I am the Visual Arts Content Consultant for CDE in the Standards and Instructional Support office as well as a professor of Art Education at the University of Northern Colorado and am so happy to be with you today discussing CDE's researched Best, First Instruction of the Colorado Academic Standards. I am a licensed teacher and principal with now (my how time flies!) well over 20 years of experience ranging all grade levels. However, it is the middle school art room and its occasionally baffling inhabitants that I seem to continually gravitate toward. In addition to classroom and administrative experience, I am a strong arts advocate and am active in arts education policy. I have successful experience working in museum education and do independent consulting work for schools and arts organizations specifically in arts integration, the arts and sheltered instruction for emerging bilinguals, arts assessment, targeted professional development for diverse learners, curriculum writing, and program evaluation. Recently, I was also the higher education representative for the Colorado Art Education Association (CAEA),