Fine arts includes the following programs of study:

Elementary Art (K-5)
Elementary Music (K-5)

Middle School Art (6-8)
Middle School Band (6-8)
Middle School Choir (6-8)
Middle School Theatre (6-8)

High School Art (9-12)
High School Band (9-12))
High School Choir (9-12)
High School Dance and Cheer (9-12)
High School Debate (9-12)
High School Guitar (10-12)
High School AP Music Theory (10-12)
High School Theatre (9-12)
High School United Sound (10-12)

Yes. The fine arts TEKS can be accessed in Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 117. The Fine Arts TEKS describe what every student should know and be able to do by the end of each grade level or course and are organized into strands of learning: foundations; creative expression; historical and cultural relevance; and critical evaluation and response.

Yes. School districts that offer Kindergarten - 12th grade instruction must offer an enrichment curriculum that includes the Fine Arts (TAC §74.1).

Schools must ensure that sufficient time is provided for teachers to teach and for students to learn all of the required curriculum standards, including Fine Arts.

Elementary schools must ensure instruction in all Fine Arts TEKS for grades K-5 which include Art, Music, and Theatre (TAC §74.2).

Middle schools must offer courses in three of the four available disciplines (Art, Dance, Music - Band/Choir/Orchestra, and Theatre).

High schools must offer courses in at least two disciplines  (Art, Dance, Music - Band/Choir/Orchestra, and Theatre).

TAC §74.3

The district must adopt and strictly enforce a policy that limits the removal of students from class for remedial tutoring or test preparation.

A district may not remove a student from a regularly scheduled class for more than 10% of the school days on which the class is offered.

A student in any grade level K–12 may not be given credit or a final grade for a class unless the student is in attendance for at least 90% of the days the class is offered.

An exception may be made if a parent provides written consent to the district. (TEC §25.083(b) and §25.092(a)).

A student who is ineligible to participate in an extracurricular activity, but who is enrolled in a state-approved music course that participates in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Concert and Sightreading Evaluation, may perform with the ensemble during the UIL evaluation performance. A student who is ineligible to participate in an extracurricular activity, but who is enrolled in a state-approved course that requires demonstration of the TEKS in a public performance, may participate in the performance if 

• the general public is invited to the performance; and 
• the requirement for student participation in public is stated in the TEKS of the course. 

The student may not participate if 

• the activity/performance is competitive in nature;
• the activity/performance is held in conjunction with another activity that is considered to be extracurricular or competitive; 
• the activity/performance is held off campus (except in a case in which adequate facilities do not exist on campus); or 
• an admission fee is charged for the activity/performance. 

For more specific eligibility requirements for activities governed by UIL, please refer to the TEA/UIL Side-by-Side document published annually by the UIL.

Fine arts at the elementary level includes TEKS for both Art and Music.

• Elementary schools must provide TEKS-based instruction to all students in Art, Music, and Theatre at each grade level (K-5). 
• Elementary students are required to demonstrate proficiency in all Fine Arts disciplines at each grade level. 
• School districts must ensure that sufficient time is provided for teachers to teach and for students to learn all of the required grade-level student expectations. 
• While all Fine Arts TEKS are part of the required curriculum, districts have the flexibility to implement instruction in a variety of arrangements according to their resources. The instructional arrangements and scheduling of instruction are local district decisions.

Fine arts at the middle school level includes Art, Band, Choir, and Theatre. 

• Districts must ensure that students have the opportunity to take courses in at least three of the four available disciplines. 
• Middle school students must complete ONE Fine Arts course (for example, Theatre, Middle School 1) during grades 6, 7, or 8. Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in the course.
• School districts must ensure that sufficient time is provided for teachers to teach and for students to learn the required standards for at least one fine arts course. 

Fine Arts at the high school level include courses in Art, Band, Choir, Dance, Music Theory, Theatre, and Technical Theatre. 

• Districts must ensure that students have the opportunity to take courses in at least two of four disciplines: Art I, II, III, IV; Music I, II, III, IV; Theatre I, II, III, IV; or Dance I, II, III, IV (TAC §74.3(b)(2)(F)). 
• Credit may be earned through the successful completion of any course from the Fine Arts TEKS for high school. 
• High school students must complete ONE credit of fine arts to graduate under the Foundation High School Program. 
• School districts must ensure that sufficient time is provided for teachers to teach and for students to learn the required standards for at least one fine arts course.

Presently, Coppell ISD does not offer Fine Arts credits at the secondary level for programs of study outside of the traditional areas of study: Art, Band, Choir, Dance (9-12), Orchestra (coming soon), and Theatre. We feel that it is vital for a a well-rounded student to experience meaningful engagement in the Fine Arts during their middle school and high school coursework.

Yes. A student who also participates in approved extracurricular activities, such as drill team, marching band, or color guard, is eligible to receive a physical education substitution credit according to local district policy.

If a student participates in an approved substitution activity as a component of a Fine Arts course, such as Band I as well as marching band, the student may receive the Fine Arts credit for the course and 0.5 physical education credits for participation in the approved activity. All substitution activities must meet the moderate to vigorous physical activity requirement. (TAC §74.12(b)(6)(D)). 

Additionally, a district may choose to layer instruction in an approved PE course with a Fine Arts course, such as Dance I. Students may be awarded credit in both the PE and Fine Arts courses as long as the student receives instruction and demonstrates mastery of the TEKS for both content areas.

Districts must ensure that instructors using this arrangement are appropriately certified in both PE and Dance. Please note that all students involved in extracurricular activities or courses that are substituting for the physical education requirement are subject to the required physical fitness assessment (TEC §38.101).

No. The Band curriculum, as designated by the State of Texas, is designed such that a student experiences a number of musical genres through their engagement in the full-year curriculum. 

These experiences include marching band (Aug-Nov), All-Region/Area/State auditions (Nov-Jan), chamber music (Dec-Jan), solo performance (Mar-May), and concert band (Nov-May).

Just like a student cannot opt out of the first 9 weeks of Biology, for example, a student may not choose to engage in only a portion of the full curriculum of a course.

Waivers may be available for those with disabilities, though the marching band activity is adapatable and can be modified for all learners in CISD.

No. Although the UIL One-Act Play Contest can serve as a beneficial experience for students and as an effective instructional strategy for teaching certain components of the TEKS, students may not receive fine arts credit for participating in UIL One-Act Play Contest or in a school theatrical production.

Yes. State law for eligibility applies to all grade levels for extracurricular activities. For non-UIL activities, check local district policies.

Yes. The teacher of a class is responsible for assessing students for promotion based only on “academic achievement or demonstrated proficiency of the subject matter of the course or grade level” (TEC §28.021).

Unless prohibited by local policy, if a student is enrolled in a class in which participation in extracurricular activities is a reasonable expectation of the class, the teacher may consider the student’s participation in the extracurricular activity when assigning the grade for the grading period during which the extracurricular activity occurred.

A student may not be failed in a class solely on participation in the extracurricular activity component of the class. The student should be made aware of the requirement to participate in extracurricular activities prior to or upon enrollment in the course.

An exception to this provision is that a student who is ineligible to participate in an extracurricular activity as defined in 19 TAC §76.1001 (a) shall not suffer a grade penalty for failure to participate in the extracurricular activity or public performance.