We believe every child should have access to a quality, K-12 articulated arts curriculum, taught by teachers certified in the disciplines.
Arts are a part of the well-rounded curriculum of our nation’s schools and are an integral part of every child’s development.
The arts teach children the skills necessary to succeed in life: problem solving, decision making, thinking creatively, and exercising self-discipline. The arts foster creativity and innovation.
Why focus on the arts?
Arts can help close achievement gaps that exist for students from under-resourced environments and are more prone to drop out or not go onto college.1
The arts boost learning and achievement for young children, middle school students, students with disabilities, and students needing remedial instruction.2
Students in arts programming have better attendance, fewer disciplinary issues and improved “on-task” behavior relative to comparison groups.3
How We Contribute
Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment (MAEIA)
MAEIA is a community of educators supported by a comprehensive set of resources. The MAEIA resources and tools are designed to improve the quality of an arts program, the abilities of the educators delivering arts programming, and the achievement of students receiving the arts curriculum. MAEIA also offers a variety of support materials that explain effective use of the resources—especially the use of performance assessments in the context of educator evaluation plans.
MAEIA was commissioned by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and accomplished in partnership with Michigan arts educators, Data Recognition Corporation (DRC), and Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA).
Additional Areas of Focus
We support efforts at MDE to include arts education data in the new “Points of Pride” feature in Michigan’s Parent Dashboard for School Transparency.
In addition, we are working with other state education associations to support the use of MAEIA performance assessment information to assist educators in demonstrating educator effectiveness.
Who Informs Our Work?
In development of Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment (MAEIA), the MAC worked closely with the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE), publisher of the National Core Arts Standards. In addition, every Michigan arts association contributed to the development of the MAEIA resources, providing necessary disciplinary expertise.
We especially value working relationships with the Michigan Council on Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA). And we are a recognized partner in the Arts Education Partnership, organized by the Education Commission of the States (ECS).
Related Arts Education Policy and Practice Resources
Performance Assessment Systems: Examples from Four States
This report produced for the Education Commonwealth Project highlights four states to describe the use of performance assessment systems, including: MA, CO, NY and MI (MAEIA Project – supporting arts educators).
SEADAE 2020
During the COVID-10 Pandemic SEADAE published this Unified Statement of Support: Arts Education Is Essential from 53 national arts organizations
ArtScan
A project of the AEP, this is a searchable clearinghouse of the latest state policies supporting education in and through the arts from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
ESSA and the Arts
AEP’s resource: Mapping Opportunities for the Arts and ESSA, as well as ECS’s general resources on ESSA.
National Archive of Data on Arts & Culture (NADAC)
A repository that facilitates research on arts and culture by acquiring data, particularly those funded by federal agencies and other organizations, NADAC is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
SEADAE: White Paper
Promoting Universal Access To High Quality Arts Education: Roles of Certified Arts Educators, Certified Non-Arts Educators, & Providers of Supplemental Arts Instruction
To learn more about our Policy and Practice work regarding arts education, please contact Kathy Dewsbury-White at (517) 816-4520.
Our resource bank contains additional materials and resources to support educators in the effective use of assessment.