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What’s the role of the National PE Standards in program planning?

This is an excerpt from Organization and Administration of Physical Education 2nd Edition With HKPropel Access by Jayne D. Greenberg & Judy L. LoBianco.

Program Planning

As previously stated, the cornerstone of effective physical education administration includes planning for and executing a quality physical education program. Foundational to the job requirements is ensuring that your physical education instructional program is embedded in a standards-based curriculum encompassing grade-span learning indicators and intended outcomes as well as incorporating age- and developmentally appropriate instructional practices. Program planning should also take into account the needs of all students, ensuring that your program addresses the cultural needs of an ever-changing diverse population; is committed to equity and inclusion; and addresses the cognitive, affective, social and emotional, and psychomotor domains of all students.

Other essential components for consideration that will impact your program planning responsibilities include the certification of teachers delivering the curriculum, the district’s policies and procedures (especially relating to class size and scheduling patterns), and available facilities. With deliberate time and effort dedicated to program planning, your end result will be physically literate students; they will successfully achieve the intended learning indicators and outcomes throughout their educational experiences, with the skills, knowledge, competence, and confidence to be physically active throughout their life span.

Role of the National PE Standards in Program Planning

The most significant change reflected in the current edition of this book is the transition from the 2014 National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education (SHAPE America, 2014) to the 2024 National Physical Education Standards. Developed by SHAPE America (2025), the National Physical Education Standards, Grade-Span Learning Indicators, and Learning Progressions address learning across the psychomotor, cognitive, affective, and social learning domains, which is essential to supporting PreK-12 learners as they progress along their own meaningful physical literacy journey. While the National PE Standards, Grade-Span Learning Indicators, and Learning Progressions articulate the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn across grades PreK-12 and a general trajectory for that learning, physical literacy is not about mastery; rather, it is an ongoing process (Castelli et al., 2015). “These National PE Standards, along with their corresponding Grade-Span Learning Indicators and Learning Progressions, can be used to create relevant and developmentally appropriate learning experiences that engage all PreK-12 learners on a physical literacy journey of holistic competence, to include opportunities to develop the skills, knowledge, confidence, appreciation, and motivation to live an active life—across and beyond their PreK-12 years” (chapter 2, p. 1). It should also be noted that where there were previously five national standards, the updated 2024 version includes four national standards for PreK-12 physical education (figure 3.3). Many states and local school districts use these documents to develop curriculum, ensure alignment, and provide guidance to establish the intended outcomes of their physical education programs.

The Grade-Span Learning Indicators, intended to support the National PE Standards, provide a framework for what students should be able to do at each grade span. The measurable learning indicators and intended outcomes provide the bridge between the national standards and the physical education curriculum. The grade-span learning indicators and the intended outcomes are grounded in scholarly literature in motor development, skill competency, motor learning, physical activity, and student engagement and motivation. Taken together, the intention of the physical literacy journey, the four national standards (previously five), and the grade-span learning indicators is to operationalize the concept of the physical literacy journey and to provide a framework for teachers to use in developing curricula and lesson plans. What follows is an overall view of what students should know by the end of each grade span (SHAPE America, 2025).

Tables 3.1 through 3.4 provide examples of how each of the four National PE Standards and Grade-Span Learning Indicators can be applied for each grade span: PreK through 2 (table 3.1); 3 through 5 (table 3.2); 6 through 8 (table 3.3); and 9 through 12 (table 3.4). Keep in mind that all four standards are applied to each grade span; they can be found at www​.shapeamerica.org.

Sample PreK-2 National PE Standards and Grade-Span Learning Indicators

The preschool and early elementary years have been recognized as critical in the development of fundamental movement skills. The grade-span learning indicators inform teachers about what children in grades PreK through 2 (PreK-2) should know and be able to do, and they guide teachers in designing meaningful learning experiences. Children in PreK-2 are in the fundamental movement phase of motor development. PreK (ages 4-5) students are progressing through the emerging elementary stage of fundamental motor skill development (SHAPE America, 2025, chapter 3, p. 1). See table 3.1.

Sample Grade 3-5 National PE Standards and Grade-Span Learning Indicators

Children’s physical literacy journey in grades 3 through 5 is developing as they combine fundamental movement skills (manipulative, locomotor, nonlocomotor) with movement concepts (space, effort, relationships) to acquire specialized movement skills. These specialized movement skills are applied with varied movement forms (e.g., games, dance, gymnastics). The three stages of the specialized movement phase are transition, application, and lifelong utilization (SHAPE America, 2025, chapter 4, p. 1). See table 3.2.

Sample Grade 6-8 National PE Standards and Grade-Span Learning Indicators

The physical literacy journey for students in grades 6 through 8 reflects the influence of early and emerging adolescence on their psychomotor, cognitive, social, and affective learning. Transitions prompted by changes (e.g., biological, social, emotional, cognitive) during early and emerging adolescence directly impact learning in physical education. During the middle school years, individual differences in growth and maturation rates will require differentiated instruction and developmentally appropriate accommodations. Through learning experiences in physical education, the students use their knowledge of movement concepts, tactics, and strategies across a variety of environments. This knowledge helps students become more versatile and efficient movers (SHAPE America, 2025, chapter 5, p. 1). See table 3.3.

Sample Grade 9-12 National PE Standards and Grade-Span Learning Indicators

The development of an adolescent’s physical literacy journey in grades 9 through 12 is significant; during this time, the student exists in a transitional stage between childhood and early adulthood. As students enter high school, they receive their (often final) structured pedagogical exposure to instruction related to physical activity before entering early adulthood. According to SHAPE America (2025, chapter 6, p. 1), the knowledge, skills, and dispositions acquired by students prior to and during this pivotal time frame will shape their ability and likeliness to maintain a health-enhancing and physically active lifestyle through adulthood. In addition,

Through learning experiences in physical education, the student develops an understanding of how movement is personally beneficial and subsequently chooses to participate in physical activities that are personally meaningful (e.g., activities that offer social interaction, cultural connection, exploration, choice, self-expression, appropriate levels of challenge, and added health benefits). The student develops personal skills including goal setting, identifying strengths, and reflection to enhance their physical literacy journey. (p. 11).

See table 3.4.

These documents should serve as the basis for developing or revising a district’s curriculum, developing a scope and sequence by grade-span, and determining what should be assessed to ensure that the learning indicators and intended outcomes have been achieved. States and local school districts could use a crosswalk to ensure alignment with the national standards. The 2024 National Physical Education Standards and Grade-Span Learning Indicators can be accessed at www.shapeamerica.org.

More Excerpts From Organization and Administration of Physical Education 2nd Edition With HKPropel Access

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