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Cheshire art department outlines five‑year goals focusing on student choice, process and digital art
Summary
The district’s art department presented a five‑year review emphasizing academic choice, social‑emotional learning, an expanded digital art course using iPads and Procreate, and plans for a clear scope and sequence and benchmarking assessments.
Jillian Puckett, K‑12 department chair for arts, presented the art department’s five‑year curriculum review and executive summary to the committee, emphasizing a shift from product‑focused instruction to choice‑driven, process‑oriented learning across elementary, middle and high school levels.
Puckett said the department concentrated on critical thinking and social‑emotional learning and redesigned instruction to let students access curriculum through meaningful choice. At the high school level, the department has run a digital art course for about three years that provides students iPads and Procreate software, she said, and visiting professional artists have connected classroom work to careers in the field.
The department also described a recent CEF mini grant that funded frames for an ongoing student installation at the Cheshire Public Library and noted partnerships that bring student work to public spaces. Puckett said the district still needs a final, digestible scope and sequence that describes what students should experience at each grade and that the department intends to implement benchmarking so outcomes can be compared across schools and levels.
Puckett outlined future priorities: complete a clear scope and sequence for all media and grade levels, continue to expand digital art access, integrate studio habits of mind and Model 2 instructional strategies, and provide hands‑on professional development for staff. She invited questions about district and school art shows, visiting artists and display opportunities.
Board members and attendees asked about inclusivity of district art shows and local display opportunities; Puckett and other presenters said some shows are invitational and that the department will work to broaden invitations and community outreach.
