California Education Standards

The Theatre Education Standards have been developed by the California State Board of Education (SBE). The SBE is the governing and policy-determining body of the California Department of Education (CDE). The SBE is comprised of 11 Governor-appointed members, who serve four-year terms, with the exception of a student member, who serves a one-year term.

Each grade level is broken down into five general categories of standards. Each of these categories has more specific criteria depending on the grade level involved.

1. Artistic Perception:

In this category, students observe their environment and respond using elements of theatre.
Sample criteria:
Pre-kindergarten: use vocabulary like “pretend” and “imagination.”
Grades 9-12 (advanced): use vocabulary like “genre,” “style” and “acting values”.

2. Creative Expression:

To fulfill this category, students must apply processes in acting, directing, designing and scriptwriting to create formal and informal theatre including application in electronic media.
Sample criteria:
Pre-kindergarten: call-and-response games and engaging in fantasy role play.
Grades 9-12 (advanced): script analysis, character reflection and work in a collaborative team as a designer, producer or actor to meet directorial goals.

3. Historical and Cultural Context:

This category is meant for students to analyze the role and development of theatre, film/video and electronic media throughout the past and present.
Sample criteria:
Pre-kindergarten: identifying the difference between live theatre, television and puppetry.
Grades 9-12 (advanced): researching and performing monologues in historical context and analyzing the impact of traditional and nontraditional theatre.

4. Aesthetic Valuing:

Here students critique and derive meaning from theatrical presentations.
Sample criteria:
Pre-kindergarten: how to respond appropriately as an audience member.
Grades 9-12 (advanced): drawing conclusions about the effectiveness of formal and informal productions and developing a thesis based on research as to why people create theatre.

5. Connections:

Relationships and Applications: This is done by applying what they learn in theatrical concepts to other content areas and other career skills.
Sample criteria:
Pre-kindergarten: role-play adult professions using theatrical activities.
Grades 9-12 (advanced): create projects in other school courses or places of employment using the tools and processes from the study of theatrical projects. They also demonstrate the ability to create rehearsal schedules, set deadlines and prioritize.