Arts News
Potential Changes to K-12 Arts Teacher Licensing
Potential Changes to
K-12 Arts Teacher Licensing — Minnesota State Arts Board invites your input
Perpich Center for Arts Education and
the Minnesota Department of Education consider
potential changes to K-12 arts teacher licensing
Your voice matters! The Minnesota State Arts Board invites your input on arts educator licenses, and hopes you will fill out this survey and attend an info session.
Survey Links
Dance & Theater Licensure Survey
Background: The arts teaching licensure standards have not been updated in over 20 years. These are the subject area knowledge and skills that a candidate for arts licensure must demonstrate either by completing a PELSB-approved teacher preparation program or via portfolio. Perpich Center for Arts Education, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), and the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) are collaborating to lead the review and possible revision of the arts teaching licensure standards. As part of this process, some changes to teacher licensing may occur.
Revising these requirements to adequately reflect the evolving needs of K-12 students, schools, and communities is an important undertaking. This process presents a great opportunity for input from the field, and the results of this process will have an impact on the future of arts education in our state. There are many steps to this process, and the public will be able to engage in it several ways over the next few years.
Current Proposals: Over the past year, a steering committee of arts education leaders has worked to offer guidance on structural changes needed before the review and revision of existing arts teaching licensure standards. The Steering Committee discussed three main topics: media arts, music, and the dance and theater combined license. After extensive deliberation, the committee came to agreement on these recommendations:
Discontinue the Vocal and Classroom Music and the Instrumental and Classroom Music licenses, replacing them with a single Music license—with specialization options embedded within the standards.
Create a Media Arts license.
Retain the Dance & Theater license alongside the Dance license and Theater license.
They are now gathering public input on these recommendations.
What can you do now? Share your feedback on recommended changes to arts licenses in the survey(s) (find links below). The deadline to complete this survey is 10/19/2025.
How can you learn more? Attend a virtual information session (registration required - click on the links below to register):
Sept 22, 4:00-5:30 PM
Sept 30, 4:00-5:30 PM
Sept 24, 4:00-5:30 PM
Sept 29, 4:00-5:30 PM
Sept 23, 4-5:00 PM
Oct 1, 4:-5:00 PM
Oct 5, 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Additionally, information on the rationale and considerations for each proposal can be accessed in the Arts Licensing Update Memorandum, and the survey links.
Current Licensure Standards in the Arts
What will happen next? Once the survey is complete and the data is analyzed, writing workgroups for the arts licensure standards will be formed. Applications for joining a workgroup are expected later this fall or winter. After the workgroups are formed, they will begin the process of developing draft recommendations to be submitted to PELSB.
Please complete this survey so your voice can be heard.
For more information, contact:
Max Clark-Vail, max.clark@pcae.k12.mn.us
Leadership & Data Specialist, Perpich Center for Arts Education
Alina Campana, Alina.Campana@state.mn.us
Arts Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education