NAEA Position Statement on Visual Art and its Relationship to Career Technical Education (CTE)

NAEA believes students who are enrolled in any course where visual arts credit is earned, including courses designated as Career Technical Education (CTE), should be taught by certified/licensed and highly qualified visual art educators who are using visual art/media arts standards. Students taught by CTE educators without certification/licensure in visual art should not receive visual art credit for these classes nor receive dual content credit.

CTE implementation is having a variety of effects on visual art educators and visual art education programs. In some cases, CTE courses are replacing visual art courses and issuing visual arts credit. Visual art educators are being replaced by CTE educators.

Visual Arts educators possess the knowledge and preparation necessary to deliver quality instructional content that develops the creative-problem-solving and critical thinking skills afforded through visual arts education. The visual art language is one of creative expression steeped in skills related to problem-solving, communication, divergent and convergent thinking, and higher order skills. All visual art instruction includes assessment of standards-based learning through the use of tools such as reflective statements, assessment rubrics, constructed response, and portfolios. Instruction in the visual arts develops student capacity for artistic expression with original thought leading to creative production, success in higher education, careers, and real world situations.

This Position Statement was formerly titled: Position Statement on Visual Art and its Relationship to CTE. [Adopted March 2013; Reviewed and Revised November 014; Reviewed and Revised March 2019 when it was also retitled as part of the rewriting.]