The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB or Board) is announcing two opportunities to be involved in the revision of the arts licensure standards:

1. Applications are open until May 18 for writing groups to review and draft rule revisions to Minnesota teacher education and licensure standards in the Dance, Music, Visual and Media Arts, and Theater (Arts).
2. Surveys are also open until May 18th for the public to provide input on the current arts licensure standards.

1. Writing Group Applications (open until May 18)

Duties: The writing groups will meet from June through December 2026 to review current Minnesota Arts teacher education and licensure standards and recommend any needed changes. The writing group recommendations will be presented to the Board by January 2027. Note that the writing groups are unpaid – this is a volunteer position. The writing groups will be facilitated by staff from the Perpich Center for Arts Education (Perpich), the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), and PELSB.

PELSB is seeking applicants for these new writing groups who fit at least one of the following categories:

• Unit director(s) or program director(s) of Minnesota teacher preparation providers;
• Teacher Educators in a teacher preparation program for an arts licensure area;
• Higher Education faculty in the arts who teach a course(s) that meet some of the licensure standards in an arts area;
• K-12 Visual arts, Music, Dance, and/or Theater licensed teachers or administrators from Twin Cities metropolitan area schools;
• K-12 Visual Arts, Music, Dance, and/or Theater licensed teachers or administrators from Greater Minnesota schools.

Please see Arts Licensure Standards Writing Workgroups: Roles, Responsibilities, and Timeline for more information about the commitment, including dates and timeline.

To be considered for an appointment to the working group, please complete the application online at Arts Licensure Standards Writing Group Application. The application should take about 20 minutes to complete. This form will close on May 18, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. If you have questions, contact Max Clark-Vail at Perpich Center (max.clark@pcae.k12.mn.us).

2. Public Input Requested! (open until May 18)

PELSB, Perpich Center, and MDE are gathering input on the current arts licensure standards, which describe the content-specific knowledge and skills required to become an arts-licensed teacher in Minnesota. Feedback collected from these surveys will be reviewed by the writing workgroups as they draft recommended standards.

Dance Survey

Theater Survey

Music Survey

Visual & Media Arts Survey

 If you have questions, contact Max Clark-Vail at Perpich Center (max.clark@pcae.k12.mn.us).