It is the mission of the 2020 NJ Student Learning Standards for Visual and Performing Arts (https://njartsstandards.org/) to empower students to develop creative and critical thinking, social-emotional competencies, and intellectual and expressive abilities that will allow them to become active, contributing members of a global society. By September of 2021, all of our VPA courses K-12 must be aligned to these new standards, thus aligning our work with that exact same mission. Please review and familiarize yourself with the introduction to the 2020 Arts standards: https://njartsstandards.org/sites/default/files/2020-06/NJSLS_VPA_INTRODUCTION.pdf The 2020 NJSLS-VPA reflect the N​ational Core Arts Standards​ and emphasize the process-oriented nature of the arts and arts learning. Since all of our curricula currently has the National Standards in each of our guides, it is an expectation that you begin to use the new 2020 state standards in your lesson plans now. This will help you become familiar with them before they are mandatory in September. More guidance and training will be coming in the future. If you have any questions, please send me an email.