standards

          1. Demonstrates competency in many movement forms and proficiency in a few movement
           f orms. The intent of this standard is the development of movement competence and proficiency. Movement
          competence implies the development of sufficient ability to enjoy participation in physical activities and
          establishes a foundation to facilitate continued motor skill acquisition and increased ability to engage in
          appropriate motor patterns in daily physical activities. The development of proficiency in a few movement
          forms gives the student the capacity for successful and advanced levels of performance to further
          increase the likelihood of participation. In the primary years students develop maturity and versatility in
          the use of fundamental skills (e.g., running, skipping, throwing, striking) that are further refined,
          combined and varied during the middle school years. These motor patterns, now having evolved into
          specialized skills (e.g., a specific dance step, chest pass, catching with a glove) are used in increasingly
          more complex movement environments (e.g., more players or participants, rules, and strategies)
          through the middle school years. On the basis of interest and ability, high school students select a few
          activities for regular participation within which proficiency will be developed. In preparation for adulthood,
          students should have acquired the basic skills to participate in a wide variety of leisure and work-related
          physical activities and advanced skills in at least two or three areas.

            2. Applies movement concepts and principles to the learning and development of motor skills
          This standard concerns the ability of the learner to use cognitive information to understand and enhance
          motor skill acquisition and performance. This includes the application of concepts from disciplines such
          as motor learning and development, sport psychology and sociology, biomechanics, and exercise
          physiology. Specifically this would include concepts like increasing force production through the
          summation of forces, effects of anxiety on performance, and the principle of specificity of training.
          Knowledge of such concepts and practice applying these concepts enhances the likelihood of
          independent learning and therefore more regular and effective participation in physical activity. During the
          lower elementary years emphasis is placed on establishing a movement vocabulary and initial
          application of introductory concepts (e.g., force absorption, principles governing equilibrium, application
          of force). Through the upper elementary and middle school years an emphasis is placed on learning
          more and increasingly complex concepts. In addition, emphasis is placed on applying and generalizing
          these concepts to reallife physical activity situations (e.g., managing stress, effect of growth spurt on
          movement performance). During the high school years the student should possess sufficient knowledge
          of concepts to independently and routinely use a wide variety of increasingly complex concepts (e.g.,
          performance trends associated with learning new motor skills, specificity of training). By graduation the
          student should have developed sufficient knowledge and ability to independently use their knowledge to
          acquire new skills while continuing to refine existing ones.

       3. Exhibits a physically active lifestyle
          The intent of this standard is to establish patterns of regular participation in meaningful physical activity.
          This standard should connect what is done in the physical education class with the lives of students
          outside of physical education. While participation within the physical education class is important, what
          the student does outside the physical education class is critical to developing an active, healthy lifestyle.
          Students are more likely to participate if they have had opportunities to develop interests that are
          personally meaningful to them. Young children should learn to enjoy physical activity. They should
          participate in developmentally appropriate activities that help them develop movement competence and
          they should be encouraged to participate in vigorous and unstructured play. As students get older the
          structure of activity tends to increase and the opportunities for participation in different types of activity
          increase outside of the physical education class. Attainment of this standard should develop an
          awareness of those opportunities and encourage a broad level of participation. Cognitive understandings
          develop from an initial awareness of cause and effect relationships between activity and its immediate
          and identifiable effects on the body to an increased understanding of the role of physical activity on the
          physiological body, social opportunities and relationships, and emotional well being; and a
          comprehensive perspective on the meaning of the idea of a healthy lifestyle.

         4. Achieves and maintains a health-enhancing level of physical fitness
          The intent of this standard is for the student to achieve a health-enhancing level of physical fitness.
          Students should be encouraged to develop higher levels of basic fitness and physical competence as
          needed for many work situations and active leisure participation. Health-related fitness components
          include cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition.
          Expectations for students' fitness levels should be established on a personal basis, taking into account
          variation in entry levels, rather than setting a single standards for all children at a given grade level. For
          elementary children, the emphasis is on an awareness of fitness components and having fun while
          participating in health-enhancing activities that promote physical fitness. Middle school students gradually
          acquire a greater understanding of the fitness components, how each is developed and maintained, and
          the importance of each in overall fitness. Secondary students are able to design and develop an
          appropriate personal fitness program that enables them to achieve desired levels of fitness. The student
          thus should have both the ability and willingness to accept responsibility for personal fitness leading to an
          active, healthy lifestyle.

         5. Demonstrates responsible personal and social behavior in physical activity settings
          The intent of this standard is achievement of self-initiated behaviors that promote personal and group
          success in activity settings. These include safe practices, adherence to rules and procedures, etiquette,
          cooperation and teamwork, ethical behavior in sport, and positive social interaction. Achievement of this
          standard in the lower elementary grades begins with recognition of classroom rules and procedures and
          a focus on safety. In the upper elementary levels, students learn to work independently, with a partner,
          and in small groups. In the middle school, students identify the purposes for rules and procedures and
          become involved in decision making processes to establish rules and procedures for specific activity
          situations. High school students initiate responsible behavior, function independently and responsibly,
          and positively influence the behavior of others in physical activity settings.

          6. Demonstrates understanding and respect for differences among people in physical activity
          settings
          The intent of this standard is to develop respect for individual similarities and differences through
          positive interaction among participants in physical activity. Similarities and differences include
          characteristics of culture, ethnicity, motor performance, disabilities, physical characteristics (e.g.,
          strength, size, shape), gender, race, and socio-economic status. Elementary school students begin to
          recognize individual similarities and differences and participate cooperatively in physical activity. By
          middle school, students participate cooperatively in physical activity with persons of diverse
          characteristics and backgrounds. High school students are expected to be able to participate with all
          people, recognize the value of diversity in physical activity, and develop strategies for inclusion of others.

         7. Understands that physical activity provides opportunities for enjoyment, challenge,
          self-expression and social interaction
          This standard is designed to develop an awareness of the intrinsic values and benefits of participation in
          physical activity that provides personal meaning. Physical activity can provide opportunity for
          self-expression and social interaction and can be enjoyable, challenging, and fun. These benefits entice
          people to continue participation in activity throughout the life span. Elementary school children derive
          pleasure from movement sensations and experience challenge and joy as they sense a growing
          competence in movement ability. At the middle school level participation in physical activity provides
          important opportunities for challenge, social interaction, and group membership, as well as opportunities
          for continued personal growth in physical skills and their applied settings. Participation at the high school
          level continues to provide enjoyment and challenge as well as opportunities for self-expression and social
          interaction. As a result of these intrinsic benefits of participation, students will begin to actively pursue
          lifelong physical activities that meet their own needs.

          (From: Moving into the future: National standards for physical education. NASPE 1995.)
              a. Explanation
          The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) appointed the Outcomes
          Committee to answer the question "What should students know and be able to do?" The "Outcomes
          Project" culminated in the development of a definition of the physically educated person. This definition
          included five major focus areas, specifying that a physically educated person:

                  Has learned skills necessary to perform a variety of physical activities

                  Is physically fit

                  Does participate regularly in physical activity

                  Knows the implications of and the benefits from involvement in physical activities

                 Values physical activity and its contribution to a healthful lifestyle

          This definition was expanded to twenty outcome statements and then further expanded into sample
          benchmarks for selected grade levels. The work of this committee resulted in the publication of the
          Outcomes of Quality Physical Education Programs (1992). Following this publication, the Standards and
          Assessment Task Force was appointed to develop content standards and assessment material based
          on the outcomes document.
          The work of the task force, which began in the Spring of 1992, reflects the national education reform
          movements, particularly with the efforts to establish national content standards for each of the areas of
          the school curriculum. This movement to clarify and establish important educational goals has provided
          the impetus and direction for much of the work of the Physical Education Standards and Assessment
          Task Force. To make the materials for physical education parallel to the materials being developed by
          other content areas, the identification of "content standards" and the further clarification of the content in
          physical education were undertaken before the issue of assessment was addressed. The "content
          standards" and accompanying assessment guidelines have been designed to expand and compliment,
          not replace, the physical education outcomes document.
          NATIONAL'S DEFINITION AND OUTCOMES OF THE PHYSICALLY EDUCATED
          PERSON
          A PHYSICALLY EDUCATED PERSON:
          HAS learned skills necessary to perform a variety of physical activities
          1.Moves using concepts of body awareness, space awareness, effort, and relationships.
          2. Demonstrates competence in a variety of manipulative, locomotor, and non-locomotor skills.
          3. Demonstrates competence in combinations of manipulative, locomotor, and non-locomotor skills
          performed individually and with others.
          4. Demonstrates competence in many different forms of physical activity.
          5. Demonstrates proficiency in a few forms of physical activity.
          6. Has learned how to learn new skills.
          IS physically
          fit
          7. Assesses, achieves and maintains physical fitness.
          8. Designs safe, personal fitness programs in accordance with principles of training and conditioning.
          DOES participate regularly in physical activity
          9. Participates in health enhancing physical activity at least three times a week.
          10. Selects and regularly participates in lifetime physical activities.
          KNOWS the implications of and the benefits from involvement in physical activities
          11.Identifies the benefits, costs, and obligations associated with regular participation in physical activity.
          12. Recognizes the risk and safety factors associated with regular participation in physical activity.
          13. Applies concepts and principles to the development of motor skills.
          14. Understands that wellness involves more than being physically fit.
          15. Knows the rules, strategies, and appropriate behaviors for selected physical activities.
          16. Recognizes that participation in physical activity can lead to multicultural and international
          understanding.
          17.Understands that physical activity provides the opportunity for enjoyment, self-expression and
          communication.
          VALUES physical activity and its contributions to a healthful lifestyle
          18. Appreciates the relationships with others that result from participation in physical activity.
          19. Respects the role that regular physical activity plays in the pursuit of life-long health and well-being.
          20. Cherishes the feelings that result from regular participation in physical activity.
          b. Content National Standards
          Will our children be ready to meet the demands of the 21 st century? What do children need to know
          and be able to do in order to prepare for their futures? These questions and others have prompted
          parents, educators, business leaders, and politicians to take a hard look at the education system in
          America. As a result, American education is undergoing an unprecedented reform in an effort to ensure
          that graduates will be prepared to take their place in society and be able to compete in a global
          economy. Educational reform received support at the highest levels of government when the President
          and the nation's governors met at an historic Education Summit in 1989. This led to the announcement
          of education goals for the nation and the establishment of the National Education Goals Panel to
          measure progress towards these goals. Emerging from these efforts has been a movement to establish
          nationwide education standards. The national standards movement does not approach the task of
          educational reform through the establishment of a national curriculum or a predetermined course of
          study, rather they speak of competencies, defining what a student should know and be able to do. This
          represents a new way of thinking, a paradigm shift, about American students. The expectation is that
          students in every school should be able to reach these standards with adequate support and sustained
          effort. With the passage of Goals 2000: Educate America Act in March 1994, educational standards
          were written into federal law. Title II of the Act addressed the issue of standards. It establishes a National
          Education Standards Improvement Council (NESIC), which has, among its other responsibilities, the job
          of working with appropriate organizations to determine the criteria for certifying voluntary content
          standards, with three objectives in mind: (1) to ensure that the standards are internationally competitive,
          (2) to ensure they reflect the best knowledge about teaching and learning, and (3) to ensure they have
          been developed through a broad-based, open adoption process. In effect, standards have become the
          cornerstone of the educational reform movement.
          The emerging framework suggests two kinds of education standards: content and performance
          standards. Discovering that there is not clear agreement on definitions of these types of standards, the
          Technical Planning Group of the National Education Goals Panel sought to provide specific descriptions
          of each type of standard.
          Content Standards. Content standards specify "What students should know and be able to do." They
          include the knowledge and skills-the ways of thinking, communicating, reasoning, and investigating, and
          the most important enduring ideas, concepts, issues, dilemmas, and information that characterize each
          discipline. In effect, they involve the knowledge and skills essential to a discipline that students are
          expected to learn.
          Performance Standards. Performance standards specify "How good is good enough." They indicate
          the levels of achievement that students are expected to attain in the content standards. A performance
          standard indicates both the nature of the evidence (such as an essay, mathematical proof, scientific
          experiment, project, exam, or combination of these) required to demonstrate that a content standard has
          been met and the quality of student performance that is deemed acceptable. Performance standards are
          inextricably tied to issues of assessment.
          Professional organizations developing standards are concentrating their efforts on specifying what
          students should know and be able to do. It is recommended that content standards be developed to
          include examples of possible assessment activities and the specification of the nature of the evidence
          proposed as necessary to show that the content standards are met. The specification of performance
          standards could then be part of a process whereby assessments of student work (performance)
          regularly collected over time would be part of the bases for establishing performance levels. Finally, the
          term, performance benchmark, is used to describe behavior that indicates progress toward a
          performance standard.