April 2013                                                                                        Volume 4 Issue 1
PAEA banner 
OCTOBER 18-20 
Bethlehem, PA 
Blick
Crystal Art

Spring Calendar
2013
calendar
 Click Here.
Exhibits, events and workshops during April, May and June.
Have an event or news from your region, contact
Kris Fontes at [email protected]
Best of the Web
Christine Besack
Advocacy and Public Relations Chair
 

Arts Education Navigator:  

Americans for the Arts  

 

Through a partnership with Vans Custom Culture, Americans for the Arts has designed the Arts Education Navigator, a series of e-books designed to help educators, students, and advocates alike navigate the complex field of arts education. Each e-book in the Navigator series below will cover a specific topic, ensuring arts education supporters like you are equipped with the knowledge, statistics, and case-making techniques needed to effectively communicate with decision-makers. The five e-books in this series will roll out during 2013. Now Available as PDF: Facts & Figures: data on the benefits and decline of arts education.

Remembering
Mary Burkett (St. Onge) 73, who died Jan. 13, 2013. Born Feb. 24, 1939, in Indiana, Pa., she was a daughter of the late George K. and Bertha (Ness) Burkett.Mary received degrees in Art Education at IUP, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, and her Ph.D. at Penn State, with post-doctoral work at Harvard. Her concentration was in art and child development. Most of her career was at Kutztown University, where she was chair of the Art Education and Crafts Department from 1985 until retirement in 1999. While there, she was well-published and received many awards, including four outstanding art educator of the year awards. Mary was a member of Phi Delta Kappa and her artwork and photography were widely exhibited.
Contributions may be made in her memory to Kutztown University Foundation PO Box 151, Kutztown, PA 19530 or give2ku.org 
 
CONGRATULATIONS
to
Breanna Tyrell 
who received the Sargent Art Award at the Youth Art Month show at the Pennsylvania Department of Education. 
Breanna is a senior at Wissahickon High School.
She won an expense paid trip to New York along with one parent and the art teacher  
Her art teacher is PAEA member,
David Miller.  
FREE
ADVOCACY
POSTERS
stART poster
Five amazing art advocacy posters compliments of PAEA

Download HERE

Did you know that you can create your own e-portolio on the NAEA website. 
Did you know that your membership in NAEA/PAEA entitles you to a free digital subscription to School Arts Magazine?


Creating Adaptive 
Art Materials
 
You are warmly invited to attend a professional development event at Moravian College: "Create Adaptive Art Materials for Differentiated Instruction: A Hands-On Workshop for Teaching Art to Children with Diverse Needs" facilitated by Dr. Heather Fountain, Associate Professor of Art Education, Kutztown University, on Saturday, April 27th, 2013, 11am-1pm in Room 7 of the Art Building, South Campus, Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA.

RSVP to Kristin Baxter via email [email protected].

This is a free event, however we are inviting participants to pay-what-they-wish, with proceeds to benefit the Moravian College Student Chapter of the National Art Education Association.
Join us on Facebook and   

 

twitter

@PaArtEd    


From our President -    

Mary Elizabeth Meier

 

 NAEA Delegates Assembly, March 2013   

Amy Anderson and I recently represented PA at the NAEA delegates assembly in Ft. Worth, TX. We joined with 96 delegates from the U.S. and Canada to review, revise, and vote on platform position statements. NAEA leaders will use these statements to formulate timely commentary about current issues that are affecting our field. The 2013 position statement drafts covered the following topics: teacher evaluation and student growth, visual art and its relationship to career and technical education, arts integration, distance learning in art education, student assessment in the visual arts classroom. The delegation made minor revisions to these statements and then voted to forward these to the NAEA Board of Directors for further review and potential adoption. Any PAEA member, state association, or issues group can propose a topic and participate in drafting a position statement. This work typically occurs in the summer leadership forums, such as Team East in June. For more information about participating in this writing and revision process, contact Linda Popp, Eastern region Vice President, [email protected]. You can find an archive of all position past statements on the NAEA website

PA Teacher Evaluation and the PA Art Educator

Laurie Harnish - South Eastern School District

Fawn Area & Delta-Peach Bottom Elementary Schools  

 

     Like most states across the country, Pennsylvania has mandated their Department of Education (PDE) to implement a new teacher evaluation system. Observations of teaching, which formerly accounted for 100% of a teacher's evaluation, will now account for only 50% of a teacher's evaluation data. 15% of a teacher's evaluation data will be determined by the "School Performance Profile," a score calculated for individual buildings based on a variety of different "building level data". The remaining 35% of the teacher's rating will come from a portion of the teacher evaluation system called the "elective" portion. Data in this elective portion will come from a variety of assessments that can describe student achievement, including district, teacher, and vendor-developed assessments. The philosophy behind this is: effective teachers guide and facilitate student learning that results in achievement.   

 

March, 2013 SLO Training and Development Workgroup Sessions
     Figure 1. Measuring Teacher Effectiveness.

     If a teacher is responsible for teaching content that is assessed on the PSSA or Keystone Exam (state collected test data), then a three year average of the PVAAS data will account for 15 % of that teacher's rating and the remaining 20% of the rating will come from elective data. If a teacher does not instruct students on PSSA and/or Keystone Exam content, then the entire 35% will be based on elective data. The latter scenario would apply to art educators. Art educators are concerned with gathering elective data.   

 

     Elective Data will be data collected as the result of creating Student Learning Objectives (SLO's). The SLO Process begins with a statement that explains what students will be able to do at the end of a course or grade level. The SLO must emphasize or target specific PA Academic Standards. In the majority of art classes, the focus is on making and creating, therefore learning is mainly associated with Standard 9.1, Production. Making historical connections (9.2) and participating in critical response (9.3) and aesthetic inquiry (9.4) are also vital components of art instruction. Once the SLO Statement is created and linked to PA Academic Standards, a justification statement is written validating why this learning (making/creating/responding) is important. While SLOs are generally written to address the important learning within an entire course, they can be created to focus on specific student learning needs that pertain to the teacher's content area. 

  

      Each specific performance measure will also identify the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) level. According to Norman Webb, there are four Depth of Knowledge levels or four levels of thinking that can occur when participating in different activities (similar to Bloom's Taxonomy). For level one DOK activities, students recall information. For level two, students apply skills and concepts such as organizing, comparing, and predicting. Level three activities require students to be involved in strategic thinking, and for level four, students are engaged in extended, critical, and high order thinking. For each performance measure written into the SLO, the Depth of Knowledge Levels and PA Academic Standards are noted.

 

     The final part of developing an SLO is two-fold: first, describing the achievement level expected by each student on the chosen performance measures, and second, determining what percentage of students will meet the desired achievement level. Together, this information is part of an SLO. Teachers can interpret the data that they collect as information about their teacher effectiveness based on student achievement. This student achievement data is the elective portion of the teacher evaluation system.

 

     Many of the decisions and specifics regarding the development, review, approval, and implementation of SLOs will be administered by Local Education Agencies (LEAs) (based on guidelines and policies provided by PDE). Specific examples/samples of SLOs will be published on the PDE website in the near future, possible in the summer of 2013. PDE recommends that districts develop and pilot the SLO process during the 2013-2014 school year. In 2014-2015, school districts will use SLOs as part of evaluation of all Pennsylvania teachers. 

 

Youth Art Month Exhibit at PDE 

Leeann Rhodes, Retired art educator/administrator  

 

     Attending the reception and judging the Youth Art Month (YAM) show at the Pennsylvania Department of Education building was a 'pie in the face' reminder of the significance of visual artistic expression. There is no other example of student work that captures the decision-making, imagining, emotion, and skill exemplified in this magnificent display. This K-12 exhibit reminded me of the dramatic conceptual and technical growth of a child in those short 13 years.   

 

     Facing the approximately 450 works on judging day was a daunting task because the work was so fabulous! I envisioned the child behind each expression on those walls and floors. Sometimes I could imagine a little tongue hanging out of the mouth as one tried to paint within the boundaries of a shape or the clenched teeth when the work did not evolve as expected. The more I revisited the work, the more I changed my mind about the awards.  So many of the works could have been considered winners.  It is important to remember that an award is only a reflection of the judge's opinion in one given moment.  Works that did not receive an award are NOT less wonderful than the winners. A judge has no way of knowing a child's experience through the process where the important learning occurred. 

    

     Kudos to all of the art teachers and students that contributed to this beautiful show. Share my "thank you" with the parents that attended the show to share in their child's artistic accomplishment. Parents are the greatest advocates for the arts in the face of budget cuts and time constraints. School boards often listen to our taxpayer parents; they and their children are who we serve.     

New Teacher Chat: Resources for Student Teachers, New Teachers, and Teachers as Job-Seekers

Lisbeth Bucci - Region 12 Co-Rep

   I recently received a great opportunity to step into another chapter in education that in my 20+ years as an educator, I had not yet experienced. Going from the top of my game, into a familiar but foreign role. From the familiar and some what comfortable to a brand new school, operating system, curriculum, course load....you get the picture. The new kid, the rookie, art on the cart- heck, I don't even have a cart! I have a closet.....in a closet! I share a room with a Music, Philosophy and a Spanish teacher. To say my new job is demanding is an understatement......and , I love it! 

 

   I am doing what I was trained to do- teaching, sharing my passion for the visual arts, exposing the arts to my student population. They did not elect the course, it is mandatory for graduation. Many are fearful that they can not achieve success, they lack the skill and knowledge in the arts, 90% have never been to an art museum and most haven't had an art class since the 6th grade.

 

   I am working harder that ever than I ever thought. Trying each and everyday to share "our" world with them so they can be future appreciators of Art, future Advocates of Art, Future parent supporters of the arts, future citizens of the world who might one day say "that's beautiful!" I think I saw something like this in my art class.....

 

   As a new or student teacher, we are not alone. At one time we all are new or were new. Embrace it! Share your passions.....look at the bigger picture! Find the joy! The students we see today, may one day share our joy and passion with someone else...

 

   Find people in your school with a like mindset or energy....seek out a mentor : ) Can't find someone at your school ? You could always contact me! We can trade new teacher stories : ) [email protected] 

Take a Peek...  

Diane Wilkin - PAEA President-elect

     Past president, Kris Fontes and I recently had the opportunity to visit art programs in several school districts in Southeastern, Pennsylvania.   We were inspired by the excellent programs, and challenged to continue advocating statewide with legislators. Budget issues, large class sizes, access to classes (scheduling problems) and technological needs were all discussed. 

     While much work is needed to support and sustain Pennsylvania art programs, art educators do a great job of keeping the arts visible in PA schools. I recommend using Professional Development time to visit classroom art teachers in other districts.   Visiting others is an opportunity to re-evaluate your own classroom: see new lessons, gain awareness of our common problems and concerns, recognize the great things you are doing, and gather ideas on how to make improvements in your own classroom. For me, visiting others is always inspirational. Our situations are often difficult to compare, being 'apples and oranges', with very different school cultures, school leaders and support systems. Even so, we have much to learn from each other.   

 

     The Bensalem School District had murals in all of the schools we visited; Elementary, Middle School and Secondary. Murals were painted on walls, constructed of handmade tiles, designed with cut ceramic tesserae, and placed in highly visible locations.   Elementary art was displayed hanging from a cork strip high up on the wall. Each piece had a connecting tag attached to the bottom from which another piece hung. The walls were as full as a French Salon show.

 

      Could you use a LARGE display case as a studio? That's what Wissahickon teacher David T. Miller has been able to do. Three senior students are able to use a large glassed in showcase area as their private studios. Their process is viewed by other students, along with their body of work as it develops.   Truman HS did something similar by creating a showcase in a vestibule that leads into an unused courtyard - no traffic and glass doors separating the space from the hallway made it an excellent gallery space.    

 

     Check out the photos of the art on display in public spaces in schools and add your photos to those gathered in Southeastern PA. http://www.facebook.com/groups/300601467053/photos/ Album: Public Space Art in Schools. 

Ready, set, grow membership!

 

     The pARTners Membership Growth Rewards Program is an NAEA initiative to grow membership through member-to-member communication, guided by the leadership of state association officers.

 

     NAEA will provide resources to help members personally reach out to colleagues and recruit them as NAEA members. Each time a current member recruits a new member, and the recuiter's name is mentioned when the new member joins, they will be entered into a drawing to win a $500 Blick Art

Materials coupon. For instance, if a current member recruits 5 new people to join during the program year, then her name is entered x 5 in the big drawing for a $500 Blick Art Materials coupon!

 

     Stay tuned for more information about this program in an upcoming email.