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Missouri Arts Learning Standards

Missouri Arts Learning Standards

On Tuesday, April 16, 2019, the Missouri State Board of Education approved new Grade Level Expectations in music, visual art, theater, dance, and media arts.

Return to this page often for updates and notification of professional development opportunities in curriculum development and expectation implementation.

Missouri Show Me Standards (1996)

The standards serve as a blueprint from which local school districts may write challenging curriculum to help all students achieve. Printable version 

Missouri Learning Standards - Fine Arts

Help! Documents – New Missouri Learning Standards Fine Arts (August 2020) 

Dance

  • Missouri Learning Standards – Dance (Vertical Alignment): PDF 
  • Missouri Learning Standards – Dance (Scope by Grade Level): Excel

Media Arts

  • Missouri Learning Standards – Media Arts (Vertical Alignment): PDF 
  • Missouri Learning Standards – Media Arts (Scope by Grade Level): Excel

Music

  • Missouri Learning Standards – Music (Vertical Alignment): PDF
    UPDATED 12.02.2020 – please discard all earlier versions.
  • Missouri Learning Standards – Music K-8 (Scope by Grade Level): Excel
  • Missouri Learning Standards – Music Ensembles (Scope by Grade Level): Excel
  • Missouri Learning Standards – Music Harmonizing Instruments (Scope by Grade Level): Excel
  • Missouri Learning Standards – Music Technology (Scope by Grade Level): Excel
  • Missouri Learning Standards – Music Theory and Composition (Scope by Grade Level): Excel

Theater

  • Missouri Learning Standards – Theater (Vertical Alignment)Theater: PDF (Updated 09/2021)
  • Missouri Learning Standards – Theater (Scope by Grade Level): Excel

Visual Arts

  • Missouri Learning Standards – Visual Arts (Vertical Alignment): PDF
  • Missouri Learning Standards – Visual Arts (Scope by Grade Level): Excel
    (5th Grade updated)
     
  • Glossary
  • Implementation Guide 

Crosswalks

Former Fine Arts Standards

If you have any questions about the previous Missouri Fine Arts Learning Expectations or the process of standards review and revision in Missouri, please contact Roger Kelley, Arts Education Director.

Roger Kelley | Arts Education Director | Office of College and Career Readiness
Phone: 573-751-9610 | Fax: 573-526-0812 |  roger.kelley@dese.mo.gov

Professional Development

Professional Development Opportunities

Coming Soon

Resources

Fine Arts Resources

Pilot Lesson Plan/Assessment

This pilot lesson plan and grouping of assessments, taken with permission from the National Core Arts Standards Model Cornerstone Assessments and revised for use with the draft version of the revised Missouri Visual Arts Grade Level Expectations for Eighth Grade, is designed for visual arts teachers to use now as they work to become familiar with the new expectations. If you have questions on how to adapt or implement this assessment, or how it may fit with an existing visual arts curriculum, please contact Roger Kelley, Arts Education Director, roger.kelley@dese.mo.gov. 

Music Education Resources

Visual Arts Resources

Bill Perry’s Visual Art Class Integrates Dance, Fashion Design, Media Arts and Visual Art

Bill Perry is a veteran art teacher at Visual and Performing Arts High School, Saint Louis Public Schools. Recently, his class became inspired by the art of Nick Cave following a visit to the Saint Louis Art Museum.  Mr. Perry and his students created a short video to document their work. Click on this link to watch:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_D0TR4Yoc0

How can arts teaching and learning support implementation of Missouri Standards?

The Common Core Standards and the National Arts Standards are an effective and creative tool to help us design engaging, cooperative, differentiated and imaginative instruction in our arts classrooms.  Our main goal of course should be to first of all teach the arts. However, the arts do not exist in a vacuum. They touch all other disciplines. As arts teachers, we are obligated to introduce our students to a wide spectrum of influences and ideas that naturally cross over into other instructional areas.  If you visit the National Core Arts Standards website, you will see that all of the arts are united under three artistic processes: perform, create, respond along with connect to suggest that there is a seamless interplay between them.

If you are not quite on board with the approach to teaching that the standards suggest, this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlNtkZv26t4 is an innovative introduction to making connections across the school curriculum

Link to the National Core Arts Standards: http://nationalartsstandards.org/

Arts Integration

Arts Integration

Dance FAQ

Dance Education Frequently Asked Questions

April 30, 2021

What is dance certification? A person may be certified to teach in the state of Missouri after meeting the requirements of the Missouri State Board of Education for the academic area and grade level. This coursework provides the necessary pedagogical, administrative, policy and psychological knowledge and skill to be a professional teacher.

What are the Missouri certification requirements to teach K-12 Dance Education?
Information from Code of State Regulations, page 35 (4/30/2021):
https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/adrules/csr/current/5csr/5c20-400.pdf

5 CSR 20-400.550
Certification Requirements for Teacher of K-12 Education

PURPOSE: The State Board of Education is authorized to grant certificates of license to teach in any of the public schools of the state and establish requirements and qualifications for those certificates. This rule outlines the requirements for application for a certificate of license to teach K-12 Education.

(1) An applicant for a Missouri certificate of license to teach Secondary Education who possesses good moral character may be granted an initial Missouri certificate of license to teach K-12 Education subject to the certification requirements found in 5 CSR 20- 400.500 and the following additional certification requirements specific to K-12 Education:

(A) General Requirements—

1. A baccalaureate degree from a college or university having an educator preparation program approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (department) or from a college or university having an educator preparation program approved by the state education agency in states other than Missouri;

2. The applicant must have a recommendation from the designated official at a baccalaureate or higher-level educator preparation program approved by the department;

3. The applicant must possess a grade point average to meet the following specifications:

A. A grade point average of 3.00 or higher in professional education and the specific content area for which certification is sought; or

B. For applicants graduating from a baccalaureate program who do not meet the appropriate content area grade point average requirements, competency may otherwise be demonstrated by achievement of exit assessment scores greater than or equal to a score deemed satisfactory by the State Board of Education (board) to qualify for forgiveness of a disqualifying content area grade point average. Such satisfactory score shall be higher than the Missouri qualifying score;

4. The applicant must achieve a score equal to or in excess of the qualifying score on the required exit assessment(s) as defined in 5 CSR 20-400.440. The official score shall be submitted to the department;

5. The applicant must complete the professional requirements as determined by the recommending educator preparation program, which may exceed these minimum requirements; and

6. Individuals who completed an educator preparation program outside of the United States shall provide documentation of completion of coursework in the following:

A. English Composition, two (2) courses, each a minimum of two (2) semester hours; B. U.S. History, three (3) semester hours; and C. U.S. Government, three (3) semester hours;

(B) Professional Requirements. A minimum requirement of twenty-six (26) semester hours in professional education. Competency must be demonstrated in the following topics listed to the satisfaction of the educator preparation institution:

C. U.S. Government, three (3) semester hours;

(B) Professional Requirements. A minimum requirement of twenty-six (26) semester hours in professional education. Competency must be demonstrated in the following topics listed to the satisfaction of the educator preparation institution:

1. Content Planning and Delivery. Candidates are prepared with a deep knowledge of and understand the relationship among curriculum, instruction, and assessment—
     A. Curriculum and Instructional Planning;
     B. Instructional Strategies and Techniques in Content Area Specialty;
     C. Assessment, Student Data, and Data-Based Decision-Making;
     D. Strategies for Content Literacy;
     E. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; and
     F. English Language Learning;

2. Individual Student Needs. Candidates build a robust knowledge of learners and the learning environment—
     A. Psychological Development of the Child and Adolescent;
     B. Psychology/Education of the Exceptional Child;
     C. Differentiated Learning;
     D. Classroom Management;
     E. Cultural Diversity; and
     F. Educational Psychology;

3. Schools and the Teaching Profession. Candidates fully understand the role of schools and schooling as well as the professional responsibilities of teachers, including a means of professional growth—
     A. Consultation and Collaboration; and
     B. Legal/Ethical Aspects of Teaching; and

4. Literacy (minimum of three (3) semester hours) to include coursework in methods of teaching reading and writing in the content area for which certification is sought.

5. Field and Clinical Experiences (ten (10) semester hours). Field and clinical experiences should be appropriate to the progress of the student through the program and should be supervised through a close partnership of highly-qualified professionals in appropriate school settings. Such field and clinical experiences shall include experiences at both the elementary and the secondary level.

A. Early Field Experiences (one (1) semester hour with a minimum of thirty (30) clock hours). The early field experience includes placements in which candidates observe students, support teachers, and respond to specific class assignments. The candidate may work with students individually and/or in small groups as requested and under the supervision of the classroom teacher.

B. Mid-Level Field Experiences (one (1) semester hour with a minimum of forty-five (45) clock hours). The mid-level experience occurs between the initial placement and the culminating clinical experiences. At the mid-level, candidates continue to observe; respond to specific class assignments; and work with students individually, in small groups, and in whole class settings as requested and under the supervision of the classroom teacher.

C. Culminating Clinical Experiences (eight (8) semester hours with a minimum of twelve (12) weeks in one (1) placement). The culminating experience refers to placements typically in the final sequence leading up to and including student teaching. Candidates actively participate and complete required assignments, work with students as requested and under the supervision of the classroom teacher, and have the opportunity and responsibility to lead the class over an extended period of time.

What additional requirements are necessary to teach dance?
Information from Code of State Regulations, Page 36, and Section 30 (4/30/2021):
https://www.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/adrules/csr/current/5csr/5c20-400.pdf

In addition to the requirements specified in subsections (1)(A)-(C) of this rule, an applicant for a Missouri certificate of license to teach Dance may be granted an initial Missouri certificate of license to teach Dance subject to completion of at least thirty (30) semester hours in the following content knowledge areas and demonstration of competency to the satisfaction of the educator preparation institution:

(A) Ballet Technique, six (6) semester hours;
(B) Contemporary Technique, six (6) semester hours;
(C) Other Techniques, to include Tap, Jazz, Yoga, Folk, Ballroom, six (6) semester hours;
(D) Dance Theory, three (3) semester hours;
(E) Dance Composition, three (3) semester hours; and
(F) Elective from subsections 1-4 below, six (6) hours:
     1. Anatomy and Kinesiology;
     2. Ethnology (dance in other cultures);
     3. Music for Dance; or
     4. Somatics (body-mind techniques).

How does a certified English teacher become certified to teach dance? Currently there is no Praxis exam for dance, therefore the use of Praxis to obtain additional certification is not an option. The teacher would have to apply for certification and show proof of the following additional coursework:

(A) Ballet Technique, six (6) semester hours;
(B) Contemporary Technique, six (6) semester hours;
(C) Other Techniques, to include Tap, Jazz, Yoga, Folk, Ballroom, six (6) semester hours;
(D) Dance Theory, three (3) semester hours;
(E) Dance Composition, three (3) semester hours; and
(F) Elective from subsections 1-4 below, six (6) hours:
     1. Anatomy and Kinesiology;
     2. Ethnology (dance in other cultures);
     3. Music for Dance; or
     4. Somatics (body-mind techniques).

If a teacher has a degree in dance, how would he or she become certified? He or she needs to approach a college or university department of education to explore options for certification in dance education.

How much does it cost a school to hire a full-time certified dance teacher? When a teacher is hired to teach dance in a Missouri school, the school district’s human resource officer places the newly-hired teacher on the school district’s salary schedule. The placement on the salary schedule is based upon the employee’s years of teaching experience and level of coursework or degree. Some schools will also pay an extra duty stipend for teaching responsibilities outside the school day. If a school wanted to estimate how much money would be necessary to budget for the creation of a new dance instructor position, a good guess estimate would be the person’s salary + 1/3 of the salary to cover retirement, insurance and other benefits. Estimates would also need to include funding for equipment, supplies and materials.

Can a dance class be offered as a PE credit? Physical Education standards and curriculum go beyond the topics covered in a dance class. Dance instruction can be a part of a Physical Education class (a unit) but not the entire class. A formal dance class in the State of Missouri, where the focus is dance for the entire course is coded as a Fine Arts credit and can be used towards a student required fine arts credit for graduation.

Justifying a full-time Dance position:

  • Many secondary teachers are contracted for a school day that consist of seven periods of instruction, although there are variations.
  • Teachers teach six of seven periods a day. The seventh period the teachers is allowed for instructional planning and administrative responsibilities.
  • To justify the teaching position, there needs to be enough student interest to populate the six dance instructional periods (approximately 180 students). The smaller the school population, the more difficult it is to justify a dedicated teacher to an elective specialty area and have enough population (student interest) to justify six classes of instruction.

Can a studio teacher go directly into the schools to teach dance? People who teach in Missouri schools must be certified to teach. A person can be brought in as a guest teaching artist in dance, but there must be a certified teacher of record present at all times there is student contact.

Can a person teach Dance in schools while obtaining education hours needed for certification? In the state of Missouri, a Temporary Teaching Certificate may be issued if the applicant complies with the following criteria:

  • Possession of a baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university in the subject area to be taught or a closely related field (applicants for a special education temporary authorization must possess a baccalaureate or higher degree) with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or higher on a 4.00 scale and a content area GPA of 3.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale;
  • Submission of a joint application verifying contracted employment with a Missouri public school district or accredited non-public school;
  • Analysis of transcripts completed by the Office of Educator Certification based on the requirements set forth in 5 CSR 20-400.180 if the applicant holds an initial Missouri professional certificate of license to teach.

Note: The temporary authorization certificate will not include elementary (1-6); early childhood (B-3); early childhood special education (B-3); blind and partially sighted (K-12); deaf and hearing impaired (K-12) or Counselor areas.  Applicants for the areas of driver's education, English Language Learners, gifted education, and special reading must already hold a professional certificate of license to teach.

What is the process for renewing a Temporary Authorization Certificate?

  1. Submit an application completed by the certificate holder and employing school district.  On the application, the school district will verify that the certificate holder has:
    1. successfully completed an annual evaluation;
    2. participated in a yearly mentoring program; and
  2. Submit copies of designated assessments;
    a. content knowledge or specialty area assessment; and
    b. professional knowledge
  3. Submit official transcript(s) that shows completion of at least nine semester hours of course work toward the professional certificate of license to teach in the area of assignment based upon the requirements set forth in 5 CSR 20-400.180 with full certification requiring a minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework in the following areas:
    a. Psychology of the Exceptional Child;
    b. Behavioral Management Techniques;
    c. Assessment, Student Data, and Data-Based Decision Making;
    d. Instructional Strategies and Techniques in the Content Area Specialty;
    e. Methods of Teaching Reading at appropriate level;
    f. Psychological Development of the Child and Adolescents;
         a. English Language Learning; and
         b. Cultural Diversity
    g. For a special education temporary authorization certificate, a minimum of 29 semester hours of coursework in the following areas
         a. Psychology of the Exceptional Child;
         b. Behavioral Management Techniques;
    h. Evaluation of Abilities and Achievement (to include Intelligence Testing);
    i. Transition Processes, including Career Education or Career Readiness;
    j. Methods of Teaching Students with Cross-Categorical Disabilities;
    k. Methods of Teaching Reading:
    1. Reading Methods; and
    2. Analysis and Correction of Reading Disabilities;
    3. Methods of Teaching Mathematics:
    4. Mathematics Methods; and
    5. Methods of Teaching Remedial Mathematics;
    6. Counseling Techniques or Collaboration with Family, School, and Community;
    7. Speech and Language Development of the Exceptional Child;
    8. Psychological Development of the Child and Adolescents; and
    9. Cultural Diversity

The teacher and district must complete and document that ALL requirements have been met to renew the Temporary Authorization Certificate.

Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes

  • October ‘Behind the Scenes’ Presentation (Part 1)
    Arts Integration
    Presenters: Roxane McWilliams and Emily Kohring
    Video Link: https://youtu.be/nlfu6iVJ4jw
     
  • October ‘Behind the Scenes’ Presentation (Part 2)
    Arts Integration
    Presenters: Roxane McWilliams and Emily Kohring
    Video Link: https://youtu.be/22iI8GRHNGY
     
  • December ‘Behind the Scenes’ Presentation (Part 1)
    STEAM – Energized Learning
    Presenters: Cheri Sterman, Crayola
    Video Link: https://youtu.be/iDQqp-qSx08
     
  • December ‘Behind the Scenes’ Presentation (Part 2)
    STEAM – Energized Learning
    Presenters: Cheri Sterman, Crayola
    Video Link: https://youtu.be/bNXHuvOKJWI
Art Exhibit Files

Missouri K-12 Art Teachers that are interested in participating in the DESE Jefferson Building Art Exhibit should download the following files.