The Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) is seeking participants to field test items for California Subject Examinations for Teachers® (CSET®) Dance and Theatre. Each field test form consists of either a set of multiple-choice questions or two to three constructed-response (essay) items.  Field tests are administered during a 75-minute or 90-minute field test session.

Advantages of Participation

• For each acceptably completed field test form, participants will have the choice of either a $75 test registration voucher that can be applied toward future California certification test registration fees or a $50 Amazon eGift Card. Eligible participants may complete up to two (2) field test forms per field. Please allow up to six weeks for processing.
• Vouchers may be applied toward registration fees for a future California credentialing examination, including the CSET, California Basic Educational Skills Test™ (CBEST^®), California Preliminary Administrative Credential Examination (CPACE), California Teacher of English Learners^® (CTEL^®) or Reading Instruction Competence Assessment^® (RICA^®). Test registration vouchers are transferable and expire one year from date of issue. More than one voucher may be used toward a single test registration.
• An Amazon eGift Card is valid for use until balance is consumed.
• Participants have the opportunity to gain valuable practice in computer-based testing.
• Participants have the opportunity to provide input on the development of the examination.

Who is Eligible to Participate?

• Candidates of the California Single Subject Teaching Credential in English, Dance, Physical Education, and Theatre or are currently preparing to take the CSET: English, CSET: Dance, CSET: Physical Education or CSET: Theatre examination in fulfillment of credentialing requirements are eligible to participate.
• Newly credentialed public-school educators providing Dance and Theatre instruction with less than 3 years of experience are eligible to participate.

Field Test Dates
Testing will be held at Pearson Professional Centers and authorized test centers across the state starting April 5, 2021 through May 14, 2021.

How to Get Involved
Go to www.pearsonvue.com/espilot to schedule a field test appointment and select a convenient date, time, and location for you. Please let eligible candidates know about this field testing opportunity. If you have questions about this field test, contact Evaluation Systems at ES-CSET@pearson.com.

NOTE:  Field test results will be analyzed as group data only and will be kept confidential. Score information will not be provided to participants and performance on a field test will not affect a candidate’s certification status.

The primary goals of Arts, Culture and Creativity Month (ACCM) are to get more Californians to understand and engage in arts advocacy, build a coalition of arts supporters, and to unify our collective voice to effectively communicate our statewide needs with electeds.

Every April, ACCM is a month to celebrate and recognize the significance of our economic and social impact across communities in CA. It is especially relevant during challenging times to uplift the humanity that connects us all. While so much is changing quickly, one thing remains the same: arts are essential and community is built around arts and culture.

Discover how you can participate in this month’s arts activities, advocacy week, and the virtual convening at Californians for the Arts.

The National Endowment for the Arts is developing a strategic plan for FY 2022-2026, and needs your input!

The agency welcomes thoughts on the drafting of its strategic framework, which must include the following elements. (For reference, see the Arts Endowment’s FY 2018-2022 strategic plan. The agency’s current strategic framework is on page 4.)

• Mission
• Vision
• Strategic goals and objectives

Please visit this page on the Arts Endowment website for specific guidance on providing comments, which will be accepted through March 26, 2021. Comments or questions should be directed to Sunil Iyengar at NEAstrategicplanninggroup@arts.gov.

Please share this announcement with your networks so that more people and organizations across the nation, from all backgrounds and sectors, may respond to this opportunity.

In celebration of Arts Education Month, our friends at the California Alliance for the Arts/Create CA are hosting the following webinars. Check them out!

Why Art? Harnessing the Power of Research in Arts Education 

Join us on March 12, 2021, from 12 – 1:30 pm to learn about current research that supports the importance of arts education while interacting with fellow arts advocates in breakout groups. Hear from students and learn how you can support a public education that includes arts education for all. Register here.

Advocating for Student Health + the Arts

Now is the time to communicate with your school district leadership about the need to include the arts in your Local Control & Accountability Plan (LCAP). Join Arts for LA, Create CA and the California Alliance for Arts Education on March 17 at 3:30 pm for a webinar that will provide a brief overview of the LCAP process and help you craft a compelling argument for including the arts in the LCAP as a key strategy to support student health.

Advocates will walk away from this interactive session with concrete tools and next steps to increase arts education offerings in their school district. Register here.

On September 4th, Governor Newsom signed AB2257 which modifies AB5 and creates several exemptions from the stricter requirements around independent contractors and employees. Read the full bill here. What does this mean for artists? Check out Californians for the Arts resource page.

Dance artists across the country are collaborating to reimagine a more equitable and ethical dance world. Be a part of the conversation! Join the Creating New Futures facebook group, check out their in-progress working document and watch their Real Talk forum reflecting on their process.

Sometimes we need help talking to school administrators and other leaders about the value of arts education. Create CA offers a few resources here, including a short video to share to help you advocate for what you do.

Advocating for dance can just take a minute – it doesn’t always have to be a big action, and it certainly doesn’t need to feel intimidating.

The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) has been filming 1 minute advocacy videos as mini pep talks for all of us. Take a peek here for some inspiration!