The State of Maryland has achieved significant accomplishments in fine arts education that have resulted in many schools benefitting from strong arts programs. All local school systems are required to provide an instructional program in fine arts each year for all students in grades K – 8 and offer instructional programs in grades 9 – 12 that enable students to meet credit requirements to receive the Maryland High School Diploma and to choose electives.
The Maryland State Board of Education established content and achievement standards for dance, music, theatre, and visual arts programs in 1997: The standards were published by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) as Maryland Essential Learner Outcomes for the Fine Arts (ELOs). Since that time, the Board has accepted the pre-K – 8 Fine Arts State Curriculum based on the ELOs and has required the development and implementation of Fine Arts Strategic Plans by local jurisdictions. In order to support implementation of standards-based programs, MSDE also created an online Maryland Fine Arts Instructional Tool Kit that links assessment with the Fine Arts State Curriculum and best instructional practices. The Maryland State Department of Education provides funding for fine arts initiatives in each of the 24 school systems to encourage program improvement and is developing Portfolio Plus, a comprehensive, multidimensional set of strategies designed to ensure the quality of fine arts instruction.
Since 1994, the Maryland State Department of Education in collaboration with the Maryland State Arts Council has designed and developed the Maryland Artist/Teacher Institute, an intensive arts integration professional development program for elementary and middle school teachers and administrators, conducted by master teachers, artists, and artist-educators in a residential university setting in the summer, with follow-up through the academic year.
High-quality professional development is being provided to enable teachers to integrate the arts into other content areas. In early 2007, the Maryland Higher Education Commission approved Maryland’s Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Arts Integration. The Certificate is a multi-institutional graduate credential awarded by Towson University with the participation of the University of Maryland, College Park; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and Johns Hopkins University. It is designed for educators who wish to expand their capacity to use arts integration as a strategy for enabling their students to learn in and through the arts.
