This K-12 framework focuses on educating students regarding the importance of fine arts in a global society and encourages the integration of all subject matter throughout the curriculum. The fine arts framework addresses what students in Missouri are expected to know and be able to do in the fine arts areas when they leave school. The main purpose of the handbook is to serve as a tool for teachers and curriculum writers in Missouri to use in "bridging the gap" between the "Show-Me" Standards (73 standards defining what students should know and be able to do by the time they graduate from Missouri's public high schools) and specific local curricula. The handbook begins with a preface, a list of the "Show-Me" Standards, and an overview of fine arts education. Chapters include: (1)"Major Strands of the Fine Arts Framework" (dance, music, theater and visual arts); (2) "Suggested Practices for Teaching and Learning Fine Arts"; and (3) "Fine Arts Selected Bibliography." Appendices provide examples of quality student work in each of the fine arts areas for grades 4, 8, and 12. (EH)