using 

appropriate dance vocabulary (i.e., level, direction) (1h).

B. Identify Contexts (Stylistic, Cultural, Social, Historical) of Dance

1. Describe the role of dance in two different cultures and/or time periods (5d).

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C. Make Informed Critical Observations About the Dance’s and Dancer’s 

Technical and Artistic Components

1. After observing a dance, discuss personal opinions about both the 

choreography and the performers (4b).

2. Identify and use criteria for evaluating dance (such as skill of performers, 

originality, visual and/or emotional impact, variety, and contrast) (4d).

3. Compare and contrast two dance compositions in terms of space (such as shape 

and pathways), time (such as rhythm and tempo), and forceenergy (such as 

movement qualities) (4c).

DANCE, GRADE 12

Proficient and Advanced

* Denotes expectations appropriate for the general twelfth-grade student.

The standards dance task force has identified both “proficient” and “advanced” levels of 

achievement for grades 9–12 to address the level of attainment for a student who has 

received instruction in the skills and/or knowledge of dance for 1 to 2 years beyond grade

8 and the level of attainment for a student who has received instruction for 3 to 4 years 

beyond grade 8.

I. Creating

A. Invent Solutions to Movement Challenges, Generating and Selecting From 

Alternatives

*1. Create and perform a dance that includes two or more dynamic qualities 

(such as percussive) and expresses personal meaning (Pro–1d).

*2. Use improvisation to generate movement for choreography (Pro–2a).

3. Create a dance, then manipulate it by applying a different form, describing 

how the meaning of the dance was changed (Adv–2e).

B. Follow Improvisational and Compositional Structures

1. Create a movement sequence that illustrates one of the following structures or

forms: theme and variation, rondo, or round (Pro–2b).

2. Create a dance of at least 1 minute, describing the reasons for the 

choreographic decisions (Pro–4a).

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*3. Observe a dance on video, describe the choreographic style, then create a 

dance of at least 1 minute in the style of the choreography observed.

C. Collaborate to Achieve Solutions

1. Working in groups of three or four, choreograph a dance of at least 32 

counts, then describe the choreographic principles, processes, and structures 

used (Pro–2c).

2. Working with a partner, choreograph and perform a duet of at least 64 counts

discussing the use of choreographic principles, processes, and structures 

(Pro–2c).

II. Performing

A. Accurately Recall and Reproduce Movement

*1. After learning 32 counts of a dance taught by a facilitator, accurately recall 

and reproduce the movements and rhythmic patterns (Pro–1f).

 2. After learning two dances of different styles, accurately recall and reproduce 

each dance.

B. Demonstrate Physical Technique

*1. After learning 32 counts of a dance demonstrated by a facilitator, 

demonstrate appropriate skeletal alignment, bodypart articulation, strength, 

flexibility, agility, and coordination in locomotor and nonlocomotor 

movement (Pro–1a).

 2. After learning a 64-count dance, perform the dance with artistic expression, 

demonstrating clarity, musicality, and stylistic nuance (Adv–1h).

C. Communicate Through Movement (Expression)

*1. Create a dance of at least 32 counts that communicates a contemporary social

theme (such as isolation, poverty, relationships, the environment) (Pro–3c).

 2. Create a dance of at least 32 counts that conveys a contemporary social 

theme, vary the choreography so that it expresses a different theme, and 

discuss each idea and the ways it was expressed.

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III. Responding

A. Identify Compositional Elements and Notice Details

*1. After observing a dance, answer questions about how the choreographer’s

choices communicate ideas (Pro–3a).

 2. After observing a dance on video, identify the choreographer’s use of 

structure or form (i.e., theme and variation, rondo, round, canon call and 

response, narrative) (Pro–2b).

 3. After observing two different dances, compare how the choreographers 

manipulate movement and movement elements to express ideas (Adv–2e).

B. Identify Contexts (Stylistic, Cultural, Social, Historical) of the Dance

*1. After observing a classical dance form (such as ballet), discuss the traditions 

and technique (Pro–5b).

 2. Analyze how dance and dancers are portrayed in contemporary American 

media (Pro–5d).

 3. Compare and contrast the role and significance of dance in two different 

social/historical/cultural/political contexts (such as dance used for political 

devices in Communist China compared with dance used in Native-American 

ceremonies) (Adv–5f).

C. Make Informed Critical Observations About the Dance’s and Dancer’s 

Technical and Artistic Components

 1. Establish aesthetic criteria and apply them in evaluating own work and that of

others (Pro–4b).

*2. Describe similarities and differences between two contemporary theatrical 

dances (Pro–5a).

 3. Analyze issues of ethnicity, gender, social/economic class, age and/or 

physical condition in relation to dance (what are the stereotypes in dance in 

reference to these issues? how does dance reflect such contemporary issues? 

etc.) (Adv-4f).

 4. Examine ways that dance creates and conveys meaning by considering the 

dance from a variety of perspectives (such as the dance critic, the audience, 

the choreographer, the performer) (Adv–3d).

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MUSIC CONTENT OUTLINE

MUSIC, GRADE 4

I. Creating

A. Compose

1. Create music to accompany readings or dramatizations, manipulating 

dimensions such as the variety of sounds, tempo, loudness, and mood of a piece 

to enhance or match the readings or dramatizations and describing and 

explaining the choices made (4a).

2. Create short songs and instrumental pieces of 4 to 8 measures in length within 

specified guidelines (e.g., a particular style, form [call and response, ostinato, 

aba], instrumentation, compositional technique, tonality [major, minor, 

pentatonic], meter [duple, triple]) (4b).

3. Use a variety of sound sources (e.g., classroom instruments, electronic 

instruments, body sounds) when composing (4c).

B. Evaluate Own Composition

1. Use criteria based on knowledge of the elements and style of music for 

comparing, evaluating, and revising compositions (7a).

2. Explain, using appropriate music terminology (e.g., describing dimensions such 

as tempo, text, instrumentation), personal preferences (likes and dislikes) for 

specific musical works or styles (7b).

C. Improvise

1. Improvise “answers” in the same style to given rhythmic and melodic phrases 

from 2 to 4 measures long (3a).

2.Improvise simple rhythmic and melodic ostinato accompaniments (3b).

3. Improvise simple rhythmic variations and simple melodic embellishments on 

familiar melodies (3c).

4. Improvise short songs and instrumental pieces, using a variety of sound sources, 

including traditional sounds (e.g., voices, instruments); nontraditional sounds 

available in the classroom (e.g., paper tearing, pencil tapping); body sounds 

(e.g., hands clapping, fingers snapping); and sounds produced by electronic 

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means (e.g., personal computers and basic MIDI devices, including keyboards, 

sequencers, synthesizers, and drum machines) (3d).

II. Performing

A. Sing: Competence and Expressiveness

1. Sing independently (as a soloist singing familiar songs), on pitch and in rhythm,

with appropriate timbre, diction, and posture and maintain a steady tempo (1a).

2. Sing expressively (as a soloist singing familiar songs) with appropriate 

dynamics, phrasing, and interpretation (1b).

3. Sing familiar songs from memory (1c).

4. Sing ostinatos, partner songs, and rounds along with an ensemble on videotape 

that includes all parts (1d).

5. Sing in groups along with a videotape that includes the conductor, blending 

vocal timbres, matching dynamic levels, and responding to the cues of the 

conductor (1e).

B. Sight Singing (Read Unfamiliar Pieces From Notation)

1. Read whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eighth notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, and 

4/4 time signatures (5a).

2. Sing at sight simple pitch notation in the treble clef in major keys (range of no 

more than an octave, primarily stepwise movement, no more than 4 measures)

(5b).

C. Evaluate and Improve Own Singing

1. Use criteria based on knowledge of the elements and style of music for 

evaluating and suggesting improvements in performance (7a).

2. Explain, using appropriate music terminology, personal preferences (likes and 

dislikes) for specific musical works or styles (7b).

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D. Play Instruments: Competence and Expressiveness

1. Perform familiar music as a soloist expressively (2c) on pitch, in rhythm, with 

appropriate dynamics and timbre, and maintain a steady tempo (2a).

2. Perform (in an ensemble or as a soloist) easy rhythmic, melodic, and choral 

patterns accurately and independently on rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic 

classroom instruments, either using own instrument or selecting an instrument 

from among those provided. The piece should be no more than 16 measures, 

with harmony limited to I and V chords and melody limited to the range of an 

octave and stepwise movement (2b).

3. Echo short (2 to 4 measures) rhythms and melodic patterns (2d).

4. Perform in groups along with a videotape that includes the conductor, blending 

instrumental timbres, matching dynamic levels, and responding to the cues of 

the conductor (2e).

5. Perform independent instrumental parts while other students play 1 to 3

contrasting parts on a videotape that includes a conductor (2f).

E. Sight Reading (Play an Unfamiliar Piece From Notation)

1. Play from notation whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eighth notes and rests in

2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time signatures (5a).

2. Play from notation easy rhythmic, melodic, and chordal patterns on rhythmic, 

melodic, and harmonic classroom instruments (2b).

F. Evaluate Own Playing

1. Use criteria based on knowledge of the elements and style of music for 

evaluating and suggesting improvements in performances (7a).

2. Explain, using appropriate music terminology, personal preferences (likes and 

dislikes) for specific musical works or styles (7b).

III. Responding

A. Describe, Analyze, Compare, and Contrast

1. Identify simple music forms (e.g., ABA, call and response) presented aurally 

(6a).

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2. Demonstrate perceptual skills by moving, answering questions about, and 

describing aural examples of various styles of music representing diverse 

cultures (6b).

3. Use appropriate terminology to explain music, music notation, music 

instruments and voices, and music performances (6c).

4. Identify the sounds of a variety of instruments, including many orchestra and 

band instruments, and instruments from various cultures, as well as male and 

female voices (6d).

5. Respond through purposeful movement to selected prominent music 

characteristics or to specific music events while listening to music (6e).

B. Use Notation (Connect What Is Seen With What Is Heard)

1. Read whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eighth notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, and 

4/4 time signatures (5a).

2. Read simple pitch notation in the treble clef in major keys (5b).

3. Identify symbols and traditional terms referring to dynamics (e.g., piano, forte, 

crescendo, diminuendo), tempo (e.g., presto, ritard, accelerando), and 

articulation (e.g., staccato, legato, marcato, accent) (5c).

4. Use standard symbols to notate meter (2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time signatures), rhythm

(whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eighth notes), pitch (notes in treble clef),

and dynamics (p, f, < [crescendo], > [diminuendo]) in simple patterns (5d).

C. Evaluate Performances and Recommend Improvements

1. Use criteria based on knowledge of musical elements and style for evaluating 

performances (7a).

D. Evaluate Works

1. Use criteria based on knowledge of musical elements and style for evaluating 

compositions (7a).

2. Explain, using appropriate music terminology (e.g., describing dimensions such 

as tempo, text, instrumentation), personal preferences (likes and dislikes) for 

specific musical works or styles (7b).

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E. Place Works Within Cultural and Historical Context

1. Identify, by genre or style, aural examples of music from various historical 

periods and cultures (9a).

2. Describe in simple terms how elements of music are used in music examples 

from various cultures of the world (9b).

3. Identify diverse uses of music in daily experiences and describe characteristics 

that make certain music suitable for each use (9c).

4. Identify and describe the roles of musicians in various music settings and 

cultures (9d).

MUSIC, GRADE 8

I. Creating

A. Compose

1. Compose short pieces (8 to 12 measures) within specified guidelines (e.g., ABA 

form, limited range, and simple rhythms), demonstrating how the elements of 

music are used to achieve unity, variety, tension/release, and balance (4a).

2. Arrange simple pieces (limit 12 measures) for voices or instruments other than 

those for which the pieces were written (e.g., create guitar accompaniment for 

folk songs) (4b).

3. Use a variety of traditional and nontraditional (e.g., classroom instruments, body

sounds, found sounds) sound sources and electronic media (synthesizer, 

sequencer) when composing and arranging (4c).

B. Evaluate Own Composition

1. Evaluate the quality (use of elements to create unity, variety, tension/release, 

and balance) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of own and others’ 

compositions and arrangements by applying specific criteria appropriate for the 

style of the music and offer constructive suggestions for improvement (7b).

C. Notate Personal Musical Ideas

1. Use standard notation to record their musical ideas and the musical ideas of 

others (5d).

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D. Improvise

1. Improvise simple harmonic accompaniments (3a).

2. Improvise melodic embellishments and simple rhythmic and melodic variations 

on given pentatonic melodies and melodies in major keys (3b).

3. Improvise short melodies (at least 12 measures), unaccompanied and over a 

given rhythmic accompaniment, each in a consistent style (e.g., classical, blues, 

folk, gospel), meter (e.g., duple, triple), and tonality (e.g., major, pentatonic)

(3c).

E. Evaluate Own Improvisation

1. Evaluate the quality and effectiveness (expressive impact) of their own and 

others’ improvisations by applying specific criteria appropriate for the style of 

the music and offer constructive suggestions for improvement (7b).

II. Performing

A. Sing: Competence and Expressiveness

1. Sing familiar songs accurately (pitches, rhythms, expressions) and with good 

(consistent) breath control throughout their singing ranges, alone and in small 

and large ensembles (1a).

2. Sing familiar songs with expression appropriate for the work being performed 

(1c).

3. Sing music written in two and three parts (e.g., learn part through rote imitation

and reading notation, then sing one part with a videotape of complete ensemble 

performance, including student’s part, led by visible conductor) (1d).

B. Sight Singing (Read Unfamiliar Pieces From Notation)

1. Read whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and dotted notes and rests in 2/4, 

3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 3/8, and alla breve time signatures (5a).

2. Read at sight simple melodies (melodies appropriate to student’s vocal range, 

no longer than 8 measures, mostly stepwise movement and rhythms specified 

above; sung using syllables, numbers, letters, or nonsense syllables) in clef of 

student’s choice (5b).

3. Students who participate in a choral ensemble or class, sight-read, accurately 

and expressively, music with a level of difficulty of two (to be defined according

to the piece selected for task) on a scale of one to six (5e).

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C. Evaluate and Improve Own Singing

1. Evaluate the quality (technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of their 

own performances by applying specific criteria appropriate for the style of the 

music and offer constructive suggestions for improvement (7b).

D. Play Instruments: Competence and Expressiveness

1. Perform on at least one instrument accurately (technical and expressive) and 

independently, alone (familiar music) and in small and large ensembles (e.g., a 

part learned through rote imitation and reading notation, then sung with a 

videotape of complete ensemble performance that includes doubling of the 

student’s part, led by a visible conductor), with good posture, good playing 

position, and good breath, bow, or stick control (2a).

2. Play by ear simple melodies (e.g., folk songs) on a melodic instrument with 

simple accompaniments (e.g., strummed I, IV, V, vi, ii chords) on a harmonic 

instrument (2d).

3. Perform music representing diverse genres and cultures, with expression 

appropriate for the work being performed (2c).

E. Sight Reading (Play an Unfamiliar Piece From Notation)

1. Read whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and dotted notes and rests in 2/4, 

3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 3/8, and alla breve time signatures (5a).

2. Read at sight simple melodies (limited to 8 measures, range determined by 

instrument, rhythms indicated above) in the clef appropriate to the instrument

(5b).

3. Students who participate in instrumental ensemble or class, sight-read, 

accurately and expressively, music with a level of difficulty of two on a scale of 

one to six (5e).

F. Evaluate Own Playing

1. Evaluate the quality (technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of their 

own performances by applying specific criteria appropriate for the style of the 

music and offer constructive suggestions for improvement (7b).

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III. Responding

A. Describe, Analyze, Compare, and Contrast

1. Describe specific music events in a given aural example, using appropriate 

terminology (6a).

2. Analyze the uses of elements of music in aural examples representing diverse 

genres and cultures (6b).

3. Demonstrate knowledge of the basic principles of meter, rhythm, tonality, 

intervals, chords, and harmonic progressions in their analyses of music (6c).

B. Read Notation (Connect What Is Seen With What Is Heard)

1. Read whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and dotted notes and rests in 2/4, 

3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 3/8, and alla breve time signatures (5a).

2. Identify and define (while looking at a score) standard notation symbols for 

pitch, rhythm, articulation (accents, legato, staccato, marcato), dynamics 

(piano, forte, crescendo, diminuendo), tempo, and expression (phrasing) (5c).

3. Use standard notation to record their musical ideas and the musical ideas of 

others (5d).

C. Evaluate Performances and Recommend Improvement

1. Evaluate the quality (technical and expressive) and effectiveness (expressive 

impact) of their own and others’ performances and improvisations by applying 

specific criteria appropriate for the style of the music and offer constructive 

suggestions for improvement (7b).

D. Evaluate Works

1. Evaluate the quality (technical and expressive) and effectiveness (expressive 

impact) of their own and others’ compositions and arrangements by applying 

specific criteria appropriate for the style of the music and offer constructive 

suggestions for improvement (7b).

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E. Place Works Within Cultural and Historical Context

1. Describe distinguishing characteristics (relating to instrumentation, texture, 

rhythmic qualities, melodic lines, form) of representative music genres and 

styles from a variety of cultures (9a).

2. Classify by genre and style (and, if applicable, by historical period, composer, 

and title) a varied body of exemplary (that is, high-quality and characteristic) 

musical works and explain the characteristics that cause each work to be 

considered exemplary (9b).

3. Compare the functions music serves, the roles of musicians, and the conditions 

under which music is typically performed in several cultures of the world (9c).

MUSIC, GRADE 12

* Denotes expectations appropriate for the general twelfth-grade student.

I. Creating

A. Compose

1. Compose music in several distinct styles (classical, folk, pop, jazz, rock),

demonstrating creativity in using the elements of music for expressive effect 

(Pro–4a) and imagination and technical skill in applying the principles of 

composition (Adv–4d).

2. Arrange simple pieces (e.g., piano music, 4-part hymns, duets, trios, quartets)

for voices or instruments other than those for which the pieces were written, in 

ways that preserve or enhance the expressive effect of the music (Pro–4b).

3. Compose and arrange music for voices and various acoustic and electronic 

instruments, demonstrating knowledge of the ranges and traditional use of the 

sound sources (Pro–4c).

B. Evaluate Own Composition

*1. Apply specific criteria for making informed, critical evaluations of the quality 

(technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of compositions or 

arrangements in their personal participation in music (Pro–7a).

*2. Evaluate a composition or arrangement by comparing it to similar or exemplary 

models (Pro–7b).

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 3. Evaluate a given musical work in terms of its aesthetic qualities (e.g., interplay 

of unity and variety, tension/release, balance, overall expressive impact) and 

explain the musical means it uses to evoke feelings and emotions (Adv–7c).

C. Notate Personal Musical Ideas

*1. Use standard notation to record their musical ideas (Grade 8–5d).

D. Improvise

 1. Improvise stylistically appropriate harmonizing parts in a variety of styles (e.g., 

classical, hymn, folk, pop, jazz, blues, rock) (Adv–3d).

 2. Improvise rhythmic and melodic variations on given pentatonic melodies and 

melodies in major and minor keys (e.g., folk songs, standard pop songs, hymn 

tunes) (Pro–3b).

*3. Improvise original melodies in a variety of styles (e.g., classical, folk, pop, jazz,

blues, rock), over given chord progressions (progressions typical of the styles),

each in a consistent style, meter, and tonality (Adv–3e).

E. Evaluate Own Improvisation

1. Apply specific criteria for making informed, critical evaluations of the quality 

(technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of improvisations in their 

participation in music (Pro–7a).

2. Evaluate (e.g., consider questions of unity or variety, consistency, appropriate 

use of resources) an improvisation by comparing it to similar or exemplary 

models (Pro–7b).

II. Performing

A. Singing: Competence and Expressiveness

*1. Sing familiar songs performed from memory with expression and technical 

accuracy (Pro–1a).

 2. Sing (one of the parts in) music written in four parts (Pro–1b) and more than 

four parts, with and without accompaniment (Adv–1e).

 3. Demonstrate well-developed ensemble skills (e.g., balance, intonation, 

rhythmic unity) (Pro–1c).

 4. Sing in small ensembles with one student on a part (Adv–1f).

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B. Sight Singing (Read Unfamiliar Pieces From Notation)

Students who participate in a choral or instrumental ensemble or class:

1. Sight-read, accurately (correct pitches and rhythms) and expressively (e.g., 

appropriate dynamics, phrasing), music with a level of difficulty of three on a 

scale of one to six (Pro–5b) or four on a scale of one to six (Adv–5e).

2. Interpret nonstandard notation symbols used by some 20th-century composers 

(Adv–5d).

C. Evaluate and Improve Own Singing

 1. Apply specific criteria for making informed, critical evaluations of the quality 

(technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of performances in their 

participation in music (Pro–7a).

*2. Evaluate a performance by comparing it to similar or exemplary models (Pro–

7b).

 3. Evaluate the quality (technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of their 

own performances by applying specific criteria appropriate for the style of the 

music and offer constructive suggestions for improvement (Grade 8–7b).

D. Play Instruments: Competence and Expressiveness

1. Play with expression (e.g., appropriate dynamics, phrasing, rubato) and 

technical accuracy a large and varied repertoire of instrumental literature with a 

level of difficulty of four on a scale of one to six (Pro–2a) or five on a scale of 

one to six (Adv–2d).

2. Perform an appropriate part in an ensemble, demonstrating well-developed 

ensemble skills (e.g., balance, intonation, rhythmic unity) (2b).

3. Perform in small ensembles with one student on a part (2c).

E. Sight Reading (Play an Unfamiliar Piece From Notation)

Students who participate in a choral or instrumental ensemble or class:

1. Sight-read, accurately and expressively, music with a level of difficulty of three 

on a scale of one to six (Pro–5b) or four on a scale of one to six (Adv–5e).

2. Interpret nonstandard notation symbols used by some 20th-century composers 

(Adv–5d).

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F. Evaluate Own Playing

 1. Apply specific criteria for making informed, critical evaluations of the quality 

(technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of performances, 

compositions, arrangements, and improvisations in their personal participation 

in music (Pro–7a).

*2. Evaluate a performance by comparing it to similar or exemplary models 

(Pro-7b).

 3. Evaluate the quality (technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of their 

own performances by applying specific criteria appropriate for the style of the 

music and offer constructive suggestions for improvement (Grade 8–7b).

III. Responding

A. Describe, Analyze, Compare, and Contrast

1. Analyze aural examples of a varied repertoire of music, representing diverse 

genres and cultures, by describing the uses of elements of music and expressive 

devices (Pro–6a).

2. Demonstrate knowledge of the technical vocabulary of music (e.g., Italian 

terms, form, harmony, tempo markings) (Pro–6b).

3. Identify and explain composition devices and techniques (e.g., motives, 

imitation, retrograde, inversion) used to provide unity, variety, tension, and 

resolution in a musical work and give examples of other works that make similar

uses of these devices and techniques (Pro–6c).

4. Demonstrate the ability to perceive and remember music events by describing in

detail significant events (e.g., elements of form, order of themes or phrases, 

nature of variations) occurring in a given aural example (Adv–6d).

5. Compare ways in which musical materials (e.g., melody, accompaniment, 

instrumentation, dynamics) are used in a given example relative to ways in 

which they are used in other works of the same genre or style (Adv–6e).

6. Analyze and describe uses of the elements in a given musical work that make it 

unique, interesting, and expressive (Adv–6f).

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B. Use Notation (Connect What Is Seen With What Is Heard)

 1. Demonstrate the ability to read (e.g., follow a score while listening) an 

instrumental or vocal score of up to four staves by describing how the elements 

of music are used in the score (Pro–5a) and explaining all transpositions and 

clefs (Adv–5c).

 2. Interpret nonstandard notation symbols used by some 20th-century composers 

(Adv–5d).

*3. Use standard notation to record the musical ideas of others (Grade 8–5d).

C. Evaluate Performances and Recommend Improvement

 1. Apply specific criteria for making informed, critical evaluations of the quality 

(technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of performances in their 

personal participation in music (Pro–7a).

*2. Evaluate a performance by comparing it to similar or exemplary models 

(Pro-7b).

*3. Evaluate the quality (technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of others’ 

performances by applying specific criteria appropriate for the style of the music 

and offer constructive suggestions for improvement (Grade 8–7b).

D. Evaluating Works

*1. Apply specific criteria for making informed, critical evaluations of the quality 

(technical) and effectiveness (expressive impact) of compositions, 

arrangements, and improvisations in their participation in music (Pro–7a).

*2. Evaluate a composition, arrangement, or improvisation by comparing it to 

similar or exemplary models (Pro–7b).

*3. Evaluate a given musical work in terms of its aesthetic qualities (e.g., interplay 

of unity and variety, tension/release, balance, overall expressive impact) and 

explain the musical means it uses to evoke feelings and emotions (Adv–7c).

E. Place Works Within Cultural and Historical Contexts

*1. Compare characteristics of two or more arts within a particular historical period 

or style and cite examples from various cultures (Pro–8b).

*2. Classify by genre or style, and by historical period or culture, unfamiliar but 

representative aural examples of music and explain the reasoning behind their 

classifications (Pro–9a).

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*3. Identify sources of American music genres, trace the evolution of those genres, 

and cite well-known musicians associated with them (Pro–9b).

*4. Identify several distinct roles that musicians perform, cite representative 

individuals who have functioned in each role, and describe their activities and 

achievements (Pro–9c).

 5. Identify and explain the stylistic features of a given musical work that serve to 

define its aesthetic tradition and its historical or cultural context (Adv–9d).

 6. Identify and describe several distinct music genres or styles that show the 

influence of two or more cultural traditions, identify the cultural source of each 

influence, and trace the historical conditions that produced the synthesis of 

influences (Adv–9e).

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THEATRE CONTENT OUTLINE

THEATRE, GRADE 4

I. Creating and Performing

A. Develop Scripts and Scenarios From Adaptations of Storylines or Objects 

Presented in Groups of Two to Eight

(A scenario is an outline of a story.)

1. Collaborate (students contribute suggestions relevant to the improvisation; they 

listen and accept others’ suggestions) to select interrelated characters, 

environments, and situations for classroom dramatizations (1a).

2. Describe characters, their relationships, and their environments in the process of

developing the script or scenario (2a).

3. Improvise dialogue to tell stories (1b).

B. Develop Characters in Groups of Two to Eight, Act Out Characters, Their 

Relationships, and Their Environments

1. Use variations of locomotor and nonlocomotor movement and vocal expression 

(pitch, tempo, and tone) in creating characters (2b).

2. Assume roles, exhibit concentration, and contribute to the action of classroom 

dramatizations based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, 

literature, and history (2c).

C. Make Design Choices to Communicate Locale and Mood

(Constructing designs, at this level, means creating an environment by 

arranging materials for classroom dramatizations. The materials could be a 

table, chairs, pieces of fabric, etc., or students might use materials to create 

objects or effects such as using two blocks of wood to sound like a door 

slamming.)

1. Construct designs that reflect environments that communicate locale and mood 

using visual elements (such as space, color, line, texture) and aural aspects using

a variety of sound sources (such as making wind noises with the mouth, 

stamping feet to simulate an army marching) (3a).

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2. Collaborate to establish playing spaces for classroom dramatizations and to 

select and safely organize available materials that suggest scenery, properties, 

lighting, sound, costumes, and makeup (3b).

D. Direct by Planning Classroom Dramatizations

1. Collaboratively plan improvisations and a way of staging (organizing) classroom

dramatizations (4a).

II. Responding

A. Describe and Analyze Artistic Choices in Their Own Dramatic Work

(Students know that they can and should make choices in all aspects of the 

creating and performing dramatic processes, and that in so doing, they will 

achieve different effects.)

1. Identify and describe the visual (see), aural (hear), oral (say), and kinetic (do 

with our bodies) elements of classroom dramatizations and dramatic 

performances (7a).

2. Describe and provide rationales for personal choices in creative and performing 

work (7c).

3. Analyze classroom dramatizations and constructively suggest alternative ideas 

for dramatizing roles, arranging environments, and developing situations along 

with means of improving the collaborative process of planning, playing, and 

responding (7d).

B. Describe and Compare Various Elements and Effects of Theatre to Dramatic 

Media (Film and Television)

1. Describe visual, aural, oral, and kinetic elements in theatre and dramatic media 

such as film and television (6a).

2. Compare how ideas (e.g., sibling rivalry, respect) and emotions (e.g., sadness, 

anger) are expressed in theatre, film, and television (6b).

C. Place Work in Context (Personal, Social, Historical, Cultural)

(Students explain how context is reflected in and influences theatre, film, and 

television.)

1. Identify and compare similar characters and situations in dramas from and about

various cultures, and discuss how theatre and dramatic media (film and 

television) reflect life (8a).

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2. Explain how the wants and needs of characters are similar to and different from 

other people they know (7b).

D. Evaluate Performances as Audience

1. Articulate emotional responses to dramatic performances and give reasons for 

those responses (7c).

2. State a personal preference for certain parts of a dramatic performance and 

provide reasons to support that preference (7c).

3. Compare whole performances, stating a personal preference for one over 

another and providing reasons to support that preference (7c).

THEATRE, GRADE 8

I. Creating/Performing

A. Develop Scripts and Scenarios From Adaptations of Storylines or Create 

Original Work

1. Individually and in groups create characters, environments, and actions that 

create tension and suspense (1a).

2. Refine and record dialogue and action (1b).

B. Develop Character Through Script Analysis and the Rehearsal Process

1. Analyze descriptions, dialogue, and actions to discover, articulate, and justify 

character motivation and invent character behaviors based on the observation of 

interactions, ethical choices, and emotional responses of people (2a).

2. Demonstrate acting skills (such as sensory recall, concentration, breath control, 

diction, body alignment, control of isolated body parts) to develop 

characterizations that suggest artistic choices (2b).

3. In an ensemble (working compatibly together in groups of three or four), 

interact as invented characters (ones created by students) (3c).

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C. Make Design Choices to Communicate Locale and Mood and Understand the 

Use of Technical Theatre Elements

1. Explain the functions and interrelated nature of scenery, properties, lighting, 

sound, costumes, and makeup in creating an environment appropriate to drama 

(3a).

2. Analyze improvised and scripted scenes for technical requirements (necessary 

scenery, properties, special lighting, sound, costumes, and makeup) (3b).

3. Work collaboratively and safely to select and create elements of scenery, 

properties, lighting, and sound to signify environments, and costumes and 

makeup to suggest character (3d).

D. Direct by Interpreting Dramatic Texts and Organizing Time and People in 

Small Groups (Two to Four) in Planning and Rehearsing Improvised and 

Scripted Scenes

1. Lead small groups in planning design elements and in rehearsing improvised 

and scripted scenes, demonstrating social and consensus skills (4a).

II. Responding 

A. Describe and Analyze Artistic Choices and Construct Meaning

(Students should understand dramatic/artistic intentions and actions and their

social and personal significance, selected and organized from the aural, oral, 

and visual symbols of a dramatic production.)

1. Articulate and support the meanings constructed from their and others’ dramatic 

performances (7b).

2. Describe and evaluate the perceived effectiveness of students’ contributions (as 

playwrights, actors, designers, and directors) to the collaborative process of 

developing improvised and scripted scenes (7d).

3. Explain the knowledge, skills, and discipline needed to pursue careers and 

avocational opportunities in theatre, film, and television (8b).

B. Describe and Compare Elements, Styles, Genres, Media, and Dramatic 

Literature

1. Describe and compare archetypal characters (those types that have emerged 

from centuries of storytelling, such as the trickster, the villain, the warrior, or the

superhero) and situations in dramas from and about various artistic styles, 

genres, and historical periods (8a).

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2. Identify the elements of film (composition, movement, sound, editing).

C. Place Work in Context (Personal, Social, Historical, and Cultural)

1. Analyze the emotional and social impact of dramatic events in their lives, in the 

community, and in other cultures (8c).

2. Explain how culture affects the content and production values of dramatic 

performances (8d).

3. Explain how social concepts such as cooperation, communication, collaboration,

consensus, self-esteem, risk-taking, sympathy, and empathy apply in theatre and 

daily life (8e).

D. Evaluate Performances as Audience

1. Use articulated criteria to describe, analyze, and constructively evaluate the 

perceived effectiveness of artistic choices found in dramatic performances and 

identify some exemplary artists and works (7c).

2. Describe and analyze the effect of publicity, study guides, programs, and 

physical environments on audience response and appreciation of dramatic 

performances (7a).

3. Describe characteristics and compare the presentation of characters, 

environments, and actions in theatre, musical theatre, and dramatic media (6a).

THEATRE, GRADE 12

I. Creating and Performing

A. Develop Scripts and Scenarios

1. Construct imaginative scripts and collaborate with actors to refine scripts so that 

story and meaning are conveyed to an audience (Pro–1a).

2. Write theatre, film, and television scripts that include original characters with 

unique dialogue that motivates action (Adv–1b).

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B. Develop Characters Through an Acting Process

1. Analyze the physical, emotional, and social dimensions of characters found in 

dramatic texts and from various genres and media (Pro–2a).

2. In an ensemble, create and sustain characters who communicate with audiences 

(Pro–2c).

3. Create consistent characters from classical, contemporary, realistic, and 

nonrealistic dramatic texts in informal theatre productions (Adv–2e).

C. Make Design and Technical Theatre Choices to Communicate Locale and 

Mood and Understand the Use of Technical Theatre Elements

1. Sketch designs for a set, lights, costumes, props, or makeup appropriate for a 

scene or a scenario considering the cultural and historical perspectives (Pro-3b).

2. Select music and sound effects to convey environments that clearly support the 

text (Pro–3c).

3. Design coherent stage management, promotional, or business plans for a 

production (Pro–3e).

4. Explain how scientific and technological advances have impacted set, lights, 

sound, costume design, and implementation for theatre, film, and television 

productions (Adv–3f).

5. Collaborate with a director to develop unified production concepts (a brief 

statement, metaphor, or expression of the essential meaning of a play which 

orders and patterns all parts of the play) that convey the metaphorical nature of 

the drama for theatre, film, or television productions (Adv–3g).

D. Direct by Interpreting Dramatic Texts and Organizing Time and People in 

Small Groups (Three to Five) in Planning and Rehearsing Improvised and 

Scripted Scenes

1. Effectively communicate directorial choices to an ensemble for improvised or 

scripted scenes (Pro–4c).

2. Explain and compare the roles and interrelated responsibilities of the various 

personnel involved in theatre, film, and television productions (e.g., set 

designers, costumers, camera operators) (Adv–4d).

3. Collaborate with designers and actors to develop aesthetically unified 

production concepts for theatre, film, or television productions (Adv–4e).

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4. Direct a scene to achieve production goals (Adv–4f).

II. Responding

A. Describe and Analyze Artistic Choices and Construct Meaning

1. Constructively evaluate personal and others’ collaborative efforts and artistic 

choices in theatre productions (Pro–7d).

2. Analyze the effect of personal cultural experiences on own dramatic work 

(Pro-8d).

3. Articulate and justify personal aesthetic criteria that compare perceived artistic 

intent with the final aesthetic achievement (Pro–7b).

B. Describe and Compare Elements of Styles, Genre, Media, and Dramatic 

Literature

1. Compare how similar themes are treated in drama from various cultures and 

historical periods, illustrate with informal performances, and discuss how theatre

can reveal universal concepts (Pro–8a).

C. Place Work in Context (Personal, Social, Historical, and Cultural)

1. Identify and compare the lives, works, and influence of representative theatre 

artists in various cultures and historical periods (Pro–8b).

2. Identify cultural and historical influences on American theatre (Pro–8c).

3. Analyze the social impact of underrepresented theatre and film artists (e.g., 

Native American, Hispanic) (Adv–8e).

D. Evaluate Performances as Audience and Critic

1. Analyze and critique parts of dramatic performances, taking into account the 

context, and constructively suggest alternative artistic choices (Pro–7c).

2. Analyze and evaluate critical comments about dramatic work, explaining which 

points are most appropriate to inform further development of the work (Adv-7h).

3. Analyze how dramatic forms, production practices, and theatrical traditions 

influence contemporary theatre, film, and television productions (Adv–8g).

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VISUAL ARTS CONTENT OUTLINE

VISUAL ARTS, GRADE 4

I. Creating

A. Generate Subjects, Themes, Problems, and Ideas for Works of Art and Design 

in Ways That Reflect Knowledge and Understanding of Values (Personal, 

Social, Cultural, Historical), Aesthetics, and Context

1. Explore and understand prospective content for works of art and design, 

selecting the subject matter, symbols, and ideas that are to be communicated

(3a).

2. Demonstrate awareness that the visual arts and design have both a history and 

specific relationship to various cultures (4a).

3. Demonstrate awareness of how history, culture, the visual arts, and design can 

influence one another in making and studying works of art/design (4c).

B. Invent and Use Ways of Generating Visual, Spatial, and Temporal Concepts in 

Planning Works of Art and Design

1. Show development of ideas over time.

2. Demonstrate knowledge of the difference between materials, techniques, and 

processes (1a).

3. Show familiarity with and ability to use different media, techniques, and 

processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories (1c).

4. Demonstrate knowledge of the differences among visual characteristics and 

purposes of art to convey ideas (2a).

5. Plan compositions using specific placement or organization of elements, 

symbols, and images that communicate the intended meaning or function.

6. Provide reasons for specific selections and explain means for giving visual form

to content expressed in words and other forms of communication.

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C. Select and Use Form, Media, Techniques, and Processes to Achieve Goodness 

of Fit With the Intended Meaning or Function of Works of Art and Design

1. Demonstrate ability to use art and design materials and tools in a safe and 

responsible manner (1d).

2. Select and use basic media, techniques, and processes with qualities and 

characteristics that communicate specific ideas.

3. Use different art and design materials in ways that result in the purposeful use 

of form (lines, shapes, colors, textures, space, etc.).

4. Create compositions using specific placement or organization of elements, 

symbols, and images.

D. Experiment With Ideas (Sketches, Models, etc.) Before Final Execution as a 

Method of Evaluation

1. Attempt multiple solutions to compositional and expressive problems.

2. Analyze how different compositional and expressive features cause different 

responses (2b).

3. Simulate, assess, and select prospective ideas (sketches, models, etc.) for 

development of final works of art and design (3a).

E. Create a Product That Reflects Ongoing Thoughts, Actions, and New 

Directions

1. Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, 

experiences, and stories (1c).

2. Discuss how different materials, techniques, and processes cause different 

responses (1b).

F. Reflect Upon and Evaluate Their Own Works of Art and Design (i.e., students 

judge the relationship between process and product; the redefinition of 

current ideas or problems; and the definition of new ideas, problems, and 

personal directions)

1. Evaluate final compositions for use of compositional and expressive features.

2. Demonstrate knowledge of the various purposes and reasons for works of art 

and design based on people’s experiences (cultural backgrounds, human needs,

etc.) (5a and 5b).

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3. Propose how works in the visual arts and design affect the way people perceive 

their experiences.

II. Responding

A. Describe Works of Art and Design in Ways That Show Knowledge of Form, 

Aesthetics, and Context (Personal, Social, Cultural, Historical)

1. Identify characteristics of materials and visual, spatial, and temporal structures 

in their works and the works of others.

2. Provide reasons for an artist’s or designer’s specific selections of content and 

the communication role of visual, spatial, and temporal form in specific works 

of art and design.

3. Identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times, and 

places (4b).

4. Describe and compare how people’s experiences (cultural backgrounds, human 

needs, etc.) influence the development of specific art works that differ visually, 

spatially, temporally, and functionally (5b).

B. Analyze and Interpret Works of Art and Design for Relationships Between 

Form and Context, Form and Meaning or Function, and the Work of Critics, 

Historians, Aestheticians, and Artists/Designers

1. Analyze and interpret how history, culture, personal experiences, and the visual 

arts and design can influence one another in making and studying works of 

art/design (4c).

2. Demonstrate knowledge of various purposes and reasons for works of visual art 

and design based on people’s experiences (cultural backgrounds, human needs, 

etc.) (5a and 5b).

3. Analyze and interpret similarities and differences between characteristics of the 

visual arts and design and other arts disciplines (6a).

4. Interpret the ways other artists/designers use subject matter, symbols, and ideas 

and speculate on their influences on students’ own work and the work of others.

5. Analyze how factors of time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, and 

technology) influence the visual characteristics that give meaning to a work of 

art and design.

6. Analyze a variety of purposes for creating works of art and design.

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C. Articulate Judgments About Works of Art and Design That Reflect Attitudes 

and Prior Knowledge (Description, Analysis, Interpretation)

1. Judge art and design works that differ visually, spatially, temporally, and 

functionally and defend how similarities and differences are related to history 

and culture as expressed in human needs and beliefs of the times being 

considered.

D. Apply Judgments About Works of Art and Design to Decisions Made in Daily 

Life, Developing a Personal Belief System and World View That Is Informed 

by the Arts

1. Use different responses to works of visual art and design to form, confirm, or 

change a personal belief system.

VISUAL ARTS, GRADE 8

I. Creating

A. Generate Subjects, Themes, Problems, and Ideas for Works of Art and Design 

in Ways That Reflect Knowledge and Understanding of Values (Personal, 

Social, Cultural, Historical), Aesthetics, and Context

1. Speculate and discriminate among various ideas, making the most appropriate 

choices for specific artistic or design purposes.

2. Interpret and speculate on the ways that others have used subject matter, 

symbols, and ideas in visual, spatial, or temporal expressions, and how these 

are used to produce meaning or function that is appropriate to their own works.

3. Analyze the characteristics of art and design works of various eras and cultures 

to discover possible expressions or solutions to problems.

4. Speculate on how factors of time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, 

and technology) influence the visual, spatial, or temporal characteristics that 

give meaning or function to a work of art or design (4c).

B. Invent and Use Ways of Generating Visual, Spatial, and Temporal Concepts in 

Planning Works of Art and Design

1. Demonstrate the development of ideas across time.

2. Analyze and consider form, media, techniques, and processes and analyze what 

makes them effective or ineffective in communicating specific ideas (1a).

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3. Demonstrate knowledge of how sensory qualities, expressive features, and the 

functions of the visual arts evoke intended responses and uses for works of art 

and design.

4. Speculate about the effects of visual structures (elements and principles of 

design) and reflect upon their influence on students’ ideas (2a).

5. Evaluate and discriminate among various ideas, making the most effective 

choices for specific artistic purposes or design uses.

C. Select and Use Form, Media, Techniques, and Processes to Achieve Goodness 

of Fit With the Intended Meaning or Function of Works of Art and Design

1. Experiment, select, and employ form, media, techniques, and processes and 

analyze what makes them effective or ineffective in communicating ideas (1a).

2. Utilize knowledge of characteristics of materials and visual, spatial, and 

temporal structures to solve specific visual arts and design problems.

3. Interpret the way that others have used form, media, techniques, and processes 

and speculate how these produce meaning or function.

D. Experiment With Ideas (Sketches, Models, etc.) Before Final Execution as a 

Method of Evaluation

1. Evaluate, discriminate, and articulate differences among various ideas and 

forms, making the most effective choices for specific artistic purposes or design 

uses.

2. Simulate and articulate new insights and changes in direction that result from 

representation or simulation of ideas.

3. Employ organizational structures and analyze what makes them effective or 

ineffective in the communication of ideas (2b).

E. Create a Product That Reflects Ongoing Thoughts, Actions, and New 

Directions

1. Use media, techniques, and processes and analyze what makes them effective or 

ineffective in communicating ideas (1a).

2. Integrate visual, spatial, and temporal concepts with content to communicate 

intended meaning in their art works (3a).

3. Use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, 

values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in art works (3b).

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4. Evaluate ideas and art work throughout the creating process, making the most 

effective choices for specific artistic purposes or design uses.

F. Reflect Upon and Evaluate Their Own Works of Art and Design (i.e., students 

judge the relationship between process and product; the redefinition of 

current ideas or problems; and the definition of new ideas, problems, and 

personal directions)

1. Evaluate final compositions for use of compositional and expressive features.

2. Demonstrate knowledge of the various purposes and reasons for works of visual

art and design based on people’s experiences (cultural backgrounds, human 

needs, etc.).

3. Propose how works in the visual arts and design affect the way people perceive 

their experiences.

4. Compare and evaluate the characteristics of works in two or more art forms that 

share similar subject matter, historical period, or cultural context (6a).

5. Describe new insights that have emerged from process and products of art and 

design that are meaningful to daily life.

II. Responding

A. Describe Works of Art and Design in Ways That Show Knowledge of Form, 

Aesthetics, and Context (Personal, Social, Cultural, Historical)

1. Compare and describe the characteristics of materials and visual, spatial, and 

temporal structures in their works and the works from various eras and cultures 

(4a).

2. Describe and place a variety of art objects in historical and cultural contexts 

(4b).

3. Compare and describe multiple purposes for creating works of art and design

(5a).

4. Describe contemporary and historic meanings in specific art works through 

cultural and aesthetic inquiry (5b).

5. Describe and compare multiple critical responses to their own art works and to 

art works from various eras and cultures (5c).

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6. Compare the characteristics of works in two or more art forms and arts 

disciplines that share similar subject matter, historical period, or cultural context 

(6a).

B. Analyze and Interpret Works of Art and Design for Relationships Between 

Form and Context, Form and Meaning or Function, and the Work of Critics, 

Historians, Aestheticians, and Artists/Designers 

1. Compare and analyze the characteristics of art and design works in various eras 

and cultures (4a).

2. Analyze and place a variety of art and design objects in historical and cultural 

contexts (4b).

3. Analyze how factors of time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, and 

technology) influence the visual characteristics that give meaning and value to a 

work of art and design (4c).

4. Compare and analyze a variety of purposes for creating works of art and design 

(5a).

5. Analyze contemporary and historic meanings in specific art works through 

cultural and aesthetic inquiry (5b).

6. Compare and analyze multiple critical responses to their own art works and to 

art and design works from various eras and cultures (5c).

7. Compare and analyze the characteristics of works in two or more arts 

disciplines that share similar subject matter, historical period, or cultural context 

(6a).

C. Articulate Judgments About Works of Art and Design That Reflect Attitudes 

and Prior Knowledge (Description, Analysis, Interpretation)

1. Compare and describe attitudes implicit in their art and design works with the 

characteristics of art works of various eras and cultures (4a).

2. Compare the characteristics of works in two or more art forms and arts 

disciplines that share similar subject matter, historical period, or cultural context 

(6a).

D. Apply Judgments About Works of Art and Design to Decisions Made in Daily 

Life, Developing a Personal Belief System and World View That Is Informed 

by the Arts

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1. Propose and articulate how works in the visual arts and design might reflect 

and influence the way people perceive experiences in their lives; and conversely,

how people’s experiences influence the development of specific works.

2. Use different responses to works of art and design to form, confirm, or change a

personal belief system.

VISUAL ARTS, GRADE 12

I. Creating

A. Generate Subjects, Themes, Problems, and Ideas for Works of Art and Design 

in Ways That Reflect Knowledge and Understanding of Values (Personal, 

Social, Cultural, Historical), Aesthetics, and Context

1. Identify a variety of sources for subject matter, symbols, and ideas they wish to 

convey in works of art and design, and select the sources that are most 

appropriate for the meaning they want to express.

2. Determine the origin of the ideas and images they have chosen, and explain how

and why specific choices were made.

3. Speculate upon multiple solutions to specific visual arts and design problems 

that demonstrate competence in producing effective relationships between intent

and artistic choices (Adv–2e).

4. Hypothesize, initiate, and define challenging visual arts problems independently 

using intellectual skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (Adv 1–d).

B. Invent and Use Ways of Generating Visual, Spatial, and Temporal Concepts in 

Planning Works of Art and Design

1. Show development of ideas across time.

2. Generate ideas for works of art and design that demonstrate an understanding of

how the communication of ideas relates to the media, techniques, and processes 

used (Pro–1b).

3. Demonstrate skills with several media and processes sufficient to execute plans 

for specific works and reflect on the effectiveness of the result.

4. Create and use relationships among sensory elements, organizational principles,

expressive features, and functions to solve specific visual arts and design

problems (Pro–2c).

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5. Demonstrate the ability to form and defend judgments about the use of 

characteristics and structures to accomplish specific personal, communal, 

economic, intellectual, and other purposes in works of art and design (Pro–2a).

6. Integrate subject matter and symbols, art forms, media, composition, and 

expressive qualities to define and convey their ideas.

7. Create multiple solutions to specific visual arts problems that demonstrate 

competence in producing effective relationships between structural choices and 

artistic functions (Adv–2e).

C. Select and Use Form, Media, Techniques, and Processes to Achieve Goodness 

of Fit With the Intended Meaning or Function of Works of Art and Design

1. Demonstrate an understanding of how the communication of their ideas relates 

to the media, techniques, and processes used (Pro–1b).

2. Communicate ideas effectively in at least one visual arts medium (Adv–1c).

3. Integrate subject matter and symbols, art forms, media, composition, and 

expressive qualities to define and convey own ideas.

4. Create multiple solutions to specific visual arts problems that demonstrate 

competence in producing effective relationships between structural choices and 

artistic functions (Adv–2e).

D. Experiment With Ideas (Sketches, Models, etc.) Before Final Execution as a 

Method of Evaluation

1. Simulate and analyze sketches, models, etc., for insight into own overall 

thinking about ideas and problems.

2. Formulate and articulate changes in direction.

3. Inform later decisionmaking through the synthesis of insight gained from 

analysis of previous sketches, models, etc., created in response to other 

problems or ideas.

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E. Create a Product That Reflects Ongoing Thoughts, Actions, and New 

Directions

1. Apply media, techniques, and processes with sufficient confidence and 

sensitivity that their intentions are carried out in their art works (Pro–1a).

2. Assess ideas and art works, making choices that are most effective for specific 

artistic purposes or design use.

3. Create a series of multiple works in response to specific visual arts and design

problems that demonstrates competence in producing effective relationships 

between structural choices and artistic functions (Adv–2e).

F. Reflect Upon and Evaluate Their Own Works of Art and Design (i.e., students 

judge the relationship between process and product; the redefinition of 

current ideas or problems; and the definition of new ideas, problems, and 

personal directions)

1. Identify intentions of those creating works of visual art and design, explore the 

implications of various choices, and justify their analyses of choices in particular

works (Pro–5a).

2. Describe the meanings and functions of works of art and design through

analyses that incorporate knowledge of how specific works are created and 

structured and how they relate to historical, cultural contexts, and aesthetics

(Pro–5b).

3. Reflect analytically on various interpretations as a means for understanding and 

evaluating works of visual art and design (Pro–5c).

4. Compare the materials, technologies, media, and processes of the visual arts to 

those of other arts disciplines (Pro–6a).

5. Correlate responses to works of visual art with various techniques for 

communicating meanings, ideas, attitudes, views, and intentions (Adv–5d).

6. Synthesize the creative and analytical principles and techniques of the visual arts

and selected other arts disciplines, the humanities, or the sciences (Adv–6c).

II. Responding

A. Describe Works of Art and Design in Ways That Show Knowledge of Form, 

Aesthetics, and Context (Personal, Social, Cultural, Historical)

1. Describe the function and explore the meaning of specific art and design objects

within varied cultures, times, and places (Pro–4b).

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2. Identify and differentiate among a variety of historical and cultural contexts in 

terms of characteristics and purposes of works of art and design (Pro–4a).

3. Analyze and interpret art works for relationships among form, context, purposes,

and critical models, showing understanding of the work of critics, historians, 

aestheticians, and artists (Adv–4d).

4. Analyze common characteristics of visual arts evident across time and among 

cultural/ethnic groups to formulate analyses, evaluations, and interpretations of 

meaning (Adv–4e).

B. Analyze and Interpret Works of Art and Design for Relationships Between 

Form and Context, Form and Meaning or Function, and the Work of Critics, 

Historians, Aestheticians, and Artists/Designers

1. Differentiate and analyze a variety of historical and cultural contexts in terms of 

characteristics and purposes of works of art and design (Pro–4a).

2. Analyze relationships of works of art to one another in terms of history, 

aesthetics, and culture, and justify analyses (Pro–4c).

3. Analyze, evaluate, and defend the validity of sources for content and manner in 

which subject matter, symbols, and images are used in the students’ works and 

in significant works by others (Adv–3d).

4. Analyze and interpret art works for relationships among form, context, and 

purposes, showing understanding of the work of critics, historians, aestheticians,

and artists/designers (Adv–4d).

5. Analyze common characteristics of visual arts evident across time and among 

cultural/ethnic groups to formulate analyses, evaluations, and interpretations of 

meaning (Adv–4e).

C. Articulate Judgments About Works of Art and Design That Reflect Attitudes 

and Prior Knowledge (Description, Analysis, Interpretation)

1. Identify intentions of those creating art works, explore the implications of 

various purposes, and justify their analyses of purposes in particular works 

(Pro-5a).

2. Reflect analytically on various interpretations as a means for understanding and 

evaluating works of visual art and design (Pro–5c).

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3. Synthesize and judge the creative and analytical principles and techniques of the

visual arts and design and selected other arts disciplines, the humanities, or the 

sciences (Adv–6c).

D. Apply Judgments About Works of Art and Design to Decisions Made in Daily 

Life, Developing a Personal Belief System and World View That Is Informed 

by the Arts

1. Use different responses to works of art and design to form, confirm, or change a

personal belief system.

2. Propose and articulate how works in the visual arts and design might reflect 

and influence the way people perceive experiences in their lives, and conversely,

how people’s experiences influence the development of specific works.

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APPENDIX B

PUBLIC HEARINGS

REPORT ON THE FEBRUARY PUBLIC HEARINGS: THE ISSUES PAPER

SAN FRANCISCO NATIONAL HEARING

February 4, 1993

The first national hearing for the 1997 NAEP Arts Education Framework Project was 

held at the San Francisco Hilton and Towers in conjunction with a conference organized 

by the Getty Center for Education in the Arts. Notification for the hearing was 

disseminated through conference mailings and was timed to coincide with the publication

and dissemination of the Issues paper that invited testimony at all three hearing sites. The 

press and electronic media in the San Francisco Bay area were informed through 

traditional media information releases from the public information office of CCSSO. The 

hearing took place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 36 individuals provided oral 

testimony. A total of 354 individuals attended the program.

The invitation to provide testimony was broad and relied on self-identification rather than

soliciting specific individuals or organizations. The individuals providing oral testimony 

included artists, educators, parents, and administrators. Each was given 5 minutes for a 

presentation, which was scheduled through the project office in Washington, DC. The 

allotted time for the presentation was monitored fairly and adhered to strictly.

The testimony provided could be classified in three categories of comments: advocacy for

arts education, comments pertaining to the development of the National Standards, and 

comments that addressed the issues surrounding the development of NAEP. The hearings 

also demonstrated some of the difficulty on the part of those providing the testimony in 

clearly differentiating the roles of the standards development project and the assessment 

framework development project.

In addition to the panelists representing the contractor, subcontractors, and the Governing

Board, the panel invited members of the steering and planning committees who were 

present to join the panel on a rotating basis to hear the testimony and be recognized as 

part of the assessment framework development process.

A complete list of individuals who provided the testimony in San Francisco and their 

affiliations, along with a complete transcript of the proceedings, is available from the 

project office.

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ORLANDO NATIONAL HEARING

February 9, 1993

The second national hearing for the 1997 NAEP Arts Education Framework Project was 

held at the Orlando Marriott in conjunction with a conference organized by NCES and 

the Florida State Department of Education. The press and electronic media in the Orlando

area were informed through traditional media releases from the public information office 

of CCSSO. Notification for the hearing was also disseminated through local arts 

education and other education leaders. In addition, project staff participated in local radio 

features discussing the hearings and the development of the assessment framework. The 

hearing took place from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and 29 individuals provided oral 

testimony. An effort was made to encourage classroom teachers, parents, and university 

students to attend and provide testimony. More than 60 individuals attended the program.

The individuals providing verbal testimony included an international opera star, a 

representative from the Disney organization in charge of talent recruiting, 9 teachers, 5 

parents, 11 students, and 2 administrators. Each was given 5 minutes for a presentation, 

which was scheduled through the project office in Washington, DC. The allotted time for 

the presentation was monitored fairly and adhered to strictly.

The testimony could be classified in three categories of comments: advocacy for arts 

education, comments pertaining to the development of the National Standards, and 

comments that addressed the issues surrounding the development of NAEP. The hearings 

again demonstrated some of the difficulty in clearly differentiating the roles of the 

standards development project and the assessment framework development project.

Many of the concerns voiced in Orlando were similar to those heard in San Francisco. 

The presence of 11 university arts education majors from Central Florida University 

added unique viewpoints from recent graduates of a K–12 educational system. The 

Florida hearings provide an interesting contrast to the broad, general nature of the San 

Francisco group and to the urban contributions from New York City.

A complete list of individuals who provided the testimony in Orlando and their 

affiliations, along with a complete transcript of the proceedings, is available from the 

project office.

NEW YORK CITY NATIONAL HEARING

February 24, 1993

The third national hearing for the 1997 NAEP Arts Education Framework Project was 

held at the corporate headquarters for New York Metropolitan Life Insurance. The press 

and electronic media in the New York metropolitan area were informed through 

traditional media releases from the public information office of CCSSO. Notification for 

the hearing was also disseminated through local arts education leaders, with help from the

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American Council for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. John Merrow 

from the Public Broadcasting System series “Education Matters” collected some 

interview material during the proceedings, which were aired on his program in March. 

The hearing took place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and 32 individuals provided oral testimony.

The effort in New York was directed at attracting a broad spectrum of individuals and 

organizations to attend and provide testimony. More than 150 individuals attended the 

program.

The individuals providing oral testimony included 19 people representing arts 

organizations and associations and 8 arts educators. The rest of the testimony was 

provided by people representing special interest groups, from arts education organizations

to special learner needs. Each was given 5 minutes for a presentation, which was 

scheduled through the project office in Washington, DC. The allotted time for the 

presentation was monitored fairly and adhered to strictly by A. Graham Down, the 

moderator for the 

hearing.

As in the previous two hearings, the testimony could be classified in three categories of 

comments: advocacy for arts education, comments pertaining to the development of the 

National Standards, and comments that addressed the issues surrounding the 

development of NAEP. The testimony in this hearing again demonstrated the difficulty in 

clearly differentiating the standards development project and the assessment framework 

development project.

A complete list of individuals who provided the testimony in New York and their 

affiliations, along with a complete transcript of the proceedings, is available from the 

project office.

REPORT ON THE OCTOBER PUBLIC HEARINGS

NATIONAL REVIEW OF THE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK DRAFT

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, HEARING

October 1, 1993

The first national hearing to gather public input on the draft of the assessment framework 

was held at the Seattle Art Museum, with assistance from the Office of the 

Superintendent for Public Instruction for the State of Washington. The hearing was also 

held in conjunction with a meeting of the Superintendent’s Arts Education Advisory 

Commission and a statewide meeting of the Washington Alliance for Arts Education. The 

press and electronic media in the Seattle area were informed through traditional media 

information releases from the public information office of CCSSO. The hearing took 

place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and 30 individuals provided oral testimony. A total of 67 

individuals attended the program.

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The invitation to provide testimony was included in the mailing of the draft framework 

document to approximately 3,500 individuals and organizations and was supplemented 

by a special distribution by Gina May, arts education specialist for the Office of the 

Superintendent for Public Instruction. Individuals providing verbal testimony included 

artists, educators, parents, and administrators. Each was given 5 minutes for a 

presentation, which was scheduled through the project office in Washington, DC. The 

allotted time for the presentation was monitored and adhered to by the chair of the 

hearing panel, Ramsay Selden of CCSSO. The panel also included Deborah Brzoska 

from Vancouver, Washington, member of the NAEP planning committee; Barbara Wills 

from Seattle, Washington, and Kelvin Yazzie from Flagstaff, Arizona, members of the 

NAEP steering committee; Joan Peterson, representing the College Board; Gina May 

from the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction; and Frank Philip, the 

NAEP project coordinator from CCSSO.

The hearing began with a welcome from Judith Billings, the Washington State 

Superintendent of Public Instruction.

A complete list of individuals who provided testimony in Seattle and their affiliations, 

along with a complete transcript of the proceedings, is available from the project office.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, HEARING

October 5, 1993

The second hearing to gather public input on the draft of the assessment framework was 

held at the Art Institute of Chicago, with assistance from the Office of Museum 

Education (Ronne Hartfield, executive director). The press and electronic media in the 

Chicago area were informed through traditional media information releases from the 

information office of CCSSO. The hearing took place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 25 

individuals provided oral testimony. A total of 61 individuals attended the program.

The invitation to provide testimony was included in the mailing of the draft framework 

document to approximately 3,500 individuals and organizations and was supplemented 

by special invitations from the project staff and the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education 

(Nadine Saitlin, executive director). Individuals providing verbal testimony included 

artists, educators, parents, and administrators. Each was given 5 minutes for a 

presentation, which was scheduled through the project office in Washington, DC. The 

allotted time for the presentation was monitored and adhered to by the chair of the 

hearing panel, A. Graham Down, president of the Council for Basic Education and cochair of the NAEP steering committee. The panel also included Jerry Hausman, Ronne 

Hartfield, and Adrienne Bailey, members of the NAEP steering committee from Chicago; 

Laurel Serleth, Laura Salazar, and Ruth Ann Teague, members of the NAEP planning 

committee; Carol Myford, representing the Educational Testing Service and the College 

Board; and Frank Philip, the NAEP project coordinator from CCSSO.

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The hearing began with a welcome from Ronne Hartfield and an explanation of the 

process by Frank Philip before being turned over to the chair, A. Graham Down.

A complete list of individuals who provided testimony in Chicago and their affiliations, 

along with a complete transcript of the proceedings, is available from the project office.

WASHINGTON, DC, HEARING

October 7, 1993

The third and final hearing to gather public input on the draft of the assessment 

framework was held in Washington, DC, at the American Film Institute Theatre at the 

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with assistance from the Alliance for 

Arts Education and the Arts Education Partnerships Working Group. The hearing 

coincided with a national meeting of state representatives for the Alliance for Arts 

Education that was held in Washington on October 7–9, 1993. The press and electronic 

media in the Washington area were informed through traditional media information 

releases from the public information office of CCSSO. The hearing took place from 1 

p.m. to 5 p.m., with 14 individuals providing oral testimony. Apparently due to a 

musicians’ strike at the Kennedy Center, many of the individuals who originally signed 

up decided not to cross the picket line. A total of 73 individuals attended the program.

The invitation to provide testimony was included in the mailing of the draft framework 

document to approximately 3,500 individuals and organizations and was supplemented 

by special invitations from the project staff and the office of the Alliance for Arts 

Education at the Kennedy Center. Individuals providing oral testimony included artists, 

educators, parents, and administrators. Each was given 5 minutes for a presentation, 

which was scheduled through the project office in Washington, DC. The allotted time for 

the presentation was monitored and adhered to by the chairs of the hearing panel: A. 

Graham Down, president of the Council for Basic Education, and Ramsay Selden of 

CCSSO, who also co-chairs the NAEP steering committee.

The panel also included members of the NAEP steering committee: Harry Clark from 

Pittsburgh; Ed Gero, Tom Hatfield, Rebbecca Hutton, and David O’Fallon from the 

Washington, DC, area; Claudette Morton, a member of the NAEP planning committee 

from Montana; Michael Sikes, representing the National Endowment for the Arts; Mary 

Crovo, representing the Governing Board; Ruth Mitchell, a consultant to the project; and 

Frank Philip, the NAEP project coordinator from CCSSO.

The hearing began with a welcome from David O’Fallon from the Arts Education 

Partnerships Working Group and an explanation of the process by Ramsay Selden before 

beginning the testimony.

A complete list of individuals who provided testimony in Washington, DC, and their 

affiliations, along with a complete transcript of the proceedings, is available from the 

project office.

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APPENDIX C

PLANNING: SCHEDULES AND TIMELINES

SIGNIFICANT DATES FOR THE STEERING AND PLANNING COMMITTEES

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Dates Location Notes

January 19–20, 1993 Baltimore, MD Organizational Meeting

• Receive overview and charge

• Formulate guidelines

• Meet with planning committee

August 9–10, 1993 Washington, DC Mid-Project Meeting

• Review draft of framework for 

national review and public hearings

• Provide suggestions for drafts of 

framework and review progress of 

documents for specifications, 

contextual variables, and reporting 

formats

• Meet with planning committee

January 11–12, 1994 Washington, DC Final Meeting

• Review final draft of framework and

other documents

• Provide suggestions for drafts and 

conditional approval

• Meet with planning committee

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PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Dates Location Notes

January 20–21, 1993 Baltimore, MD Organizational Meeting

• Meet with steering committee

• Receive overview and charge

• Formulate structure for working

March 9–11, 1993 Crystal City, VA Second Meeting

• Initial development of framework

• Working group sessions

May 21–23, 1993 Washington, DC Third Meeting

• Draft development

August 10–12, 1993 Washington, DC Mid-Project Meeting

• Meet with steering committee

• Review suggestions for refinement

• Finalize framework for national 

review and public hearings

November 1–3, 1993 Washington, DC Fifth Meeting

• Review input from the public 

hearings

• Refine draft of framework

• Review and refine drafts of the 

specifications, contextual variables, 

and reporting formats

January 12–14, 1994 Washington, DC Final Meeting

• Meet with steering committee

• Finalize all documents for final 

approval or acceptance by 

the Governing Board

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