A. The superintendent of public instruction shall establish a state seal of arts proficiency program to recognize students who graduate from a school operated by a school district or a charter school located in this state and who have attained a high level of proficiency in the arts.

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 15-261

  • Charter school: means a public school established by contract with the state board of education, the state board for charter schools, a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents, a community college district or a group of community college districts pursuant to article 8 of this chapter to provide learning that will improve pupil achievement. See Arizona Laws 15-101
  • Governing board: means a body organized for the government and management of the schools within a school district or a county school superintendent in the conduct of an accommodation school. See Arizona Laws 15-101
  • public school: means any public institution established for the purposes of offering instruction to pupils in programs for preschool children with disabilities, kindergarten programs or any combination of elementary grades or secondary grades one through twelve. See Arizona Laws 15-101
  • School district: means a political subdivision of this state with geographic boundaries organized for the purpose of the administration, support and maintenance of the public schools or an accommodation school. See Arizona Laws 15-101
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.

B. The superintendent of public instruction shall:

1. Create a state seal of arts proficiency, which shall be affixed to the diploma and noted on the transcript of a student to recognize that the student has met the requirements prescribed in this section.

2. Deliver the state seal of arts proficiency to each public school district or charter school that participates in the program.

C. Any school district or charter school may voluntarily participate in the state seal of arts proficiency program by notifying the superintendent of public instruction of the school district’s or charter school’s intent to participate in the program.

D. Each school district governing board or charter school governing body that participates in the state seal of arts proficiency program shall:

1. Identify the students who have met the requirements to be awarded the state seal of arts proficiency.

2. Affix the state seal of arts proficiency to the diploma and note the receipt of the state seal of arts proficiency on the transcript of each student who meets those requirements.

E. The state board of education, in collaboration with the department of education and experts in arts education, shall adopt minimum requirements for the program established pursuant to this section and may adopt rules as necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

F. A school district or charter school that participates in the state seal of arts proficiency program established pursuant to this section shall award a student, on graduation from high school, a high school diploma with a state seal of arts proficiency if the student demonstrates proficiency in arts by meeting the requirements adopted pursuant to this section.