1. Summary of Teaching Physical Education in American Schools Spring 2016

2. School in the United States  Students must attend 13 years of schooling  Kindergarten to 12 th grade  Parents are required to enroll children at age 6  Public schools are free to attend  Students are assigned based on where they live

3. Other School Options  Private School  Cost money to attend  Home School  Parents teach their children at home

4. Grade Levels  Kindergarten, 1 st Grade, and 2 nd Grade  Primary School  3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th Grades  Elementary School  6 th, 7 th, and 8 th Grades  Middle School  9 th, 10 th, 11 th, and 12 th Grades  High School

5. School Calendar  Minimum 185 days and 1,025 instructional hours  School day is typically 7-8 hours  Usually 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

6. Teacher Workdays  Teachers report to school but students do not.  If a regular school day is cancelled due to weather, a workday becomes a regular school day.  On workdays, teachers:  attend professional development meetings.  work in classroom.  plan with colleagues.

7. Holidays  Teachers and students do not attend school on national holidays:  (ex. Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Day, etc.)  Winter break  1 ½ weeks  Easter break  1 week  Summer break  June-August  No school on Sunday

8. School Year  Academic Year  August to June  By law, schools:  cannot start before August 25th  must end by June 10 th  Four 9-week grading periods  Two grading periods = semester

9. Curriculum and PE Standards  Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) PE Standards  Defines what a student should know and be able to do as result of a quality physical education program  These standards are not required to be followed

10. North Carolina Standards  North Carolina Essential Standards for Physical Education  Created by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI)  Kindergarten through 12 th Grade  These sections include:  Motor Skills (MS)  Movement Concepts (MC)  Health-Related Fitness (HRF)  Personal/Social Responsibility (PR)

11. Physical Education in North Carolina  No federal law that requires physical education  Individual school districts are responsible for implementing PE programs  In North Carolina,  Kindergaten – 5 th Grade  PE once per week  Middle School  Required each year  High School  Required one year

12. Amount of Physical Education  Elementary  150 minutes per week (recommended)  Middle  220 minutes per week (recommended)  Since these are only recommendations, schools can be flexible with scheduling.

13. Teacher Responsibilities  Vary from school system to school system  Teachers are required to stay for 7.5 hours during the school day  Elementary  30-45 minutes classes (6-7 classes per day)  High  90 minute classes (3 classes per day)  Middle  Can mirror both elementary and high school

14. Teacher Evaluation  Evaluated using a system called McRel  Observed by an administrator 4 times  Principal and/or assistant principal  These can be announced or unannounced  Teachers are evaluated based on achievement standards  Conference occurs afterward

15. Teacher Accountability  Analysis of Student Work (ASW)  Teachers must submit pre- and post-test scores showing student growth toward objectives  Physical Educators in North Carolina follow Common Core Essential Standards  Motor skills  Movement concepts  Health-related fitness  Personal/social responsibility

16. Additional Responsibilities  Supervising students before and after school  Student drop-off and pick-up  Monitor recess  Extracurricular activities  Tutoring  Teachers are not paid for this extra time

17. Teaching Health and PE  Health/Physical Education form one subject called Healthful Living.  Physical Education Standards  Motor Skills, Movement Concepts, Health-Related Fitness, and Personal/Social Responsibility  Health Standards  Mental and Emotional Health, Personal and Consumer Health, Interpersonal Communications and Relationships, Nutrition and Physical Activity, and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs  Teachers are responsible for teaching and assessing each standard.

18. Teaching PE  It is up to the teacher to determine what is taught and when  This is based on  Equipment  Availability of space  Teacher preference  Student preference  Time constraints  Schools that offer PE every day are able to cover more units  Other schools have to include Health  ½ semester PE and ½ semester Health

19. Example of Unit Organization  Elementary School  personal/general space  locomotor/non-locomotor skills  tempos  pathways  throwing/catching  rolling/leaping/hopping  soccer  dribbling, passing,  basketball  lead-up games  jump rope  dance  FitnessGram assessment

20. Example of Unit Organization  Middle School  Cooperative games  Dance  Fitness  Soccer  Flag Football  Basketball  Softball  Lacrosse  Bowling  Tennis  Weight Lifting  Badminton  Ping Pong  Volleyball

21. What/How do you teach?  Sports activities  Individual and team sports  Create a unit plan  Specify what you are going to teach on what days  Modify/Adapt aspects of other curriculum models  Ex. SPARK

22. Student Involvement  Elementary School  Students meet with a certified physical education teacher once per week – around 40 minutes  Students also receive unstructured recess time  Organizations such as SHAPE and Let’s Move Initiative by Michelle Obama  promote the need for more activity during and after the school day

23. Student Involvement  Middle School  Students meet with a certified physical education teacher every day or every other day for 35-40 minutes  High School  Students meet with a certified physical education teacher once per day for one year for 40-45 minutes or every day for one semester for 90-120 minutes

24. Extracurricular Activities  Some schools offer physical activity clubs such as jump rope teams, club sports teams, or intramurals.  This is not required of all schools.  Beginning in seventh grade, students are allowed to participate in interscholastic sports provided by the school.  The offering of sports depends upon the school and the school district

25. Student Eligibility  Students must meet eligibility requirements in order to participate in the sports program.  Eligibility is determined based on their attendance and their academic performance.

26. Successes of Teaching  Students are exposed to a variety of sports games  Building positive relationships with students  Organization  Students are held accountable for their work and participation  Classroom management  Very few behavior issues because of clearly defined classroom expectations

27. Barriers of Teaching  Lack of respect from classroom teachers  See P.E. as an “easy” subject to teach  Time and resources taken away  Time has been given to “core” classroom teachers  Assemblies, picture days, etc. take place in the gym  Lack of accountability of teachers  Due to being a non-tested subject

28. What is needed for improvement?  More professional development opportunities (PE specific)  Professional conferences  Observations at other schools  Higher budget  To purchase more state-of-the-art equipment  Updated technology  Smart Board, mounted projector, etc.

29. Educational System and PE Programs  Physical Education  critical to fighting obesity  More funds, more teachers, and more class time would help move PE out of marginalization  Essential Standards help accountability  This needs to be enforced better  Schools need to hire teachers first, coaches second