Physical Education / Physical Activity
Physical Education / Physical Activity
In order to reach the nationally-recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity ( CDC , 2015 ) and help students develop the knowledge and skills to be physically active for a lifetime , schools are encouraged to address all components of a Comprehensive Physical Activity Program ( CSPAP ), a national framework developed by the CDC that includes : quality physical education ( P . E .) as the foundation ; physical activity before , during , and after school ; staff involvement ; and family and community engagement ( CDC , 2015 ).
A high quality P . E . program includes a P . E . requirement for all students , all P . E . courses led by a qualified physical education teacher , students engaging in moderate-tovigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) for at least 50 percent of each P . E . class , and curriculum based on national or state standards . In Colorado , these standards are known as the Comprehensive Physical Education Standards ( CDE , 2016 ). Figure 4.1 highlights the number of P . E . minutes offered per week per student at each school level . The recommended best practice from SHAPE America is that elementary and secondary students receive 150 minutes and 225 minutes of P . E . per week , respectively ( 2016 ). As the data show , participating elementary and combined schools offer less P . E . than the recommended minimum , while secondary schools offer the recommended minimum in their academic schedules . However , as these responses reflect the amount of P . E . that is offered , it remains unclear whether individual students are actually receiving the recommended minimum .
Figure 4.2 depicts the average percentage of time students in P . E . engage in MVPA . As shown , the average reported MVPA percentages for all school levels are above the recommended minimum of 50 percent of P . E . time .
Table 4.1 lists the average number of academic units of P . E . required by schools for secondary students before graduating or advancing out of the school . As schools follow different academic schedules , the table is split into semesters , quarters , and trimesters ( order based on frequency of use in schools ). Schools on a semester schedule have fewer required units of P . E . as compared to schools on either a quarter or trimester schedule . Across all schedule types , combined schools report requiring more academic units for P . E . than secondary schools .
FIGURE 4.1 Average P . E . minutes offered per week per student
FIGURE 4.2 Average percentage of P . E . time with moderate to vigorous physical activity ( MVPA )
TABLE 4.1
Average required academic units of P . E . for secondary students
Secondary
Combined Semester 2.4 2.5 Quarter 3.5 4.8 Trimester 2.4 4.5
A high quality P . E . program includes a P . E . requirement for all students , all P . E . courses led by a qualified physical education teacher , students engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) for at least 50 percent of each P . E . class , and curriculum based on national or state standards .
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