National & State Standards Analysis

After thoroughly analyzing and comparing state and/or national standards for physical education and health education across the United States, it is evident that there a wide range of commonalities amongst both sets of standards and outcomes.

Since, ultimately, my interests for the future lie primarily with obtaining a career in physical education and, as a secondary goal, health education, I chose to focus my attention on the state physical education standards from California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. All three of these states possess standards that reflect some of my overall goals to be achieved while teaching physical education at any level. At the lower elementary level (K-3), for example, I hope that students demonstrate the motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities. Second, the state of Virginia states that students will understand and apply movement principles and concepts in complex movement activities, particularly at the upper elementary grades 4-6. Finally, Pennsylvania PE standards state that students in grades 7-9 should be able to analyze and engage in physical activities that are developmentally/individually appropriate and support achievement of personal fitness and activity goals. All of these standards mirror closely the goals stated by NASPE at the national level and reflect my personal beliefs in what should be stressed at appropriate times in physical education curriculum.

Upon viewing all the posted messages for today's topic, it is evident that there was little mention of the importance of a standard that recognizes the need for the introduction of lifetime sports and activities during the middle and high school years. Along similar lines, upper elementary students ought to be exposed to some community structured forms of physical activity as well. A strength of the discussions include the fact that the elementary years are an integral time frame for basic motor skills and movement patterns to be introduced and, later on, to become proficient in these skills. Additionally, another strength was the emphasis of state goals on health-enhancing levels of physical fitness that ought to be introduced, explained, and performed during the middle school years.

I feel that, although the majority of state and national standards for PE do, indeed, reflect what students are learning, some schools surely fall short of meeting all standards. For example, with numerous movement patterns and skills often being acquired through simple tumbling/gymnastics units, many schools neglect to incorporate these units into their curriculum. Furthermore, many high schoolers most likely fail to meet the NASPE standard #6, which speaks to recognizing the values of physical activity like social interaction, health benefits, and enjoyment. To meet this type of standards, teachers must work to place heavy emphasis on social concepts of physical activity and sport such as teamwork, sportsmanship, and cooperation.

Overall, however, standards presented by both states and the national organizations present a realistic and wholistic view of goals common to physical education. While some states, such as New York, fail to mention examples of specific outcomes associated with their standards, it is interesting to note that other states, such as California and Pennsylvania give detailed examples of outcomes that may be witnessed by meeting a selected standard.