Moving into the Future: National Standards for Physical Education, 2nd Edition

National Standards for Physical Education Background  

In 1986, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) appointed the Outcomes Committee to answer the question, "What should physically educated students know and be able to do?" The "Outcomes Project" culminated in the development of a definition of a physically educated person that included five major focus areas.  

To pursue a lifetime of healthful physical activity, a physically educated person:

• HAS learned skills necessary to perform a variety of physical activities
• KNOWS the implications of and the benefits from involvement in physical activities
• DOES participate regularly in physical activity
• IS physically fit
• VALUES physical activity and its contribution to a healthful lifestyle  

This definition was expanded to 20 outcome statements that also included sample benchmarks for selected grade levels.  

The work of this committee resulted in publication of Outcomes of Quality Physical Education Programs (1992). Following this publication, NASPE appointed the Physical Education Standards and Assessment Task Force to develop content standards with assessment material based on the outcomes document. The work of this task force resulted in publication of Moving into the Future: National Standards for Physical Education (1995), which included assessment guidelines and was designed to complement the physical education outcomes document.  

Moving into the Future: National Standards for Physical Education was the result of a purposeful process of consensus building that included a variety of efforts designed to obtain a broad range of expertise and reaction. Input was obtained from many NASPE members and structures (i.e., Council on Physical Education for Children, Middle and Secondary School Physical Education Council, Curriculum and Instruction Academy). The process also included presentations at both the 1993 and 1994 AAHPERD national conventions, presentations at each of the six district AAHPERD conventions, and at many state AHPERD meetings; reviews by selected leaders in the physical education profession; and consultation with educational representatives from other subject areas (e.g., mathematics, arts, science) and educational organizations (e.g., Council of Chief School Officers, principals' associations, Association of College of Teacher Education).    

Review and Adoption of the 2nd Edition  

To ensure that NASPE materials are up to date and reflect current knowledge, research, and practice, NASPE regularly reviews and revises major documents. Therefore, in the summer of 2002, NASPE appointed the K-12 National Physical Education Standards Review Committee to review the standards and consider questions, recommendations, and problems forwarded by teachers, teacher educators, and others. The committee drafted a document that was reviewed by leaders in the profession and practitioners in the field. A revised document became the focus of an open forum at the 2003 AAHPERD national convention, and a final revision was produced as a result of the review process.  

This document, the second edition of Moving into the Future: National Standards for Physical Education, reflects current thinking on what students should know and be able to do as a result of a quality physical education program.