YourStateStandards

Massachusetts K–6 visual art standards

Massachusetts writes its own visual art standards. They are published as Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework, adopted 2019 and are not a version of a national framework. 35 of 44 are matched to a national standard.

Framework
Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework
Adopted
2019
Source last checked
July 24, 2026
Read the official document

44 standards, kindergarten through 6th grade

  • PK-K.V.Co.10K

    Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. Identify examples of art in daily life and use them as inspiration for their artwork.

  • PK-K.V.Co.11K

    Relate artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical contexts to deepen understanding. With support, identify different types of artwork (e.g., paintings, sculpture, performance, fiber) within their community.

  • PK-K.V.P.04K

    Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation. Create an image or object and describe what it represents

  • PK-K.V.P.05K

    Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. Select and share a product created through experimentation with materials.

  • PK-K.V.P.06K

    Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. Give reasons for selecting an artwork to share.

  • PK-K.V.R.07K

    Perceive and analyze artistic work. With prompting and support, identify similarities between multiple pieces of art.

  • PK-K.V.R.08K

    Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Describe what is seen in an artwork (e.g., “I see a dot; I see yellow in the corner; I see a round part”), interpret a possible meaning, and explain why the meaning makes sense.

  • PK-K.V.R.09K

    Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. Select a work that evokes feelings and describe the connection between the work and the emotional response.

  • PK-K.V.Cr.01K

    Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Experiment with a wide variety of both two- and three-dimensional materials, including recycled/repurposed ones after looking at images from several artists who use those materials

  • PK-K.V.Cr.02K

    Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. Focus on and pursue a process or idea to completion when experimenting with a wide variety of art materials

  • PK-K.V.Cr.03K

    Refine and complete artistic work. Investigate more than one artistic idea using the same medium

  • 1-2.V.Co.101–2

    Visual Arts Connection: Students examine artworks as living paintings by incorporating freeze frames and thought tapping.

  • 1-2.V.Co.111–2

    Relate artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical contexts to deepen understanding. Identify different types of artwork (e.g., paintings, sculpture, performance, fiber) within their community and other places they have encountered.

  • 1-2.V.Cr.011–2

    Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Use a wide variety of two- and three-dimensional media that communicates a teacher directed idea after looking at images made by artists who use similar materials. (e.g., students use repurposed materials to create a musical instrument or make a collage).

  • 1-2.V.Cr.021–2

    Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. Focus on and pursue a process or idea to completion by setting up, maintaining, and cleaning up a suitable workspace for a wide variety of art materials and tools.

  • 1-2.V.Cr.031–2

    Refine and complete artistic work. Use different tools to experiment with artistic elements (e.g. using found objects to create texture)

  • 1-2.V.P.041–2

    Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation. Explain more than one purpose for presenting art (e.g., building a portfolio, curating an exhibit in a museum, producing an advertisement campaign)

  • 1-2.V.P.051–2

    Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. Organize artwork with artistic intent (e.g. by theme, concept, or other organizational principle).

  • 1-2.V.P.061–2

    Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. Identify one's best work or one's favorite work for sharing and explain the choice.

  • 1-2.V.R.071–2

    Perceive and analyze artistic work. With support, identify the basic elements within an artwork (including, color, line, shape).

  • 1-2.V.R.081–2

    Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Categorize artwork by subject matter and mood

  • 1-2.V.R.091–2

    Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. Set a criterion for judging a work (e.g., it is detailed, it has bright colors).

  • (3-4.V.P.043–4

    Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation. Document the early stages of the creative process using a variety of methods and sort into assorted categories (early curation).

  • (3-4.V.P.053–4

    Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. Refine a specific technique to produce a desired effect (e.g., creating realistic shading).

  • (3-4.V.P.063–4

    Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. Share a work that expresses, evokes, or communicates a selected idea (e.g., students are asked to create a sculpture that expresses two opposing emotions, such as happiness and sadness).

  • 3-4.V.Co.103–4

    Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. Distinguish one’s own preferences in art from those of others (e.g., friends or family).

  • 3-4.V.Co.113–4

    Relate artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical contexts to deepen understanding. Describe ways art is different from other objects in everyday life and why that matters. (e.g., what the role of artistic intent is in visual arts).

  • 3-4.V.Cr.013–4

    Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Develop ideas that explore different art elements (e.g., line, shape, color) using a wide variety of materials.

  • 3-4.V.Cr.023–4

    Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. Use a teacher selected strategy (e.g., sketches, prototypes, rough drafts) to organize artistic ideas.

  • 3-4.V.Cr.033–4

    Refine and complete artistic work. Respond to an artistic challenge and draft possible resolutions

  • 3-4.V.R.073–4

    Perceive and analyze artistic work. Analyze how aesthetic elements (e.g., color, form, line, shape, texture) are used to demonstrate intent.

  • 3-4.V.R.083–4

    Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Describe contrasting interpretations of an artwork to identify multiple perspectives and diverse community ideas.

  • 3-4.V.R.093–4

    Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. Develop criteria for evaluating how skillfully or expressively an artist uses the basic elements of art (e.g., color, line, shape).

  • 5-6.V.Co.105–6

    Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art. Describe and demonstrate personal artistic style and preferences.

  • 5-6.V.Co.115–6

    Relate artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical contexts to deepen understanding. Identify influential works of art from different periods and their impact on the artistic world.

  • 5-6.V.Cr.015–6

    Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Generate artworks that integrate ideas with new materials, methods, and approaches.

  • 5-6.V.Cr.025–6

    Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. Organize and plan an idea using a variety of self-selected strategies (e.g., sketches, prototypes, rough drafts).

  • 5-6.V.Cr.035–6

    Refine and complete artistic work. a. Refine an artistic work by making changes to specific elements, such as color, form, or space. (5-6.V.Cr.03.a) b. Investigate and invent new techniques and approaches using two- and three-dimensional materials. (5-6.V.Cr.03.b)

  • 5-6.V.P.045–6

    Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation. Develop a title and artist statement that explain important information about a personal artwork.

  • 5-6.V.P.055–6

    Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. Develop a visual plan for displaying works of art and the layout of the exhibit.

  • 5-6.V.P.065–6

    Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. Formally present a piece of artwork (i.e., personally speak about the artwork, as opposed to just having the work displayed) that makes connections to other disciplines.

  • 5-6.V.R.075–6

    Perceive and analyze artistic work. Analyze how an artwork's form (e.g., portrait, sculpture, installation, textile art) compares and contrasts with others of the same type or period.

  • 5-6.V.R.085–6

    Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Use domain-specific vocabulary to identify details about an artistic work

  • 5-6.V.R.095–6

    Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. Evaluate a piece of artwork based on a predetermined list of criteria.

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