Utah Core Standards

The Utah Fine Arts Core Standards have been reviewed and revised. The Utah State Board of Education adopted the final revision on April 15, 2016. Further, Utah State Board of Education designated the 2016-2017 school year for partial implementation with full implementation in the 2017-2018 school year.

Utah Core Standards Revision Timeline

2016

Utah Core State Standards for Fine Arts

Educator Endorsements

Fine Arts Qualifying Endorsements
This document shows the courses, license areas, and endorsements that are qualified to teach the listed courses in the Fine Arts. If a course is listed more than once it means that there are multiple endorsement options that can meet that course requirement. The tabs at the bottom of the document represent active courses in each art form. Not all courses listed meet graduation requirements. Please refer to the Comprehensive Administration of Credentials for Teachers in Utah Schools (CACTUS) Course Codes and Approval webpage for details related to graduation requirements and course descriptions and standards.

Professional Learning

Massively Integrated Data Analytics System (MIDAS)

The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) uses the Massively Integrated Data Analytics System (MIDAS) system statewide to manage, track, and report teacher development.

Relicensure Points

One license point is awarded for each clock hour of participation. No credit cost to educator. Educators will need to defend the applicability of the activity to their professional responsibilities.

Utah State Board of Education Credit

Eighteen license points = One semester hour credit. No credit cost to educator. Providers of the in-service credit need to get the activity pre-approved to determine if it meets the standards, which include support of the core curriculum.

University/College Credit

Professional development events may offer University/College credit and the participant will be required to pay that institutions recording fee to receive the credit.

Resources

Approved Textbooks
Recommended Instructional Materials System (RIMS)

Curricular and Instructional Resources for Fine and Performing Arts

Guidelines for Art History

Guidelines for Social and Ballroom Dance

Technical Theatre Guidelines for Arts Graduation Credit

Elementary Songbook

Elementary Songbook

Directories

BTS Arts

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP) is a teaching partnership between highly qualified arts educators and classroom teachers in almost 400 Utah elementary schools. The arts educator works collaboratively with the regular classroom teacher to deliver quality, sequential, and developmental arts instruction in alignment with the state Fine Arts Core Curriculum.

This program is bringing music, visual arts, dance, and theatre back into the classroom. And, as the art form integrates with language arts, math, social studies, and science, it is helping to reinforce the classroom core. Arts integration provides students with a deeper level of understanding in grade-level core content, and enriches the learning experience for both students and teachers.

Program Overview

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTS Arts) Arts Educator Qualifications 2022-2023

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTS Arts) Implementation Guidelines 2022-2023

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTS Arts) Roles and Responsibilities 2022-2023

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTS Arts) Frequently Asked Questions 2022-2023

Principal Training

Advocacy | Applications | Collaborative Planning | Evaluating | Funding | Hiring | Principals' Orientation | Professional Development | Scheduling
YouTube

Training Materials

Classroom Management Training

Part 1: Expectations, Rules and Procedures | Part 1: Expectations, Rules and Procedures
YouTube

Part 2: Proximity | Part 2: Proximity
YouTube

Part 3: Cueing | Part 3: Cueing
YouTube

Part 4: Time Limits and Transitions | Part 4: Time Limits and Transitions
YouTube

Part 5: Ages and Stages | Part 5: Ages and Stages
YouTube

Part 6: Problem Behaviors and Tough Students | Part 6: Problem Behaviors and Tough Students
YouTube

Getting Started as Arts Specialists

Dance | Drama | Music | Visual Art | Tips for Informances
YouTube

Performances, Informances, and Collaboration

Art Nights | Collaboration: Redwood | Collaboration: Washington | Informance: Canyon Rim | Informance: Mountain View
YouTube

Assessment

Fine Arts Assessment
YouTube

Resources

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTS Arts) Glossary 2022-2023

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program Handbook 2022-2023

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTS Arts) Suggested Interview Questions 2022-2023

Professional Outreach Programs in the Schools (POPS)

Professional Outreach Program in the Schools (POPS), managed by the Utah State Board of Education and sponsored by the Utah State Legislature, supports arts education in Utah’s public schools by bringing professional arts organizations’ educational programs to schools for free or subsidized costs. The goal is to connect schools, teachers, administrators and students with high quality arts learning experiences with professional artists. POPS supports the state’s core arts standards by providing arts education opportunities to all Utah schools.

Fifteen POPS organizations are available to provide lecture demonstrations or assemblies, arts instruction in the classroom, teacher professional development workshops, concerts, and performances in dance, media arts, theatre, music and visual art to your school.

About POPS

Introduction to POPS
YouTube

POPS Offerings School Fiscal Year (SFY) 2023
Google Docs

Sorenson Legacy Awards

The Sorenson Legacy Awards for Excellence in Arts Education recognizes excellence in arts education in Utah's public schools. Children and teenage students need a well-rounded education that addresses the whole child. The study of drama, dance, music, and the visual arts helps students explore realities, relationships, and ideas that cannot be expressed simply in words or numbers.

The arts integrate social-emotional learning through making cultural connections. Research supports the claim that learning in the arts increases learning in other academic areas. In the global economy, creativity is essential. Study of the arts provides a venue for creativity to flourish. As educators have felt pressure to give more and more attention to literacy and numeracy, the arts have been pushed to the background.

Beverley Taylor Sorenson worked tirelessly to promote the arts as an avenue for students to develop voice, sustain engagement in school, and evoke reflection and response. Through the Sorenson Legacy Foundation and the Utah State Board of Education, the Sorenson Legacy Awards for Excellence in Arts Education will recognize the essential nature of education in the arts for Utah's students, distinguish those educators who embrace the arts with excellence in their practice, and ensure that Beverley's legacy will continue on.

Application

Educators and/or public citizens are invited to submit nominations in the appropriate categories. Nominated educators must be licensed and endorsed in Utah. 

Nominations for the 2023 awards are closed. Timeline for applications for the 2024 awards TBD. 

Awards

Sorenson Legacy Awards for Excellence in Arts Education Winners 2023

Elementary Dance Instruction
Elementary Drama Instruction
Elementary Music Instruction
Elementary Visual Arts Instruction
Elementary Arts Integration
Secondary Dance Instruction
Secondary Drama Instruction
Secondary Music Instruction
Secondary Visual Arts Instruction
Exemplary Arts Education Administration

Each recipient will receive an artistic award for display, along with a cash award of $2,500, with an additional $2,500 awarded to the recipient's school/district for the purpose of supporting the arts program.

In addition, $5,000 will be awarded for an Exemplary Arts Program or Initiative in a Public School or District. Finally, a Lifetime Achievement Award in Arts Education will be given for exemplary service over a career. The recipient of this award will be nominated by a selection committee, and will also receive $5,000.

Award History

Sorenson Legacy Awards for Excellence in Arts Education Previous Winners