State Board of Education Adopts New Guidance for Arts Education and World Languages Instruction for California

SACRAMENTO—The State Board of Education (SBE) today adopted new K–12 guidance for educators to provide high-quality instruction in the arts disciplines of dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts and for educators to provide high-quality world languages instruction and make classrooms more inclusive. These guidance documents, which are called frameworks, are the result of an exhaustive public vetting process overseen by the SBE and the California Department of Education (CDE).

"With these adoptions today, California is reinforcing for educators a truth we all know: That students thrive in an educational landscape that allows them to create and express themselves and encourages them to become members of our global society through language and culture," said Linda Darling-Hammond, President of the California SBE and of the Learning Policy Institute.

“An arts education is more important than ever during these difficult times, allowing our students—who are a diverse array of learners with a wide range of needs, abilities, and experiences—to express themselves, become engaged, be creative, and learn to be fully prepared to contribute to civic life. World languages are needed as California expands opportunities for its diverse student population and allows them to develop intercultural competence and become global citizens,” said State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. “Access, equity, and inclusion are core themes in these frameworks. They both provide the tools for future success as students complete their education and navigate the international market­place.”

The 2020 California Arts Education Framework for Public Schools, Transitional Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (Arts Framework) provides guidance and support for all educators and stakeholders in arts education in implementing the 2019 California Arts Standards for Public Schools, Prekindergarten Through Grade Twelve (Arts Standards) so that all California students can develop foundational knowledge and artistic literacy in the arts.

Educators can use this Arts Framework as a guide to curriculum and instruction to inform both the what and how of teaching in and through the arts. This includes the following:

• High-quality, standards-based sequential instruction in each of the arts disciplines.
• Teaching the arts disciplines through the authentic processes that artists engage in, such as creating, performing, and responding.
• Culturally and linguistically responsive teaching to maximize inclusivity and build relationships in the arts classroom.
• Planning instruction using the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to remove barriers and foster inclusion in arts learning.

The 2020 World Languages Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (WL Framework) is aligned to California’s 2019 World Languages Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (WL Standards). The WL Framework includes guidance to help educators ensure more California students have pathways to learn a world language. It also includes discussions and examples of the instructional shifts needed to fully implement the WL Standards, including through the use of authentic materials.

The numerous figures, guidance, and descriptions of instruction throughout the WL Framework are aligned not only to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages standards, but also to recent initiatives such as the California Education for a Global Economy, Global California 2030, and the State Seal of Biliteracy.

The WL Framework addresses the three strands in the WL Standards:

• The Communication standards address receptive, interpersonal, and presentational modes of communication in the target language.
• The Cultures standards promote the development of cultural competence to prepare students to interact successfully in the target language.
• The Connections standards ensure students apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the target language.

On the CDE website, you can find the Arts Framework and the WL Framework.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100