Physical Education

Physical Education Standards and Certification

Arizona K-12 Physical Education Standards- Standards are critical to developing physically-educated individuals who have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity. The purpose of the Standards document is to provide a framework for quality physical education.

PreK-12 Physical Education Teaching Certificate- Effective July 1, 2015, PreK-12 Physical Education teachers will have the option to apply for a single PreK-12 Physical Education certificate. Under current Board rules, Physical Education teachers are required to apply for either an Elementary and/or a Secondary certificate and a Physical Education Endorsement in order to teach PreK-12 Physical Education. The establishment of the PreK-12 Physical Education certificate will help to streamline the certification process and reduce costs by removing the requirement to add an endorsement in order to teach PreK-12 Physical Education.

Physical Education Resources for Effective Programs and Instruction

SHAPE America's 20 Indicators of Effective Physical Education Instruction encourages school administrators to establish a baseline for observing physical education classes. The indicators detailed in the checklist that follows reflect the practices and policies recommended in SHAPE America’s guidance documents.

SHAPE America's The Essential Components of Physical Education has re-envisioned the essential components that provide the structure for an effective physical education program. 

SHAPE America's Physical Education Program Checklist is designed to help school administrators, principals, teachers, and parents review their schools’ physical education programs to ensure that they are addressing what SHAPE America has identified as the “essential components” of physical education. 

CDC's Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT) will help school districts conduct a clear, complete, and consistent analysis of written physical education curricula, based upon national physical education standards. The PECAT is customizable to include local standards. The results from the analysis can help school districts enhance existing curricula, develop their own curricula, or select a published curriculum, for the delivery of quality physical education in schools.

SHAPE America ESSA Guidance The bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes a flexible block grant program under Title IV, Part A, "Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants." This block grant program authorizes activities in three broad areas including providing students with a well-rounded education, supporting safe and healthy students, and supporting the effective use of technology.

Arizona Health and Physical Education Arizona Health and Physical Education is an educational organization that achieves its mission by supporting, encouraging, and providing assistance to members statewide as they initiate, develop, conduct, and promote programs of health, physical education, recreation, dance, and other movement-related programs.

SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators) is the largest organization of professionals involved in school-based health, physical education, and physical activity, who are dedicated to teaching and promoting active, healthy lifestyles.

Active Schools is a comprehensive program that empowers school champions—physical education teachers, classroom teachers, principals, administrators, and parents to create active environments that enable all students to get moving and reach their full potential.

The Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP) is a free program developed to ensure what happens before, during, and after the fitness assessment is beneficial for students and teachers and leads to youth who are active for life.

OPEN Physical Education Curriculum- OPEN is an online physical education curriculum project. OPEN is based on SHAPE America's National Physical Education Standards and is aligned to Arizona's State Physical Education Standards.

Digital Catch- Digital CATCH is the newest version of the CATCH platform. Digital CATCH allows teachers to access the CATCH curriculum over the web in an extremely user-friendly format. Sign up for a free account to experience Digital CATCH for yourself and to access a sample of CATCH lessons.

Spark is a research-based organization that disseminates evidence-based Physical Education, After School, Early Childhood, and Coordinated School Health programs to teachers and recreation leaders serving Pre-K through 12th-grade students. Check out the website for more information on the program, training, free resources, and even help with grants.

PE Central is a website with resources for physical educators whose goal is to provide the latest information about developmentally appropriate physical education programs for children.

Sunbeatables Sun Safety Curriculum- The Sunbeatables™ Program is an evidence-based program that aims to educate teachers, parents, and children about sun protection. The preschool curriculum consists of five units. Each unit includes four activities. Activities include a puppet show, sun safety songs, science experiments, and more! Children meet superhero characters, Ray and the Sunbeatables, who have sun safe superpowers to protect against the harmful effects of UV rays.

Sun Smart U is a free program from the Skin Cancer Foundation that provides free lesson plans for middle and high school-aged students. Sun Smart U teaches about the most common cancer, melanoma. This lesson is aligned to the revised 2015 Arizona Physical Education standards.

Arizona Department of Health Services Extreme Weather and Public Health The Heat Illness Prevention School Project is a new project created by the Arizona Department of Health Services. The goal of the project is to educate students, school staff, athletic coaches, and parents regarding heat illness in order to prevent heat illness incidences and lower the number of heat caused/related deaths among students.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Adolescent School Health (DASH) promotes the health and well-being of children and adolescents to enable them to become healthy and productive adults.

Physical Education Teacher Apps Today, more and more teachers are looking for ways to integrate their smartphones and tablets with their physical education and health courses.

Local Wellness Policy is a written document that guides a local educational agency’s (LEA) or school district’s efforts to establish a school environment that promotes students’ health, well-being, and ability to learn. Physical education teachers are encouraged to have an active role in the creation, review, and implementation of their district’s local wellness policy.