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Assistant superintendent presents draft visual and performing arts curriculum; board to vote next meeting
Summary
Dr. Theresa Gillis presented the district's revised K‑12 visual and performing arts curriculum (art and music strands). The curriculum team prioritized essential standards; the board will consider adoption at a future meeting after review.
Dr. Theresa Gillis, assistant superintendent for curriculum, presented a proposed visual and performing arts (VPA) curriculum for grades pre‑K through 12 at the RSU 52 board meeting. The draft covers art and music (teachers noted the district currently does not offer dance as a separate course) and identifies essential versus supporting standards drawn from the Maine Learning Results and early learning standards.
Gillis described the curriculum team — classroom teachers and specialist leaders across the district — and a multi‑session process that included workshops in October, January and March. The team prioritized essential standards that will be assessed and identified supporting standards that will be taught but not prioritized for assessment. Dr. Gillis provided a handout packet with grade‑by‑grade standards and said the packet will be distributed electronically ahead of the board’s adoption vote at the next meeting.
Administrators noted operational constraints: elementary students receive one 40‑minute art or music specialist block per week (scheduling and shared‑staff arrangements make makeup sessions difficult), middle‑school arts are organized in trimester rotations, and high‑school students must earn one fine‑arts credit to graduate. The presentation emphasized that pre‑K programs are limited in days of attendance (two half/whole days per week for certain pre‑K cohorts), so expectations for pre‑K must align with that limited contact time.
Board members and staff discussed scheduling implications and how specialist teachers — many of whom serve multiple buildings — will implement the prioritized standards. Dr. Gillis said essential standards were highlighted in the packet and that the curriculum will be posted in the district’s Atlas curriculum platform. The board will take up formal adoption at an upcoming meeting after members have had time to review the packet.
Why it matters
Adopting prioritized essential standards shapes what students are taught and assessed in arts classes and guides specialist scheduling across buildings. The presentation clarified constraints and asked board members to review materials before a formal vote.
