Rhode Island § 16-116-3 - Transparency in Arts Education Access and Proficiency Act

§ 16-116-3. Proficiency in arts education.

(a) Commencing with the 2025-26 academic school year, the department shall include, on each school’s annual school report card, each school’s percentage of students enrolled in arts education courses, as defined by the national core arts standards, along with the number of courses available to students in each arts area, including, but not limited to: dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual arts.

(b) Commencing with the 2025-26 fiscal year, the department may designate or assign a qualified staff member to serve in the role of arts education curriculum coordinator. A primary function of this coordinator would be to support schools and school districts in meeting the arts education curricular and reporting requirements, as provided in this chapter, along with any other arts education-related tasks within the department.

(c) Commencing with the 2026-27 academic school year, the department shall annually require each high school to provide a representative sample of graduated students’ portfolios, that demonstrate evidence of meeting proficiency in one of the arts, as defined by the national core arts standards, or fine arts. The student portfolios shall include evidence of works developed via courses within the regular school day.