South Dakota Updates Its PE Standards

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Students in one of top 10 fastest growing Latino states will soon experience improved standards in PE.  According to a blog post from Education Week, the South Dakota Board of Education recently updated their standards for physical education.

By using the same national framework developed by SHAPE America (formerly the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE)), in 2014, the South Dakota Department of Education (SDDOE), worked to draft their own state guidelines for what students in grades K-12 should know and be able to do.

According to a news article from Argusleader.com the most recent updates to standards occurred in 2006, however, students’ needs have changed since then.

“The [new] standards identify knowledge and skills students should know and be able to do and provide a framework for schools and teachers to design their own curriculum, instruction and assessments,” Becky Nelson, a curriculum administrator with the state education department, said in the news article.

One important change to the existing standards is that  students be able to understand how they can improve their health through physical activity. The standards also call for more of a focus on life skills rather than solely sports preparation.

In summary outcomes by elementary, middle school, and high school levels are defined as such:

• Elementary Level – a focus on fundamental motor skills as the foundation for
  movement competency;
• Middle School Level- the application of fundamental motor skills and
  improving the balance of activities to retain interest of all students;
• High School Level – the focus is on fitness/wellness, lifetime activities and personal
  choice

Read more about the proposed outcomes and standards for South Dakota Students grades K-12th here.

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