AB 2862, by Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach), which promotes visual and performing arts education, won Assembly approval Wednesday.
The bill updates California’s academic standards to ensure students have access to modern curriculum and instructional materials in the arts.
“As a classroom teacher, I have seen first-hand how arts education can impact the lives of students,” said O’Donnell, chair of the Assembly Education Committee. “Fostering creativity keeps kids engaged and has even been shown to raise tests scores, reduce absenteeism and lower dropout rates.”
California’s Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) standards have not been updated since 2001 and are in desperate need of revision so students can benefit from current curriculum, instruction, and instructional materials, according to O’Donnell’s office. AB 2862 authorizes education leaders, in conjunction with experts in arts instruction and the general public, to recommend updated VAPA standards to the State Board of Education. New standards would be adopted no later than Jan. 1, 2019. The bill is co-sponsored by the California Art Education Association as well as the California Music Educators Association and is supported by a wide variety of statewide education advocacy groups, according to O’Donnell’s office.
The bill will now be heard in the Senate.
