As one teacher notes, "The TEKS help lay the groundwork for our lessons in the fine arts. They impose the order that gives our curricula their beauty."
"The arts need to be incorporated into every child's learning—not to improve test scores, but to provide individuals with the necessary tools to make and find meaning . . . for the more important purpose of enabling a future generation to participate across circumstance, culture, and time in the ongoing human conversation that is perpetuated through the arts."Among key changes in the revised fine arts TEKS are the inclusion of dance TEKS at the middle school level for the first time, a focus on conceptual art-making rather than process learning, interdisciplinary connections, and a focus on career and college readiness. While learning in the arts is critical for students to develop knowledge of the arts disciplines themselves, the revised TEKS go beyond. The revised TEKS use the development of knowledge and skills in the fine arts to help students become better observers, learners, critical thinkers, and citizens of the world.
In May 2015, some members of the TEKS writing teams sat down to have a conversation about the TEKS development process, key differences in the original and revised TEKS in each fine arts discipline, and implications of House Bill 5 on fine arts instruction in Texas high schools. Fine arts educators Linda Fleetwood (art), Roxanne Schraeder-Arce (theatre), Lisa Roebuck (music), and Mary Lou Johnson (dance) discussed key points related to the revised fine arts TEKS implementation. Watch the panel discussion video below. These educators will provide additional insight later in this module.
Davis, J. (Oct. 16, 1996) Art for Art's Sake. Education Week. Retrieved from edweek.org