Physical Education is an integral part of the total education of every child from Kindergarten through grade 12. Therefore, every student should have the opportunity to participate in a quality physical education program. It is the role of quality physical education programs to help students develop health-related fitness, physical competence in movement activities, cognitive understanding, and positive attitudes toward physical activity so that they can adopt healthy and physically active lifestyles. Quality programs are also important because they provide learning experiences that meet a student’s developmental needs, which in turn helps to improve the mental alertness, academic performance, readiness, and enthusiasm for learning.

The Georgia Performance Standards for Physical Education are based on the National Physical Education Standards developed by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). The Standards reflect what a physically educated student should know and be able to do at each grade level (K-12). Six standards with accompanying elements are provided for each grade level. The elements are provided to further define the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that are expected of students at the end of various grade levels. Examples are provided for each element and can serve as guidelines for assessing student performance. Rather than defining curriculum, these standards provide guidance for teachers and are useful in designing appropriate physical education curricula. A sequential, developmentally appropriate curriculum should be designed and implemented to help students acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and confidence needed to adopt and maintain a physically active and healthy lifestyle.

Statewide training will be conducted during the 2009-2010 school year with full implementation during the 2010-2011 school year.

        Physical Education Performance Standards 
         · Introduction
         · Scope and Sequence of Standards
         · Glossary of Terms