Skip to main content
NDEO logo 
HomeDELTA Project
   

Dance Entry Level Teacher's Assessment (DELTA) Project

 

 

 

 

Call for Item Writers: Deadline to apply is Oct. 18th at 5pm.

   
    

NDEO is seeking nominees for a task force to support the development of a Dance Entry Level Teacher’s Assessment (DELTA). No entry level exam (e.g. praxis) currently exists for dance, which has precluded some states from establishing dance licensure. The DELTA project, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, is intended for use by states and 15,746 local education agencies (LEAs) to support nationwide K-12 certification efforts. In addition, DELTA promulgates the NEA goals of innovation and the professional development of teachers who must demonstrate increased knowledge and skills necessary to engage children and youth in learning dance, consistent with national and state arts education standards by:

 

  1. Understanding the criteria (content, skills, and knowledge) of what students are expected to know and be able to do in dance ages 5-18 set forth in the National Standards for Dance Education (1994), and the NDEO Standards for Learning and Teaching Dance in the Arts: Ages 5-18 (2005);
  2. Understanding industry-standards for learning and teaching dance (dance content, education theory, practice, and methodology) set forth in the Professional Teaching Standards for Dance Arts (2005, 2011);
  3. Measuring increased knowledge and skills of teachers necessary to engage children and youth in learning dance, consistent with national standards;
  4. Acquiring teaching skills and knowledge necessary to become K-12 state certified in dance.
  5. Identifying strong and weak areas in teaching pedagogy (dance content, education theory and methodology, and performance) so a professional can strengthen areas in need improvement.

 

The DELTA (Dance Entry Level Teacher’s Assessment) will help states individually and collectively by:

  1. Determining baseline competencies for dance educators in their own state and cumulatively across the nation.
  2. Attesting to the abilities of individual teachers seeking K-12 dance certification.
  3. Comparing individual and collective dance state education practices to those outlined in the three sets of NDEO national standards for: a) early childhood; b) K-12 education; and c) master teacher level.
  4. Enforcing state dance certification requirements in fifty states, territories, and districts.
  5. Allowing states to retain existing state certification in dance which they may lose without an entry-level teacher’s exam.
  6. Supporting the “Highly Qualified Teacher” status in US legislation (Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001).

Please note: There will be 8 Item Writers selected. It is a 12 month commitment and there will be a $5,000 honorarium. Make sure you review the full Call for DELTA Item Writer and Item Writer Qualifications & Job Description before completing the Online Application below. 

 

You must be a current NDEO Member to apply!

 

To Apply for a Position on the DELTA Team as an Item Writer:

 

 DELTA Online Application

 

Application DEADLINE is October 18th at 5pm.

If you have questions please contact SUSAN McGREEVY-NICHOLS at smcgreevy-nichols@ndeo.org, or call 301-585-2880.

                 


           

Call for DELTA Item Writer

 

Item Writer Qualifications & Job Description         

 

Apply NOW