California Arts Education Policies & Mandates


Source: California Department of Education

Education Code Section 8811
Defines the "arts" to include the four disciplines of dance, drama and theatre, music, and visual arts as set forth in the state's adopted curriculum framework for visual and performing arts.

Education Code Section 51210
Areas of Study: Grades 1 to 6 (e) Visual and performing arts, including instruction in the subjects of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, aimed at the development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.

Education Code Section 51220
Areas of Study: Grades 7 to 12 (g) Visual and performing arts, including dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, with emphasis upon development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.

Education Code Section 51225.3
(Senate Bill 813, Passed in 1983) 
Includes among the academic subjects required for graduation from high school a year of a visual or performing art (dance, music, theatre, or visual art) or a year of foreign language.

Education Code Section 60605.1
(added September 2000) 
Requires the State Board of Education to adopt content standards, pursuant to recommendations developed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in the visual and performing arts. (Standards adopted by State Board of Education January 10, 2001).

Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools
(adopted by the California State Board of Education, January 2001)
 Explicit content for inclusion in visual and performing arts programs at each grade level, pre-kindergarten through grade eight and in grades nine through twelve. Download a copy of the Standards on the California Department of Education web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/index.asp or call CDE Press at 916-445-1260.

California Visual & Performing Arts Framework
The 2004 edition of the Visual and Performing Arts Framework for California Public Schools is based on the Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards adopted in January 2001. It incorporates the content standards for dance, music, theater, and the visual arts and defines the five strands of an arts program: artistic perception; creative expression; historical and cultural context; aesthetic valuing; and connections, relationships, and applications. Download the full framework or individual chapters at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/documents/vpaframewrk.pdf or order from CDE Press 916-445-1260.

UC/CSU Admission Requirements Guide
The University of California and the California State University systems have revised admission requirements to include a year of visual and performing arts that will apply to entering freshman students in Fall 2003. For information on aligning high school courses in the arts to these new requirements you can find an interactive guide at http://www.ucop.edu/agguide/a-g-requirements/f-visual-performing-arts/index.html.