EST. 2014 • K-12 ARTS EDUCATION • USA
Art is not extra. It’s essential. create the standard.
Welcome to nationalartsstandard.org — the living home of the National Core Arts Standards. We help 50M+ students create, perform, respond and connect through music, visual arts, theatre, dance and media arts.
Creating • Performing Responding • Connecting
The four artistic processes at the heart of every standard, from kindergarten to high school accomplished.
ARTS
STANDARD
★ 2026 ★
We set the bar for arts learning in America.
From finger-paint to film premiere — every child deserves a sequenced, rigorous arts education.
The National Arts Standard project began as a coalition of arts educators, teaching artists, researchers and state leaders who asked a simple question: what should every American student know and be able to do in the arts? The answer became the National Core Arts Standards — a student-centered framework organized around enduring understandings, not just skills checklists.
12 YEARS OF ITERATION, RESEARCH & TEACHER VOICE
ACCESS FOR RURAL, URBAN, MULTILINGUAL & DISABLED LEARNERS
- ✓ Student-centered: built around Creating, Performing/Presenting/Producing, Responding, Connecting
- ✓ Grade-by-grade: PreK through High School Proficient, Accomplished & Advanced
- ✓ Inclusive: universal design, culturally responsive pedagogy, trauma-informed practice
- ✓ Practical: model assessments, lesson seeds, portfolios & rubrics you can use Monday morning
One vision.
Five art forms.
No silos. The standards share common artistic processes and anchor standards, then branch into discipline-specific performance standards.
What students actually do
Compose a 16-bar theme
Students generate, develop and notate musical ideas, then reflect on intent vs. impact. Includes rubric + audio portfolio.
Curate a class exhibition
Select, arrange and defend choices for a community show. Artist statements, lighting, accessibility labels.
Direct a 10-min play
Interpret script, block, coach actors, integrate sound & light. Peer critique using anchor standard 8.
Dance your neighborhood
Map community stories into locomotor phrases. Connect to social studies and family interviews.
Produce a PSA
Storyboard, shoot, edit and publish a 60-sec public service film. Copyright, ethics & audience.
Model Cornerstone Assessments
135+ performance tasks with student work samples, teacher guides and differentiation. Try one this month.
Browse Tasks →Arts learning changes trajectories
Attendance ↑
Schools with daily arts report 7.2% higher attendance, especially in grades 6-9 transition.
Literacy ↑
Theatre & media arts integration lifts reading growth 1.4x for multilingual learners.
Belonging ↑
92% of students say arts class is where “I can be myself” — highest of any subject.
Careers ↑
Creative sector = 4.2% of US GDP. Standards map to 60+ creative career pathways.
“The standards gave our district a common language. Art stopped being ‘extra’ and became our strategy for equity.”
— Dr. Maya R., Superintendent, Ohio
Take it to your classroom Monday
Process: Create → Perform → Respond → Connect
Every anchor standard lives inside this cycle. Students don’t just learn about art — they live as artists, scholars and citizens.
Ideas, guides & district wins
Practical journalism for arts teachers, leaders and families. Click any story to read the full article.
No stories yet — check back soon for curriculum guides and policy updates.
Questions?
Good. Ask like an artist.
Everything superintendents, principals and parents ask us about implementing national arts standards.
Bring the standard to your school.
Free starter pack: posters, one-pagers, first PD webinar + assessment sampler. No spam, just art.
