CEDFA Summit 25:
The Heart of Fine Arts
Come Celebrate and Create!
CEDFA Summit 25 is a celebration and a creative playground. We will look at where we’ve been, how far we’ve come, who we are, and who we hope to become.
Why do we make art?
Investigating this central question ties back into CEDFA’s four strategic goals:
facilitating systemic change through TEKS implementation
providing a network of fine arts leaders
strengthening instruction in fine arts, and
increasing student achievement.
Just as the heart is the central organ in the human body, a strong Fine Arts program is the center of the school and community. Each educator who teaches art, dance, music, and theatre in Texas brings the heart to the fine arts. Amidst incredible changes, these educators continuously adapt and refine their teaching practices to help all students learn to create.
CEDFA Fine Arts Summit 25 topics
Anchor Session 1:
Creativity and Meaning-making in the Age of AI
Deep Dives:
Building Creative Muscle through New Tools and Technology
Novel Technological Innovations in the Fine Arts Classrooms
Anchor Session 2:
Authenticity and The Creative Voice
Deep Dives:
Charting Your Place in the Lineage of Makers
Showcasing Creative Practices Built from Authenticity
Anchor Session 3:
Forging Connections through Fine Arts
Deep Dives:
Sparking and Sustaining Creative Connections on Campus
Examining Model Programs that Energize, Nourish, and Invigorate a Community
Anchor Session 4:
Creating the Future through Fine Arts
Deep Dives:
Tackling Challenging Problems through Fine Arts
Fine Arts Experiences that Impact Communities
TEACH FINE ARTS
Everyday in classrooms across Texas, art, dance, music, and theatre educators challenge students to learn in new ways. The tools these teachers use are manifold: student standards, rigorous curricula, engaging instruction, and formative and summative assessment strategies. The backbone of fine arts instruction in Texas, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), help educators structure instruction around what students should know and be able to do by the end of each grade level in art, dance, music, and theatre. The TEKS are vertically aligned to provide for a cohesive curriculum from one grade to the next. Furthermore, the TEKS mandate consistent and rigorous student learning in the fine arts throughout the state.
This area of the website houses information pertaining directly to teaching the fine arts. This includes the student standards, assessment strategies, instructional techniques, as well as information on Chapter 74 of the Texas Administrative Code, graduation requirements, and other curricular issues. Furthermore, this section of the site houses online instructional resources such as Connect the TEKS, Fine Arts for All Students and the Arts Integration Online Toolkit. Use the menu at the top to explore and visit often.
Strengthen Program
While high quality educators, committed students, and rigorous learning standards such as the TEKS form the core of successful programs, many other administrative considerations such as equipment, staffing, space, and safety requirements, as well as funding play important roles in the program’s overall health.
This section addresses program evaluation, quality indicators for elementary, middle school, and high school programs in art, dance, music, and theatre, as well as recommendations on staffing and links to state and national funding sources. Finally, this section houses the Program Support database of sources and abstracts from research studies that hone in on why the fine arts are essential to school communities and vital for student learning.
Grow Professionally
Many avenues exist for growing professionally as a fine arts educator or administrator. In addition to CEDFA-sponsored workshops and summits, other opportunities include National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certifications, additional certifications from the State Board for Educator Certification, and growth through the Professional Development and Appraisal System.
This section of the website houses background information and links related to models of professional development, the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC), and the Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS).