Definition and Standards for Seattle Public Schools and Community Arts Organizations

Arts integration is an approach to teaching and learning in which students engage in a creative process that connects an art form with another subject to promote deeper learning. This approach leads students to demonstrate an understanding of content-specific objectives in each discipline, as well as an understanding of shared concepts, thinking skills, and the creative process.

Arts Integration at Seattle Public Schools includes:

1. Authentic connections between subject areas that mutually reinforce ideas, concepts, and skills to promote deeper learning.
2. Learning processes include the creative process (creating, performing, and responding) and key learning principles (experiential, evolving, collaborative, problem-solving, and reflective).
3. Learning transcends the initial lesson and is relevant to the students on a personal and cultural level.
4. Clearly articulated learning objectives and criteria in the arts form(s) and the other content area(s).
5. Ongoing assessment.
6. Student understanding is constructed and demonstrated through the artistic process of creating, performing, and responding.
7. High-quality materials are used.
8. Terminology from integrated content areas is used correctly.