Dance Standards PK through Grade Twelve
California Arts Standards for Dance Grades TK-Twelve
The California Arts Standards (CAS) for dance, adopted in 2019, provide a blueprint for students to achieve dance literacy. The standards outline specific knowledge and skills grade-by-grade, and do not prescribe any specific style, genre, or culture. Access the full standards document here (the dance standards are on pages 23-56).
California Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations
While the California Arts Education Framework provides guidance for pre kindergarten, California PK/TK Learning Foundations (CA PTKLF) for Visual and Performing Arts provides guidance for teaching dance to three-to-five-and a-half-year-old children. See the California Arts Education Framework (page xi) for guidance about when to use the CAS and when to use the CA PTKLF.
Expanding Opportunities for Dance Education
Expanding access to dance education offers many benefits for students including increased motivation and improved attention span and cognition. See Chapter 1 of the California Arts Education Framework (pgs. 6-10) for specific information. Additional information for advocating to expand dance is available at the National Dance Education Association’s Evidence Report web page.
- When expanding access to dance, it can be challenging to find credentialed dance teachers and facilities to provide dance instruction. The California Dance Education Association provides recommendations for addressing these challenges and others in their tip sheet More Dance in More Schools.
- More Dance in More Schools: A Prop 28 Tip Sheet includes the information from the Tip Sheet in a short, 6 minute video.
- Prop 28: Cultivating Arts Educators FUSD Dance Collaborative is a video (6:50 minutes) that features Fontana Unified School District’s comprehensive approach to dance education and building new educators to meet local need.
Professional Learning
Professional Organizations
The California Dance Education Association and the National Dance Education Association offer a “professional home” for existing and aspiring dance educators. A variety of resources are available to both members and non-members of these organizations.
Creativity at the Core Professional Learning Modules
- Lifting the Barre in Arts Education: Connecting Dance with Common Core in English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science, designed for K-6 teachers. focuses on arts integration. The module is designed for independent or group study and can be completed over a 12-hour period.
- Getting Ready for Performance: Building the Creative Process in Dance Technique, designed for grades 7 – 12 dance educators, supports building and expanding student creativity in the dance technique class.
