Bagley High School Practices the Art of Academics

Bagley, Minnesota is home to two MRSH schools, Bagley Elementary and Bagley Junior Senior High—each working to develop a strong curriculum based on state standards that are undergoing radical changes. Bagley Junior Senior High School 's approach to the course content of electives delivers a powerful message about how the arts are articulated in their curriculum.

New standards require change
As are many states, Minnesota is presently revising its standards for all subjects and grade levels. For more than ten years, schools in this state have designed their courses around a Profile of Learning, with emphasis on a limited number of broad, conceptual standards. Steve Cairns, Bagley High School 's principal, explains, “The focus was on large processes or concepts. Standards were spread over nine learning areas, and this included vocational areas.” But, the emphasis has changed to a very prescribed academic one with hundreds of smaller, more specific standards. “This shift of emphasis,” according to Cairns, “requires quite an adjustment on our part.”

CSR provides assistance
Bagley partnered with MRSH at the time Minnesota schools were making this shift in standards. The high school teachers, accustomed to writing authentic assessments, using rubrics, and providing numerous opportunities for application, are seeking to mesh these practices with effective instructional strategies and varied approaches to assessment. Cairns says, “Modern Red can help us continue with the effective practices from the Profile as we address all the standards, filling gaps and eliminating redundancies. We want to keep the good while adding the good.”

Where do the arts come in?
At Bagley, the arts come in everywhere. Dance instructor, Gwen LaVine, puts it this way, “At Bagley, we don't have extras. The extras are essential here. Our teachers recognize the value of their areas and have a passion for connecting them to the core standards in practical ways.” When studying dance, for example, students do not stop at learning movements, but also examine the physical aspects and make connections to anatomy, wellness, and physics. Sociology is introduced as they learn the history of the art, particularly how dance develops because of what is going on in the world. Each student completes a project involving extensive research and performance.

Physical education classes operate in a similar manner, with students working to attain weekly goals in the various physical skills and using journals to help them with their self-evaluations. LaVine sees this as “…a really cool thing. Even though the Profiles are now defunct, the concept of including writing, research, and oral presentations in a PE class is still with us.” Character education is another important area included in elective courses. “For example,” she continues, “in junior high, students need to be able to work well with others…it doesn't matter if you are in the gym or hallway or whatever. We see ourselves trying to reinforce good things.”

LaVine's participation in Minnesota Arts Best Practices (membership is by invitation only) assists Bagley's students and staff with the numerous projects and activities they undertake by providing funds for substitutes six days a year to enable her to work on planning and structuring programs, portfolios, and other essential focus areas related to the fine and performing arts. Additionally, the Perpich Center for Art Education—a state agency near Minneapolis charged by the Minnesota Legislature to bring the arts into all K-12 education—provides exceptional print and video resources for student and faculty research.

Integrating technology
Bagley offers a full curriculum of computer technology and is endorsed by Microsoft as a regional testing center for certification in Microsoft Office© software. The students also maintain a Web site (www.bagley.k12.mn.us) for which they have received state recognition. The Web master, Steve Ragan, teaches the Bagley High School Web writing class and also directs the school choir. It is interesting that they manage to accomplish this without state-of-the-art computers. Most of their hardware is purchased from the prison at Stillwater, Minnesota, where inmates refurbish old PCs and provide them to schools at their cost.

Cairns feels that “MRSH is critical to the design because we needed a model for how to collect and connect the K-12 curriculum. The unit writing process is doing just that. And, as our units are completed, we hope to have on the Web site parent access to course syllabi for each subject at each grade level. Next year, we want to link to on-line college courses and remediation areas. We feel this will help us in our efforts to be a big school in a small setting.”

Jennifer Welle teaches visual arts in grades 7-12 and speaks of art as being “primarily about problem-solving.” “Students must use their experiences to address issues,” she says. “It's all about ‘show me what you know.' You can't create good art without education,” she explains. “The more history, math, etc. you know, the higher your artistic level. Folk artists have an intrinsic awareness of their experiences, but the larger and more sophisticated their world-view, the higher level of sophistication their art takes as a way of self-expression. We have some lofty visions of what the arts do for the children and the community. We understand the correlation between intellect and arts, and we want our students to see that. We want bright citizens – it's the best thing for our country. Our biggest challenge is to help them realize their potential – and the arts give them a vehicle for expressing not only their feelings, but their knowledge and experiences.”

April 2004