1 of 22

Florida Seal Of Fine Arts

Annamarie Zink

Visual Art, Theatre & Dance K-12 Content Specialist

​

2 of 22

The Florida Seal of Fine Arts: �An Overview

Established to:

  • Recognize high school graduates who have met exemplary benchmarks in fine arts coursework
  • Encourage students to develop an exemplary level of proficiency in the performing or visual arts

​

Signified by:

  • The Seal of Fine Arts will be with their high school diploma and the designation will be on their standard high school diploma

​

​

​

​

https://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/subject-areas/fine-arts/

Access the Fine Arts section of the FLDOE website

3 of 22

Criteria for Eligibility

The Florida Seal of Fine Arts shall be awarded to a high school student who:

​

  • Earns a standard high school diploma;
  • Completes at least three (3) year-long courses in dance, music, theatre, or visual arts with a grade of “A” or higher in each course
  • Completes a least two (2) of the list of 5 requirements included in the bill.

4 of 22

Criteria ��for ��Eligibility

The Florida Seal of Fine Arts shall be awarded to a high school student who completes at least two (2) of the following 5 requirements:

    • Earns a “B” or higher in Fine Arts IB, AP, dual enrollment, or honors course;
    • Participates in a district or statewide organization's juried event as a selected student participant for two (2) or more years;
    • Records at least 25 volunteer hours of arts-related community service in their community and presents a comprehensive presentation on their experiences pursuant to district procedures;
    • Submits a portfolio that demonstrates the student is an exemplary practitioner of fine arts;
    • Receives district, state, or national recognition for the creation and submission of an original work of art.

5 of 22

Definitions

“Fine Arts”

Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts (Florida Statute 1003.4495)

​

“Juried Event”

A district, statewide or national organization’s event where a student or group of students are judged by one or more judges on the selected fine arts discipline of their choosing and receive a scored rating and written or oral feedback.

​

“Original Work of Art”

A work of art that is created by the student; including all fine arts areas, this could include a musical or theatrical composition, visual artwork, or choreographed routine or performance

​

6 of 22

HB 523 �& �SB 694

Clarification on requirement options 2, 3, and 4….

​

7 of 22

​

Requirement 2- What qualifies as a juried event?

A juried event is any event that uses highly qualified experts in the field (in many cases multiple experts) who have been trained on specific rubrics to judge the quality of student work.

​

  • Visual Arts-The Florida Arts Education Association has an annual K-12 statewide juried art exhibition. Additionally, our school district has juried art exhibitions of artwork submitted by art programs for district art shows.
  • Theatre -The Florida Thespian Association has similar adjudicated events at the district and state levels.
  • Dance-The Florida Dance Education Organization has adjudicated events at the state level for dancers.

​

**All of these events are currently in practice. Because these organizations offer these events state-wide, and district-wide this allows for access to high quality juried events to every school district.

​

​

Requirement 3- Who determines what constitutes “art-related” community service and what a “comprehensive presentation” would consist of?

​

Fine Art-related community service:

  • Volunteering in schools or community arts organizations to assist with their art and performing arts programs

​

Comprehensive Presentation:

  • Presentations may include but are not limited to: written self-reflections, a verbal presentation to a group of peers and teachers, Or a visual presentation

​

**All would focus on why they chose to volunteer and the impact or expected impact of their volunteer efforts.

​

8 of 22

Requirement 4- What criteria meets the portfolio-based program and is an exemplary practitioner of the arts?

  • Portfolios must include at least one (1) and not more than eight (8) separate works of art within one fine arts discipline. Students must submit  photographs or prints showing their original works of visual art, and must submit video recordings for portfolios showing dance, music, or theatre  performances.
  • Dance, music or theatre portfolios may include original works created by the student or the performance of works created by others.  Districts are authorized to develop procedures specifying minimum and maximum length for recorded submissions.
  • School district appointed personnel must review the portfolio using the “Florida Seal of Fine Arts Portfolio Rubric” (Form FA-2) to determine if the  student is an exemplary practitioner of fine arts.
  • A score of eighteen (18) or higher qualifies as exemplary. Portfolio reviewers must hold a valid,  active Florida Professional Educator Certificate pursuant to Rule 6A-4.004, F.A.C., in the student’s specific discipline (Art, Dance, Drama or Music),  unless the district does not have anyone with that certification in the district or that person is unavailable. 

​

​

​

Examples:

Dance:  

Training in different styles, such as contemporary, list most recent; Self-taught forms and master classes, Screen performances and music  video awards, scholarships, dance distinctions; Professional resume of dance career and training

Music:  

Portfolio that demonstrates the student's exceptional skill as a practitioner of music such as original compositions, recorded performances,  or conducting projects

Theatre:  

Submit a portfolio that demonstrates exemplary theatre skills.  The portfolio may include recording of performances in lead or supporting roles, Original works, such as playwriting, directing, or dramaturgical projects, Technical theatre designs or stage management projects/prompt books.  Note: student portfolios should reflect a high level of proficiency and be evaluated by a panel of theatre educators or adjudicators.  The evaluation process should be determined at the district level. 

  • Visual Arts:  
  • Florida State Fair Senior Portfolio Contest Award Winner; Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Portfolio Award Winner; AP/IB/AICE Portfolio  completed submission; Young Arts Portfolio Submission; Florida Art Educators Association Student Assessment. 

​

​

9 of 22

Florida Seal of Fine Arts Application Forms:�

Curriculum and Instruction website link

https://sites.google.com/share.brevardschools.org/florida-seal-of-fine-arts/home/application

Submission Process for Seal of Fine Arts Materials

Application forms and supporting materials will be submitted via the application survey.

The application window for the Seal of Fine Arts will be open from March 1 - April 18, 2025.

The submission window for this award will open on March 1, 2025, at which time the application will be linked below.

Prior to completing the application:

    • Your most current transcript (unofficial),
    • Seal of Fine Arts Eligibility Form (FA-1),
    • Seal of Fine Arts Portfolio Rubric (FA-2) (if applicable),
    • Seal of Fine Arts Statement Form (FA-3),
    • Seal of Fine Arts Volunteer Hours Log (FA-4) (if applicable). ��The submission window for this award will open on March 1, 2025,

10 of 22

Eligibility Form

  • Declare Arts Area

​

  • Evidence Needed

​

  • Completion Dates

​

  • Printed Name and Signature of Form Assessor

FA-1

11 of 22

Statement Form

  • Affirm Arts Area

​

  • Used to document & verify Criteria 2 and/or 5

​

  • Requires District / School Representative Signature (s)

FA-3

12 of 22

Art Portfolios

Affirm Arts Area

​

  • 1-8 pieces of artwork (photographs or videos of original artwork submitted digitally)
  • District determines submission method; BPS District appoints judge(s) who will use Form FA-2 as a rubric to assess Portfolio.
  • Include an artist statement
  • Portfolio entries must have a qualifying score is 18 or higher (out of possible 20)

FA-3

13 of 22

Volunteer Hours

FA-3

  • Records at least 25 volunteer hours of arts-related community service in their district's community

​

  • Comprehensive presentation of volunteering experiences pursuant to district procedures;

14 of 22

Student portfolio document for adjudication team to review

Attach statement document

Upload Volunteer document and comprehensive presentation document

Application Survey

15 of 22

  • Who can sign as District Representative on these forms?

District Arts Specialist/Supervisor or Certified Fine Arts Teacher on Record verifying completion

​

  • What about AICE?

AICE was not covered in this legislation, so is not included for consideration on criteria 1.

​

  • What do we need to send to the state?

Nothing needs to go to the state. Forms are for District use only; data on whom/how many students are pulled

thru Focus system from final transcripts

​

  • How can Districts collect this information & forms?

Forms are collected through the Curriculum & Instruction site located on the BPS Visual Art website and BPS Theatre & Dance website.

​

16 of 22

Recommendations for Fine Arts Educators

Know the Requirements

​

Are there small final steps a student needs to take?

​

Your transcript will be a invaluable for reference.

Communication

​

Communicate with students, parents, & admininistration about this distinction opportunity

​

If you have a question / or need,

just ASK

Start Collecting Info

​

Log event participation

​

Print forms and start having students track their progress

​

Note additional tasks needed

Know the Deadlines

​

Are there small final steps a student needs to take?

​

Submit Early

​

I know this is wishful thinking, but encourage your students to submit their application & forms early in case there are issues or

follow-up needed.

17 of 22

Events to consider District, State, and National

​

FAEA adjudicated student assessment

​

The YoungArts National Arts Competition has 10 categories for competitive events across the visual, literary, and performing arts: Classical music, Dance, Design, Film, Jazz, Photography, Theater, Visual arts, Voice, and Writing. 

The National PTA Reflections program includes six competitive arts categories: dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts; 

The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (Jimmy Awards) A celebration of student achievement in acting, dance, and vocal performance. The Jimmy Awards recognize the importance of theater arts education in schools. 

Sony World Photography Awards Youth Competition A popular competition for young photographers ages 12–19. Each month, organizers choose a theme for entrants. 

The Lumen Prize A global competition for digital art that has awarded over $100,000 in prize money. 

National Geographic Student Photo Contest A competition for high school students to showcase their photography skills by capturing the natural world. 

New York Times student writing contests A series of annual competitions for high school students, including editorial, photo essay, and multimedia art contests. 

Congressional Art Competition A nationwide competition sponsored by the Congressional Institute. Students submit entries to their representative's office, and the winning works are displayed at the U.S. Capitol. 

Other visual arts competitions for high school students include---Doodle for Google---Never Such Innocent---Science without Borders Challenge---Stride-K12 Art Competition---DSWF Global Canvas – Children's Wildlife Art Competition---The International Environmental Children's Drawing Contest---United Nations Competition---Planet911 Youth Film Challenge 

18 of 22

Theatre

19 of 22

Theatre

Dance

20 of 22

Visual Arts

21 of 22

Questions? Discussion?�

I know that this is a lot, �but we can do this, �and it is AMAZING for our students & programs!

22 of 22

Contact Info�

For BPS:

Annamarie Zink

BPS Visual Art, Theatre & Dance Content Specialist

Zink.Annamarie@brevardschools.org

321.633.1000 x 11361

​

For the FLDOE Representative:

Amanda El Shemi,

FLDOE Fine Arts Education Specialist

Amanda.ElShemi@FLDOE.org