Status of the Proposed PA State Academic Standards and Outcomes:
Below are all the updates regarding the status of the Proposed Academic Standards and Outcomes. The latest update is at the top followed by the previous ones.
Below are all the updates regarding the status of the Proposed Academic Standards and Outcomes. The latest update is at the top followed by the previous ones.
February 21, 2021 - Update
The following letter has been distributed to all members of the PA State Board of Education:
To: Members of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education
February 16, 2021
Dear Board Members:
A year ago, at your January, 2020 meeting, Dr. Cindy Allen and I spoke with you about the dire need for updated PA State Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health and Physical Education.
We have been following the Board’s progress on the Science Standards and are quite impressed that you were able to complete them despite the many challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, that you have forwarded the Science Standards and Outcomes to the Education Committee, we are asking that you quickly begin the process of reviewing the Health and Physical Education Standards and Outcomes.
Over the years, Health and Physical Education has been marginalized by many school districts throughout the Commonwealth but never has it been as prevalent as it is now. Many school districts and administrators throughout the state have put in place alternative requirements and programs that clearly do not meet the requirements contained in the School Code nor provide enough time for students to become even close to proficient in the PA State Physical Education Standards and Outcomes. Yet these Districts still report compliance by using the Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS) code for Health and Physical Education even though the requirements clearly have not been met.
Unfortunately, the current pandemic has exacerbated this problem. Because of the leeway school districts have been given to meet educational requirements during this unprecedented time, many are taking advantage of this opportunity to permanently alter or scale back their Health and Physical Education programs and district requirements.
Recently, HB191 has been introduced to the House Education Committee to allow for the substitution of physical education by interscholastic sports (which the PIAA vehemently opposes). A similar bill is expected to be introduced on the Senate side in the near future.
In Pennsylvania, Health and Physical Education programs are severely handicapped and have come under attack for at least three main reasons. Each of these reasons signals or sends the message, that Health and Physical Education lack importance.
1.) There is no enforcement of the Health and Physical Education requirements contained in the Pennsylvania School Code nor any accountability for not meeting them.
2.) There is no Academic Advisor at the Pennsylvania Department of Education for Health and Physical Education. This means a full-time knowledgeable professional is not available to provide information, follow up on issues and answer questions. (PDE was to post the job last March just as the pandemic hit, but instituted a hiring freeze. This means we are not on par with other subject areas.)
3.) The current PA Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health and Physical Education are antiquated. – Health and Physical Educators continue to use these antiquated standards while those writing curricula are desperately waiting for new ones. - In higher education, those in teacher preparatory programs are using other standards to train our next generation of teachers when they should be using ones specific Pennsylvania. As a result, the continued use of these obsolete Standards and Outcomes perpetuates the use of outdated information and practices. This means each year, all 1.9 million students throughout the Commonwealth do not get the appropriate instruction that is mandated for them.
As we stated last year, Comprehensive Health and Physical Education have undergone a transformation in rigor and focus. They are recognized as essential to a young person’s overall educational experience and a foundation for lifelong healthy living.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (the reauthorization of ESEA in 2015), identifies Health and Physical Education as part of a student’s “well-rounded” education (“well-rounded” is the term that replaced “core standards”) and even offers access to funding to support these programs. It is made clear that both Health and Physical Education are considered academic subjects, not extracurricular or co-curricular.
Furthermore, issues that were not as prevalent or did not exist years ago such as opioid abuse, suicide, depression, vaping and CPR now have legislative mandates that are not included in the current Standards and Outcomes. As a result, they are often not taught.
In light of our current world-wide health crisis, we would hope that administrators and school officials would have a better appreciation and understanding of the significance of student wellness as taught through Health and Physical Education.
In order to offer our children in Pennsylvania the best experience in developing “health and physical literacy,” we desperately need to address the above three areas, especially the new Academic Standards and Outcomes.
For the past five years, a group of us have worked countless hours through PDE to develop the best possible Academic Standards and Outcomes. They address the recent legislative mandates and give guidance to Health and Physical Educators for providing up-to-date, appropriate and quality instruction to our students. We have completed this work and are anxious to move to the next step in the adoption process.
I would like to respectfully request that the PA State Board of Education begin the review of the proposed K-12 PA Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health and Physical Education as soon as possible. These were given to you last year but, of course, additional copies can be provided to the Board.
Please know that we are available and ready to assist you in any way possible to move this forward. - By working together, we can adopt up-to-date, appropriate PA Health and Physical Education Academic Standards and Outcomes to benefit the wellness of our students much sooner than later.
We are very grateful for your time and attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey L Jacobs
jjacobshpe@gmail.com
610-888-9429
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
January 6, 2021
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education was able to complete their review of the Science and Technology Standards. The Board has made a formal recommendation to the state legislature that these standards and outcomes be approved.
However, we were very unaware that the Science and Technology standards still have to proceed through a 12-18-month legislative process. Upon completion of that process, these S&O would still not be in effect for 3 more years because they are assessed by the state.
We are hopeful that the PA Board of Education will choose to review our proposed academic Standards and Outcomes next as they indicated last January. This is especially important since the HPE Standards and Outcomes will have to go through the same legislative process.
Since the current HPE Standards and Outcomes are outdated (2002), it was advised by PDE that these current standards be considered the bare minimum. HPE professionals should feel free to teach current topics using up-to-date resources and best practices to provide students with the most appropriate, up-to-date education in our Health and Physical Education subject areas. PDE is very supportive of moving forward with our standards but have limitations as to what they can and cannot do.
The best suggestion at this time is to reference the SHAPE America Standards and Outcomes as you plan your curriculum. Below is some preliminary information about the proposed PA Academic Standards and Outcomes we have previously shared that will hopefully help in your planning.
Physical Education Standards:
Health Standards:
- Act 71 - Adopting Youth Suicide Prevention, and
- Act 211 - the use and abuse of Alcohol and other Drugs.
These are not included in the out-of-date Standards and Outcomes but urgently need to be addressed.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The following letter has been distributed to all members of the PA State Board of Education:
To: Members of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education
February 16, 2021
Dear Board Members:
A year ago, at your January, 2020 meeting, Dr. Cindy Allen and I spoke with you about the dire need for updated PA State Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health and Physical Education.
We have been following the Board’s progress on the Science Standards and are quite impressed that you were able to complete them despite the many challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, that you have forwarded the Science Standards and Outcomes to the Education Committee, we are asking that you quickly begin the process of reviewing the Health and Physical Education Standards and Outcomes.
Over the years, Health and Physical Education has been marginalized by many school districts throughout the Commonwealth but never has it been as prevalent as it is now. Many school districts and administrators throughout the state have put in place alternative requirements and programs that clearly do not meet the requirements contained in the School Code nor provide enough time for students to become even close to proficient in the PA State Physical Education Standards and Outcomes. Yet these Districts still report compliance by using the Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS) code for Health and Physical Education even though the requirements clearly have not been met.
Unfortunately, the current pandemic has exacerbated this problem. Because of the leeway school districts have been given to meet educational requirements during this unprecedented time, many are taking advantage of this opportunity to permanently alter or scale back their Health and Physical Education programs and district requirements.
Recently, HB191 has been introduced to the House Education Committee to allow for the substitution of physical education by interscholastic sports (which the PIAA vehemently opposes). A similar bill is expected to be introduced on the Senate side in the near future.
In Pennsylvania, Health and Physical Education programs are severely handicapped and have come under attack for at least three main reasons. Each of these reasons signals or sends the message, that Health and Physical Education lack importance.
1.) There is no enforcement of the Health and Physical Education requirements contained in the Pennsylvania School Code nor any accountability for not meeting them.
2.) There is no Academic Advisor at the Pennsylvania Department of Education for Health and Physical Education. This means a full-time knowledgeable professional is not available to provide information, follow up on issues and answer questions. (PDE was to post the job last March just as the pandemic hit, but instituted a hiring freeze. This means we are not on par with other subject areas.)
3.) The current PA Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health and Physical Education are antiquated. – Health and Physical Educators continue to use these antiquated standards while those writing curricula are desperately waiting for new ones. - In higher education, those in teacher preparatory programs are using other standards to train our next generation of teachers when they should be using ones specific Pennsylvania. As a result, the continued use of these obsolete Standards and Outcomes perpetuates the use of outdated information and practices. This means each year, all 1.9 million students throughout the Commonwealth do not get the appropriate instruction that is mandated for them.
As we stated last year, Comprehensive Health and Physical Education have undergone a transformation in rigor and focus. They are recognized as essential to a young person’s overall educational experience and a foundation for lifelong healthy living.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (the reauthorization of ESEA in 2015), identifies Health and Physical Education as part of a student’s “well-rounded” education (“well-rounded” is the term that replaced “core standards”) and even offers access to funding to support these programs. It is made clear that both Health and Physical Education are considered academic subjects, not extracurricular or co-curricular.
Furthermore, issues that were not as prevalent or did not exist years ago such as opioid abuse, suicide, depression, vaping and CPR now have legislative mandates that are not included in the current Standards and Outcomes. As a result, they are often not taught.
In light of our current world-wide health crisis, we would hope that administrators and school officials would have a better appreciation and understanding of the significance of student wellness as taught through Health and Physical Education.
In order to offer our children in Pennsylvania the best experience in developing “health and physical literacy,” we desperately need to address the above three areas, especially the new Academic Standards and Outcomes.
For the past five years, a group of us have worked countless hours through PDE to develop the best possible Academic Standards and Outcomes. They address the recent legislative mandates and give guidance to Health and Physical Educators for providing up-to-date, appropriate and quality instruction to our students. We have completed this work and are anxious to move to the next step in the adoption process.
I would like to respectfully request that the PA State Board of Education begin the review of the proposed K-12 PA Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health and Physical Education as soon as possible. These were given to you last year but, of course, additional copies can be provided to the Board.
Please know that we are available and ready to assist you in any way possible to move this forward. - By working together, we can adopt up-to-date, appropriate PA Health and Physical Education Academic Standards and Outcomes to benefit the wellness of our students much sooner than later.
We are very grateful for your time and attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey L Jacobs
jjacobshpe@gmail.com
610-888-9429
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
January 6, 2021
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education was able to complete their review of the Science and Technology Standards. The Board has made a formal recommendation to the state legislature that these standards and outcomes be approved.
However, we were very unaware that the Science and Technology standards still have to proceed through a 12-18-month legislative process. Upon completion of that process, these S&O would still not be in effect for 3 more years because they are assessed by the state.
We are hopeful that the PA Board of Education will choose to review our proposed academic Standards and Outcomes next as they indicated last January. This is especially important since the HPE Standards and Outcomes will have to go through the same legislative process.
Since the current HPE Standards and Outcomes are outdated (2002), it was advised by PDE that these current standards be considered the bare minimum. HPE professionals should feel free to teach current topics using up-to-date resources and best practices to provide students with the most appropriate, up-to-date education in our Health and Physical Education subject areas. PDE is very supportive of moving forward with our standards but have limitations as to what they can and cannot do.
The best suggestion at this time is to reference the SHAPE America Standards and Outcomes as you plan your curriculum. Below is some preliminary information about the proposed PA Academic Standards and Outcomes we have previously shared that will hopefully help in your planning.
Physical Education Standards:
- Are the exact same ones used by SHAPE America; however, the Outcomes are revised, rewritten, reorganized, etc. They are aligned with the PECAT developed by the CDC.
- The Benchmark years will remain consistent with the current PA Standards – Grades 3, 6, 9, 12. This is different than the SHAPE America Benchmark years.
- There are planned outcomes for each individual grade level unlike SHAPE America’s where they combine Grades 9 through 12 and specify two levels.
Health Standards:
- Are from the National Health Education Standards with the learning outcomes aligned with the HECAT tool developed by CDC.
- The Benchmark years will remain consistent with the current PA Standards – Grades 3, 6, 9, 12.
- However, please be aware that the following topics have been recently mandated by the state legislature to be taught; topics that did not exist years ago such as opioids, mental health (suicide and depression), CPR, vaping, etc. Many now have legislative mandates such as:
- Act 71 - Adopting Youth Suicide Prevention, and
- Act 211 - the use and abuse of Alcohol and other Drugs.
These are not included in the out-of-date Standards and Outcomes but urgently need to be addressed.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 21, 2020
Unfortunately, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Board of Education did not approve any of our proposals made in mid-June to make the proposed standards and outcomes available to you even though they are not officially approved.
The Pennsylvania State Board of Education is currently finishing up with the Science and Technology Academic Standards and Outcomes. The Board said they would work on the ones for Health and Physical Education next; hopefully this fall.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
June 12, 2020
PSAHPERD continually gets requests about the status of the proposed Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health and Physical Education. The members of the Standards and Outcomes Committee fully understand that many HPE departments are in their curriculum writing cycles and desperately need updated academic standards and outcomes.
PSAHPERD’s Advocacy Committee is in the process of making an appeal to PDE and the PA Board of Education to consider a few other options to make the proposed standards and outcomes available to you even though they are not officially approved.
Also, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and their ambitious plans, the Science Committee has completed their preliminary work and are on, or slightly ahead of, schedule. That is good news for HPE!
We have previously provided some preliminary information about the proposed HPE S&O and have shared another piece of information below.
- There are planned outcomes for each and every grade level, unlike SHAPE America where they combine Grades 9 through 12 and specify two levels.
If you have any other questions about the status of the S&O for HPE, please contact Dr. Cindy Allen (Health) Callen2@lhup.edu and/or Jeff Jacobs (Physical Education) jjacobshpe@gmail.com.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Unfortunately, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Board of Education did not approve any of our proposals made in mid-June to make the proposed standards and outcomes available to you even though they are not officially approved.
The Pennsylvania State Board of Education is currently finishing up with the Science and Technology Academic Standards and Outcomes. The Board said they would work on the ones for Health and Physical Education next; hopefully this fall.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
June 12, 2020
PSAHPERD continually gets requests about the status of the proposed Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health and Physical Education. The members of the Standards and Outcomes Committee fully understand that many HPE departments are in their curriculum writing cycles and desperately need updated academic standards and outcomes.
PSAHPERD’s Advocacy Committee is in the process of making an appeal to PDE and the PA Board of Education to consider a few other options to make the proposed standards and outcomes available to you even though they are not officially approved.
Also, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and their ambitious plans, the Science Committee has completed their preliminary work and are on, or slightly ahead of, schedule. That is good news for HPE!
We have previously provided some preliminary information about the proposed HPE S&O and have shared another piece of information below.
- There are planned outcomes for each and every grade level, unlike SHAPE America where they combine Grades 9 through 12 and specify two levels.
If you have any other questions about the status of the S&O for HPE, please contact Dr. Cindy Allen (Health) Callen2@lhup.edu and/or Jeff Jacobs (Physical Education) jjacobshpe@gmail.com.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
May 16, 2020 and March 31, 2020
Although progress has been made with the proposed Academic Standards and Outcomes, efforts have been hindered by the impact of the nation’s current health crisis. The General Assembly and governmental departments in Harrisburg have had to put aside current business to focus on the covid-19 crisis.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Although progress has been made with the proposed Academic Standards and Outcomes, efforts have been hindered by the impact of the nation’s current health crisis. The General Assembly and governmental departments in Harrisburg have had to put aside current business to focus on the covid-19 crisis.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
February 11, 2020
Additional Information for Release Regarding the Proposed PA Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health
and Physical Education
1.) The Physical Education Standards are the same ones from SHAPE America; however, the Outcomes are
revised, rewritten, reorganized, etc. They are aligned with the PECAT developed by the CDC.
2.) The Benchmark years will remain consistent with the current Standards – Grades 3, 6, 9, 12.
This is different than the SHAPE America Benchmark years.
3.) The Health Standards are from the National Health Education Standards with the learning outcomes aligned
with the HECAT tool developed by the CDC.
We hope this preliminary information is helpful.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Additional Information for Release Regarding the Proposed PA Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health
and Physical Education
1.) The Physical Education Standards are the same ones from SHAPE America; however, the Outcomes are
revised, rewritten, reorganized, etc. They are aligned with the PECAT developed by the CDC.
2.) The Benchmark years will remain consistent with the current Standards – Grades 3, 6, 9, 12.
This is different than the SHAPE America Benchmark years.
3.) The Health Standards are from the National Health Education Standards with the learning outcomes aligned
with the HECAT tool developed by the CDC.
We hope this preliminary information is helpful.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
P.O. Box 79097
Pittsburgh. PA 15216
412-407-3301
www.psahperd.org
Date: February 1, 2020
From: Advocacy Committee
RE: Official Status of the Proposed K-12 Health and Physical Education
Standards and Outcomes as of January, 2020.
PSAHPERD would like to provide you with an update on the status of the proposed PA Academic Standards for Health and Physical Education. We are aware that many of you are in your curriculum writing cycle and desperately need updated Standards and Outcomes as the current ones from 2002 are antiquated.
The Standards and Outcomes Committee have been working diligently and have completed the final drafts, with input from professionals across the state and state and local agencies, for both the proposed Academic Health and Physical Education Standards. The next step is to have them proceed through the official review process before being approved and publicly released.
PSAHPERD’s Advocacy Committee has been trying to move this along as quickly as possible. On January 8th, members of this committee spoke at the PA State Board of Education meeting to stress the many critical reasons this needs to happen. The Board was very receptive, understands our concerns, and even asked to see the final drafts.
However, as the next priority in the master plan, the Board is in the process of updating the Science-Technology-Environmental-Ecology Academic Standards and Outcomes. Health and Physical Education should follow upon the completion of these.
We have supporters in both PDE and on the Board of Education who truly recognize the importance of our request. We will continue to monitor the progress of the proposed Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health and Physical Education and will continue to speak up when and where appropriate.
Please feel free to share this information with your administrators especially those who are responsible for curriculum and instruction in your school district.
PSAHPERD provides leadership. advocacy and professional development to health and physical
educators for overall wellness in Pennsylvania.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pittsburgh. PA 15216
412-407-3301
www.psahperd.org
Date: February 1, 2020
From: Advocacy Committee
RE: Official Status of the Proposed K-12 Health and Physical Education
Standards and Outcomes as of January, 2020.
PSAHPERD would like to provide you with an update on the status of the proposed PA Academic Standards for Health and Physical Education. We are aware that many of you are in your curriculum writing cycle and desperately need updated Standards and Outcomes as the current ones from 2002 are antiquated.
The Standards and Outcomes Committee have been working diligently and have completed the final drafts, with input from professionals across the state and state and local agencies, for both the proposed Academic Health and Physical Education Standards. The next step is to have them proceed through the official review process before being approved and publicly released.
PSAHPERD’s Advocacy Committee has been trying to move this along as quickly as possible. On January 8th, members of this committee spoke at the PA State Board of Education meeting to stress the many critical reasons this needs to happen. The Board was very receptive, understands our concerns, and even asked to see the final drafts.
However, as the next priority in the master plan, the Board is in the process of updating the Science-Technology-Environmental-Ecology Academic Standards and Outcomes. Health and Physical Education should follow upon the completion of these.
We have supporters in both PDE and on the Board of Education who truly recognize the importance of our request. We will continue to monitor the progress of the proposed Academic Standards and Outcomes for Health and Physical Education and will continue to speak up when and where appropriate.
Please feel free to share this information with your administrators especially those who are responsible for curriculum and instruction in your school district.
PSAHPERD provides leadership. advocacy and professional development to health and physical
educators for overall wellness in Pennsylvania.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
September 19, 2019
Status of Proposed K-12 Health and Physical Education Standards and Outcomes
Currently, the proposed K-12 Health and Physical Standards and Outcomes are nearing completion and being formatted for final peer review. Upon completion, the proposed Standards and Outcomes will proceed through the Pennsylvania Department of Education's review process before being publicly released. Many of the accompanying materials such as the Glossary, Tool Box and Assessments are also near completion.
Status of Proposed K-12 Health and Physical Education Standards and Outcomes
Currently, the proposed K-12 Health and Physical Standards and Outcomes are nearing completion and being formatted for final peer review. Upon completion, the proposed Standards and Outcomes will proceed through the Pennsylvania Department of Education's review process before being publicly released. Many of the accompanying materials such as the Glossary, Tool Box and Assessments are also near completion.