Appendix D
Continuum for Implementing
Arts Education Programs
The Arts Education Program Implementation Continuum is a tool that
school districts may use in planning and in improving the visual and perform-
ing arts programs that they provide for all students. The continuum and the
Continuum Grid help in identifying the elements that are required for the
implementation of a quality arts education program. The concept of a con-
tinuum acknowledges the many points that exist along the way toward reaching
a goal. Using the continuum helps educators in identifying the strengths of a
program and the areas that need improvement as districts work toward full
implementation of instruction in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts for
all students.
Focus Areas
The continuum is based on the descriptions of effective visual and perform-
ing arts programs that appear throughout the Visual and Performing Arts Frame-
work for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (1996),
which was adopted by the State Board of Education in 1996. The continuum is
used by a district arts team to assess the elements of an arts education program
in a district. The areas that are assessed are called focus areas and are listed along
the left side of the continuum. The focus areas are:
- Standards-based curriculum
- Instruction and methodology
- Student assessment
- Professional development
- Program administration and personnel
- Partnerships and collaborations
- Funding
- Resources and facilities
- Program evaluation
Three Levels of Criteria
Criteria have been organized under each of the focus areas on the con-
tinuum, and the criteria are further grouped into three levels. These levels are
From Arts Education Program Toolkit: A Visual and Performing Arts Program Assessment Process.
Sacramento: California Department of Education, 2001.