Visual and Performing Arts
The Washington State K-12 Arts Learning Standards describe what students should know and be able to do in the arts, including 11 anchor standards and four artistic processes for all grade levels.
Visual arts, music, and theatre classes focus on the standards and 21st century skills in K-12 classes, which offer students the opportunity to learn rigorous concepts and processes in the arts, while finding ways to express and understand themselves through the artworks, music performances, and theatre experiences they produce, perform, and present. In the arts, students deepen their cultural proficiency, their ability to understand perspectives, and their creative and critical thinking skills – all of which will help them succeed in college, career, and life and to thrive in an interconnected global community.
The Visual Arts
With a focus on state arts standards and 21st century skills, visual arts classes in Everett Public Schools offer students the opportunity to work with a wide variety of methods and mediums, from clay to painting, from digital art to drawing. As students create artworks, they develop knowledge and skills in Creating, Presenting, Responding and Connecting. Our art specialist teachers, along with district leadership, have developed an arts vision that supports best practices in arts education, art standards, and 21st century skills.
Everett Public School's Arts Vision
Arts Educator Tami Coffman was honored at the 2025 Wendt and Mayor’s Arts Awards for her impact on arts education across the district, supporting students from preschool through 12th grade. Through her leadership, she has expanded access to the arts and helped foster creativity, confidence, and a lifelong appreciation for artistic expression.
Performing Arts
Everett Public Schools offers standards-aligned performing arts programs that help students develop general music and performance knowledge at the elementary level and refine those skills through middle and high school. Students in these programs have multiple opportunities to perform throughout the school year.
Standards-Aligned Assessments
Each year, the district reports to the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) on assessments administered to students in arts programs. Completion of these assessments is tracked at the school level, reported to the district, and then submitted to the state.
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Elementary School: Grade 5 students in visual arts and music are assessed by specialists.
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Middle School: Grade 8 students in visual arts and music classes are assessed.
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High School: Students in Introduction to Art courses are assessed.
For performing arts (band, orchestra, choir), middle and high school programs focus on group performance. Teachers use the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) contest rubric for large group performance assessments. Assessment methods include:
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Teachers evaluating their own students’ performance
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Participation in a WMEA contest
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Inviting a guest evaluator
Students also reflect on and evaluate their own performances.