SOFA

On August 26th, Education Minister Dave Hancock took time out of his busy schedule to meet with four members of the SOFA committee.  Also present at the meeting was Christine Bouchard from Alberta Education, and Sean Yam who is the Minister’s Executive Assistant.

During the one hour meeting, a wide variety of items were discussed, including Mr. Hancock’s Inspiring Education strategy, the importance of fine arts education, and the use of ‘locally developed courses’ by School Boards to supplement core subjects.

It was very apparent during the discussion Mr. Hancock is quite supportive of fine arts education.  His goal is to create the opportunity for as many students as possible to take fine arts courses.  He intends to have the curriculum re-designed to allow for both a ‘rigourous’ and ‘exploratory’ option.  His desire to offer exploratory courses is so that all students will have the opportunity to benefit from taking a fine arts course, even though they may not have taken any earlier in their schooling.  However, he also stated it will be up to each local community working in conjunction with their principal to determine what kind of fine arts programming is offered.  Parental and community involvement will be critically important in this process.  He does not intend to take a ‘one size fits all’ approach in regard to fine arts programming throughout Alberta.

SOFA is pleased to hear that Mr. Hancock is supportive of expanding fine arts education.  However, we remain concerned over the availability of specialized educators in Alberta to support the type of programming indicated above.

During the meeting, Mr. Hancock agreed to respond to our questions in writing with the understanding that his response will be forwarded via email to those who have registered on our website.  This will be sent out as soon as a response is received.

SOFA members also asked Mr. Hancock if he would be willing to attend a public SOFA meeting in Calgary to discuss how fine arts fits into the new Inspiring Education stratgegy.   He indicated he was definitely willing to do so, provided the meeting is held in late fall when he will have more flexibility in his schedule.  We will post the date of this meeting on our website once it has been determined.

At the end of our meeting, Mr. Hancock was presented with a “Save Our Fine Arts” T-shirt and agreed to have a picture taken with SOFA members inside the Alberta Legislature.  Pictured below with Mr. Hancock (center) from left to right is Bill Campbell (parent and human resource professional), Murray Ord (parent and motion picture/television industry executive), Lyle Bennett (parent and Director of Sales for a well known chain of music stores), and Sam Gregory (grade 12 student and aspiring future politician).

It is interesting to note that Mr. Hancock has a particular interest in education, including the fine arts.  His wife is currently a high school principal, his son is a teacher, and his daughter is a recent graduate of the Victoria School of Fine Arts in Edmonton.   We can only guess this results in some lively discussion at home.

SOFA sincerely wishes to thank Mr. Hancock, Christine Bouchard, and Sean Yam for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet with us.

Some great news!

On July 7th, Education Minister Dave Hancock announced the Government will be providing $48 Million to the School Boards to prevent the layoff of teachers.

If you are interested in reading Mr. Hancock’s comments on the above (which are posted on an Alberta Government website), CLICK HERE

To read the front page article in today’s edition of the Calgary Herald, CLICK HERE.  To read the Edmonton Journal’s version, CLICK HERE.

Mr Hancock stated, “… There should be no layoffs of teachers or support staff unless they (the School Boards) have a rationale for it that’s based on a change in student numbers or a change in programming.”

Now that the Alberta Government has addressed the funding shortage, SOFA will be watching the school boards with keen interest to ensure there will not be a ‘change in programming’ to fine arts courses and that fine arts teachers will not be negatively affected.

Welcome to SOFA, otherwise known as Save Our Fine Arts.  Thanks for checking out our website!

We are an organization that was set up in response to Alberta Education’s proposed changes to our Fine Arts Curriculum.  A group of 31 parents, students, educators and other fine arts industry officials make up the SOFA Committee.  If you are interested in becoming a part of our committee, please send a note to saveourfinearts@gmail.com.

If you are concerned about the fine arts changes, please register on our website by hitting the red REGISTER button on the right.  By doing this you are adding your name to a growing list of concerned parents, students, arts educators and professional artists from all corners of Alberta and Canada.  We’ve even got a number of people who have registered from the United States.

If you would like to become more informed about the changes, please explore the website.

Please check back frequently for updates.  These can be found from the home page!

Thank you!

SOFA Organizing Committee

Mission Statement

Our mission is to participate in the preservation, expansion and promotion of excellence in fine arts credit-courses in our schools.

Objectives

Our objectives are to support and advocate for the implementation of quality fine arts curriculum in our schools, supported by adequate facilities and timetabling, delivered by teachers qualified as specialists in visual arts, dance, drama and music to

•  engage all students in K – 6 levels in the active study of all fine arts
• encourage interested and motivated students in grades 7 – 12 to pursue and achieve skills to their full potential in fine arts through in-depth and sequential study with specialists (in multi-credit courses), including directed study in performance groups, workshops and exhibitions.

 Initiatives

 Our initiatives are:

• to communicate and liaison with the Minister of Education, Alberta Education and school boards
• to foster a dialogue with post secondary institutions and Advanced Education and Technology officials to improve the training of fine arts teachers and to inspire fine arts graduates to pursue a professional career in their particular discipline and/or become fine arts educators
• to advocate for allocation and flow of adequate funding to fine arts programs
• to communicate and collaborate with other interested groups and associations.  Further, to facilitate discussion and network with stakeholders and those with a vested interest in quality fine arts education
• to show-case successful fine arts programs to business and government leaders as well the community at large.
• to participate in a review of the Calgary Board of Education instrument loan pool 

Below are a number of letters that SOFA has received and we feel are of great importance. These include letter’s from University professor’s,  letter’s too and from Dave Hancock – the Minister of Education and letter’s sent too and from Susan McLeod, one of the proposed frameworks authors.

To view the letter’s involving the Minister of Education, please click here.

To view letter’s involving Susan McLoed, author of the proposed framework, click here.

Please take some time and read any or all of the letters!

PROPOSED K-12 ARTS EDUCATION CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

In June 2009, Alberta Learning released a draft framework for changes to the fine arts
curriculum in Alberta. The following changes were recommended:

Change of program name from ‘Fine Arts Programs’ to Arts Education to better reflect the
concept of learning in, through and about the arts.

In grades K-6, the proposed curriculum

• would provide students with a wide range of artistic experiences
• would be taught by both generalists and specialists
• would integrate arts into other subjects
• would be implemented in schools by 2012

In grades 7-9, the proposed curriculum

• would offer two arts ‘tracks’. The Arts Education Exploration track would offer students some experience in a variety of art forms. The Arts Education Focus track would provide students with an in-depth experience in one particular art form (music, visual art, dance or drama)
• All junior high arts programs would have flexible entry points.
• would be implemented in schools by 2013

In grades 10-12, the proposed curriculum

• will offer opportunities for specialized learning through a variety of 1-credit (25 hour) coursesin dance, drama, music and visual art.
• will allow students the opportunity to explore and experience the arts in a tight timetable
• will allow students to choose Arts Education Project courses to extend their learning in aparticular arts discipline
• according to new information, the new 1-credit courses may not necessarily mean the end of current 3-5 credit (125 hour) courses. This is to be determined in consultation with stakeholders
• some courses will offer flexible entry points.
• pre-requisites, co-requisites and course sequences are also to be determined.
• would be implemented in schools by 2014

Public responses are due to Alberta Learning by January 31, 2010

The government has indicated it will consider suggestions, questions and comments about
the proposed curriculum.
Please see the information below on how to respond:

Concerns about the proposed Curriculum changes:

• Seems to advocate generalists as opposed to specialists at elementary level, should advocate for specialists wherever possible.
• Generalists often uncomfortable with teaching fine arts disciplines, may water down arts experiences to a sampling of the arts, rather than real skills development.
• Fine arts do not lend themselves to dabbling, and the development of skill sets and appreciation takes time. A modular approach may provide only a token sampling of the arts experience.
• Flexible entry points may not provide necessary sequential learning for success, and for entry into post-secondary arts programs.
• Multiple entry points with no pre-requisites will make effectively teaching students at widely varying levels of experience difficult or impossible.
• Fine arts require a sequential, ongoing curriculum to attain high level skills.
• Appears to take an academic approach to music, and not necessarily a performance based approach.
• Alberta Education is suggesting offering exploratory courses, yet resources; teachers are not available to do so.
• It is unclear what will happen to performing ensembles in music programs.
• It is unclear what will happen to Locally Developed Courses (courses designed by school boards to meet unique needs within their schools)
• The intrinsic value of arts education will be lost if integrated into other subjects and used simply for academic gains.

Positive aspects of the Proposed Curriculum changes:

• Greater access to arts programming for students living in rural school districts.
• Option for students to explore interests, possibly develop a new passion.
• Greater appreciation and support for the arts, creating broader audiences for concerts, plays, ballet, arts shows, etc, resulting in stronger financial support.
• Provincial dance program will be developed under new curriculum due to demand.
• Students involved in arts tend to stay in school and achieve success due to participation.
• Modular courses may be therapeutic benefits for students unable to cope with full arts courses.
• Wider development of appreciation for the arts, and of creativity and thinking skills as vital job skills.

Who to contact to raise your concerns about changes to the
Alberta Fine Arts Curriculum:

• susan.mcleod@gov.ab.ca
• wesley.oginski@gov.ab.ca
• sean.yam@gov.ab.ca
• keray.henke@gov.ab.ca
• dave.hancock@gov.ab.ca
• premier@gov.ab.ca

Also, please go to this website and choose your appropriate MLA.

http://www.foundlocally.com/Calgary/Local/Gov-Provincial.htm
-Your school principal
-Your school board trustee

Websites:

www.saveourfinearts.ca
Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=178897880784
Ab Ed Proposal Link – http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/finearts/program-updates.aspx
Calgary Herald Submissions:

To submit to the Calgary Herald Op-Ed Page:

1. Keep your letter to 250 words or less. You may be edited.
2. Include your full name, address and phone number
3. Submit:

• by mail to Letters Editor, Calgary Herald, P.O. Box 2400, Stn M Calgary AB T2P 0W8
• by fax to 403-235-7379
• by e-mail to Letters@theherald.canwest.com

Prepared by: SOFA Organizing Committee
November 9th, 2009

SOFA recently received a letter from the Honourable Kent Hehr, who is an MLA from Calgary Buffalo.  In his letter, he compliments SOFA for the meeting we held on February 1st, 2010 in Calgary. 

SOFA would like to thank Mr. Hehr for taking time out of his busy schedule to attend our meeting, and for sending us the letter!

If you are interested in reading the letter he wrote us, CLICK HERE.

UPDATED POST WITH NEW FAQ’S FROM ALBERTA EDUCATION

AND MINUTES FROM MEETING

On Monday, February 1st, Joan Engel, Christine Bouchard, and Shelley Wells from Alberta Education presented at the SOFA meeting in Calgary to clarify and discuss proposed changes to fine arts education in Alberta.   Approximately one hundred and fifty were in attendance – parents, students, educators, entertainment industry officials, Harry Chase (Liberal MLA for Calgary Varsity) and Kent Hehr (Liberal MLA for Calgary Buffalo).

During the presentation a number of key issues were addressed:

• Alberta Education has received a substantial amount of feedback and they are currently tabulating and considering the comments.
• It was stated that their goal is to create a curriculum that fits within Alberta Education’s “Inspired Education” philosophy
• We were informed that the date for implementation for the new curriculum (Elementary) has been extended by two years to 2014
• They acknowledge that the 1 credit 25 hour instruction option at Senior High Level is not acceptable to a large majority of people
• It was clarified that the process to create Locally Developed Courses (LDC’s) is through each School District and then approved by Alberta Education.

Other issues discussed by those present included the following:

• Great concern was expressed over the Alberta Government’s desire to cut $80 Million plus out of the education budget and how this could impact the progress of fine arts education curriculum revision.  Joan and Christine were not in a position to address this issue as it is beyond the scope of their responsibilities.
• It was brought to their attention that there may not be enough qualified teachers and teaching resources to be able to successfully launch the new curriculum once it has been developed
• Some discussion was held whether or not fine arts education courses should become compulsory.
• There was some confusion as to whether or not the LDC’s which focus on fine arts education (e.g. band ensembles, choir, and drama) will continue to exist in the future. These courses are designated by  last two numbers being “15”.  Ms. Engel indicated it is up to local School Boards to submit proposals for LDC’s to Alberta Education for approval. Furthermore, if another School District wishes to use one of the LDC’s they have to first of all obtain permission from the District that produced the course.

It was made quite clear at the meeting that our next step would be to encourage as many visual arts, dance and drama representatives to become involved with SOFA to strengthen our position.

Further, it was also stressed that we, as concerned citizens of Alberta, should continue to make representation to our elected officials stressing the importance of a good arts education program.

Please take time to view the PowerPoint presentation made by Bill Campbell and Lyle Bennett (SOFA Co-chairs), CLICK HERE.   To review the minutes from the meeting taken by our SOFA Secretary, CLICK HERE

We’ve extended the invitation to Alberta Education to send us a copy of their presentation for posting on our site and respond in writing to the questions submitted during the meeting.  However, they referred us back to their website where they’ve recently updated some of their Frequently Asked Questions.  To view their updated FAQ’s, CLICK HERE

Before our meeting, CBC News Radio (Calgary) aired an interview with Lyle Bennett.  In addition, both Global Television and CityTV (Breakfast Television) attended our meeting and taped a number of interviews. To view Global Television’s broadcast, CLICK HERE, and under the “Global Calgary Top Stories” tab, you will find the video entitled “Fine Arts Cuts”.

Thank you very much for your support in the past and to everyone who was able to attend our meeting.  SOFA also wishes to thank Joan, Christine, and Shelley for presenting at the meeting.

Dr. Ed Wasiak is the Associate Professor of Music Education at the Faculty of Education,  University of Lethbridge.   He is also the President of the Canadian Music Educators’ Association (the national voice for music education).

On January 31st, 2010, he sent the Honourable Dave Hancock, Minister of Education a letter outlining his concerns with Alberta Educations’ proposed fine arts education framework.

He has given SOFA permission to publish his letter on our site.  If you would like to read his letter to Dave Hancock, CLICK HERE

———————————————————————————————————————

Further to Dr. Wasiak sending the above mentioned letter to Mr. Hancock, he received the following email note from Susan McLeod (Alberta Education) on February 1st:

Dear Dr. Wasiak,
 
I have received your response to the proposed framework and have saved it in my files for consideration as we complete revisions to the draft document.
 
I anticipate that these revisions will be complete and the newer version of the proposed framework will again be posted online sometime this spring.  It is our hope that a newly revised framework will address the comments and concerns of our stakeholders in a most satisfactory manner.
 
Thank you for your participation in the curriculum design process as a past focus group member and your ongoing interest in the draft K-12 Arts Education Curriculum Framework.
 
 Susan McLeod
Curriculum Manager – Arts Education
Arts, Communication and Citizenship
Alberta Education – 812F – 44 Capital Blvd.
10044 – 108 Street, Edmonton AB Canada T5J 5E6
Tel (780) 422-3217  Fax (780) 422-0576
Toll free (780) 310-0000
susan.mcleod@gov.ab.ca

Below is a reply recieved from a SOFA committee member from Eduction Minister Dave Hancock. Altough similar to the letter below, it raises some different points!

Dear Sam:

Your MLA, Heather Forsyth, forwarded to me your December 1, 2009 e-mail regarding the K–12 Arts Education Curriculum Framework – June 2009 Draft.  I am always happy to see students show such an interest in important issues, such as education.

I understand you met with the Arts Education curriculum managers at the Calgary Association of Parents and School Councils on November 18, 2009, and they addressed your questions.

I wish to address specific concerns in your e-mail.  The proposed changes to the Arts Education curriculum are summarized on the Fine Arts Updates Page on our website at www.education.alberta.ca/teachers/program/finearts/program-updates.aspx.  Click on Proposed Changes to the K–12 Fine Arts Programs of Study to see a chart that outlines what will remain the same and identifies proposed changes.  What is expected to remain the same includes the scope and sequence of skills for each arts discipline, along with the effective and promising practices currently found in Alberta’s classrooms.  The excellent programs enjoyed in our schools, such as ensemble band classes, are not expected to change.  As always, schools and school boards will be responsible for deciding which programs to retain when new curricula are implemented.  The purpose of this framework is to support and encourage effective arts programming, which may include performing ensembles.

The K–12 Arts Education Curriculum Framework – June 2009 Draft is not a program of studies.
It provides the philosophical foundation for programs of study in each arts discipline.  Future music programs of study will provide more detail regarding specific learning outcomes and suggested programs, such as performing ensembles.  However, the General Learning Outcomes given in the draft framework do include Connecting and Belonging (working as an ensemble) and Creating and Expressing (including performing).

With respect to teachers with specialized training in the arts, staffing for schools is the responsibility of school jurisdictions.  Small or isolated schools may be unable to recruit such teachers for a variety of reasons; therefore a new curriculum must be accessible to all who are responsible for instruction.  When new programs of study are developed, they are supported with learning and teaching resources, as well as professional development opportunities for teachers to support new program implementation.

The proposed program organization in the K–12 Arts Education Curriculum Framework – June 2009 Draft was developed as a response to requests for increased flexibility and variety.  The intent of the proposed single credit structure was to allow opportunities for schools to create programs to meet their needs by combining single credits.  In this way, schools could create groups of one-credit courses that would be similar to existing three- or five-credit courses, while adding new opportunities for all students to access the arts.  Distributed learning will also play a role by offering courses through the use of emerging technology, such as videoconferencing and digital resources.

We are working with post-secondary institutions to ensure students who wish to pursue career opportunities in arts education will have the required courses and credits to access these programs after Grade 12.  Representatives from Alberta’s post-secondary schools will continue to be involved in the curriculum development process, just as they have been involved in the creation of the Arts Education Framework, which is currently posted for feedback.

Two professors from the University of Calgary provided written text that contributed to the development of the draft framework.  Dr. Shelley Robinson conducted a literature review (Promising Practice and Core Learnings in Arts Education) and Dr. Robert Kelly’s work on creativity informed the development of the draft (there is a section on the creative process in the proposed framework).  His book appears in the bibliography section of the draft K–12 Arts Education Curriculum Framework.

After January 31, 2010, the K–12 Arts Education Curriculum Framework – June 2009 Draft and the Online Discussion Questions will be removed from Education’s website.  The draft will then undergo further revisions based on responses to the online discussion questions and responses gathered from e-mails, letters and face-to-face meetings.  All responses will be carefully considered during this revision.  Once the revision is complete, the document will again be posted online for stakeholder engagement.  We will then focus on beginning to develop programs of study, and we hope to begin implementation in 2014.

If you have further questions or concerns, please contact Susan McLeod, Curriculum Manager–Arts Education, Curriculum Sector, at 780-422-3217or by e-mail at Susan.McLeod@gov.ab.ca .  You could also contact Katherine Deren, Curriculum Manager–Arts Education, French and International Education Services, at 780-422-1988 or by e-mail at Katherine.Deren@gov.ab.ca.

Thank you for your interest in arts education.

Yours truly,

Dave Hancock, Q.C.

Minister of Education