About
Standards:

The goal of physical education is to help students become physically literate, developing the knowledge, skills, and confidence to stay active for life. Oklahoma’s physical literacy essentials and four physical education standards provide the framework for this growth. Schools play a vital role by offering meaningful, enjoyable experiences that build students’ competence, confidence, and motivation to move. In elementary school, students learn foundational skills; in middle school, they apply and expand those skills; and in high school, the focus shifts to lifetime activities that promote a healthy, active lifestyle beyond graduation.

The overarching goal of PreK-12 health education in Oklahoma is to ensure that school-aged youth become health literate individuals who possess the skills, knowledge, and dispositions to lead healthy active lives. The health education content standards and respective grade level-specific performance outcomes presented here provide the expectations that school programs and services will set for all Oklahoma students. An effective health education program offers all students the opportunity to gain the needed skills, knowledge, and dispositions toward healthy lifestyles. It is the responsibility of schools to provide opportunities for all students to become competent, literate, and enthusiastic learners, in ways that make health class a highly desired, enjoyable, and worthwhile experience. Students who participate in effective health education programs gain the essential health skills necessary to adopt, practice, and maintain health-enhancing behaviors. The eight health education standards reflected in the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Health Education provide a framework for educators to ensure school-aged students become health literate individuals.

It is important to note that standards are neither curriculum, instructional practices, nor strategies; standards serve as a foundation for curriculum. See below for the distinction between standards, curriculum, and instruction:

• Standards: The concepts, content, and skills students should master by the end of a specific grade.
• Curriculum: The materials and resources used for teaching the standards.
• Instruction: The practices teachers use to deliver academic content to students. Teachers should utilize a variety of instructional techniques and strategies to ensure students master academic standards.