Revamp underway for Arts and Social Studies

Learning standard review a partnership between State and local partners; continues critical look at benchmarks for college and career readiness

SPRINGFIELD, IL — State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch announced that he has requested a review of the state’s arts and social studies education standards to build on the State Board of Education’s work to update the Illinois Learning Standards and better prepare students for success after graduation.

This latest review follows the Board’s approval to implement new learning standards for math, English language arts, physical education and science.

“It’s essential to review our learning standards to ensure they are up to date, rigorous and relevant to what students need to be ready to succeed in college and careers,” said Superintendent Koch. “We began the process of reviewing our standards with the adoption of new math and English language arts standards in 2010. It’s important that we review all subject areas to ensure we have high standards for well-rounded students who can think critically and creatively, collaborate and communicate effectively.”

Superintendent Koch has asked two committees to study the current standards, review the standards of other states,  and make recommendations for improvements.

Arts Alliance Illinois, a statewide advocate for arts education, will lead the review of the arts education standards and convene a committee of education partners to review the National Core Arts Standards, released in June. The committee will include teachers representing all arts disciplines, administrators and community partners. Members will review existing Illinois standards; analyze public input; and evaluate research and best practices in arts education. This work will culminate in a recommendation to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for the adoption and implementation of new statewide arts standards.

“Illinois students need high-quality arts education to reach their fullest potential,” said Ra Joy, executive director of the Arts Alliance of Illinois. “We appreciate the opportunity to bring together arts and education partners and leaders from across the state for this review. The lessons learned in arts education classrooms transcend the subject matter, teaching skills that have a profound impact throughout our lives.”

Another group of education partners will form a task force, led by the Illinois Civic Mission Coalition, to develop new social studies standards. The task force will consist of teachers representing various grades, as well as representatives from the disciplines of civics, economics, geography, history and sociology. The panel will review the College, Career, and Civic (C3) Framework, which was published last fall by the National Council for the Social Studies, to guide its efforts. The group will also draw from the experiences of several other states that have recently embarked on a similar process.

“Strong social studies standards join the core disciplines of math, English language arts and science to help not only prepare students for college and careers, but for engagement in civic life,” said Shawn P. Healy, chair of the Illinois Civic Mission Coalition and the Civic Learning and Engagement Scholar at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. “I commend the Illinois State Board of Education for agreeing to revise these state standards. This is a promising step in reviving the civic health of our state.”

The review of arts and social studies standards represents the next part of ISBE’s work to update student learning benchmarks. Teachers and administrators, who continue to write local curricula and lesson plans for their own classrooms, show strong support for the new English language arts and math standards. A majority of educators believe the new standards will improve students’ ability to lead, focus and connect with ongoing initiatives to improve the quality of education in Illinois, according to results from Scholastic’s Primary Sources Survey of Illinois teachers last fall.

ISBE adopted new learning standards in math and English language arts in 2010, physical education in 2013 and science earlier this year. All of the new Illinois Learning Standards are geared toward preparing all students for success in college and careers after graduating high school.

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