Distinguished Achievement Program

The Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP) is for students who wish to complete an advanced high school program in the fine arts. Students who wish to have the accomplishment recognized on their transcripts must take the courses outlined in Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 74.13, and must achieve any combination of four of the following advanced measures. The measures focus on demonstrated student performance at an outstanding level. Student products must go through an external review process. The advanced measures are as follows:

1) Original research/project (may not be used for more than two of the four measures) that is:

• judged by a panel of professionals in the fine arts field that is the focus of the project; or
• conducted under the direction of a mentor(s) and reported to an appropriate audience; and related to the fine arts curriculum TEKS.

2) Test data where a student receives:

• a score of 3 or above on a College Board Advanced Placement examination;
• a score of 4 or above on an International Baccalaureate examination; or
• a score on the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) that qualifies a student for recognition as a Commended Scholar or higher by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation; as part of the National Hispanic Scholar Program of The College Board; or as part of the National Achievement Scholarship Program for Outstanding Negro Students of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The PSAT may count as only one advanced measure regardless of the number of honors received by the student.

3) College courses in which a student receives a grade of 3.0 or higher on courses that count for one college credit, including tech-prep programs.

For original research/projects, students independently design proposals, conduct in-depth research, prepare products and/or findings of professional quality, and present their work in formal presentations for evaluation by a panel of experts. The components of all projects are based on the Fine Arts TEKS. Students benefit from work with mentors who are recognized experts in the project’s area of study. The project proposal, which requires the teacher of record’s approval at the outset of the project, is a detailed plan that:

• describes the scope, goals and expectations of the project;
• projects a reasonable timeline;
• identifies strategies for achieving project objectives;
• identifies project resources including interviewees, materials, and research centers;
• establishes criteria for selecting an expert panel to evaluate the formal presentation and performance;
• establishes the assessment criteria for the evaluation of the final performance and presentation;
• establishes criteria for mentor(s), including brief biographical sketches of proposed mentor(s).

DAP participants in the fine arts demonstrate original thought, expressiveness and insightfulness, and college- or professional-level technical skills and knowledge. Students must produce original artwork and keep a journal or sketchbook to fulfill the research component of a DAP project. Highlights of the research are shared with the audience and panel of experts during the final presentation. Research may include resources such as:

• materials of historical and cultural relevance
• contributions of distinguished artists
• collections, documents, exhibits, and lectures
• personal interviews
• surveys, experiments, and case studies.

Self-reflection and self-assessment of the project are as important as the formal evaluation. The student, teacher of record, and mentor should assess the project at designated intervals and following the formal presentation. Progress should be recorded in journals or sketchbooks. Students practice self-evaluation, analysis of information, synthesis of findings, and justification of conclusions. Students should make recommendations for future work and suggestions for other DAP participants. It is crucial that panel experts base their evaluations on the criteria defined in the project proposal and that opportunities for discussion follow the formal presentation.

The project is complete when all components of the contract have been fulfilled, the work has been evaluated and accepted, the recommendation has been made to award a distinguished achievement measure, and the teacher of record has recorded a grade.