Physical Education
The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) supports educating the whole child and advocates for every Delaware student to build positive mental, emotional and physical health skills. School-based physical education teaches students various physical activity practices that sustain movement and support overall personal wellbeing. Physical education also provides students of all ages with opportunities to experience physical activity in supportive environments, and helps students build the skills and knowledge needed to establish and sustain active lifestyles.
In Delaware, students must complete physical education each year through grade 8 as well as earn 1.0 physical education credit in high school to graduate from a Delaware high school. DDOE considers a quality physical education program one that provides:
- Learning opportunities
- Appropriate instruction
- Meaningful and challenging content while meeting all students on their level
Additional resources
- Delaware Physical Education Standards – Lists current state standards for physical education coursework in all Delaware public schools.
- SHAPE Delaware – Links to the professional organization for Delaware health and physical educators. Includes family and community resources, lesson plans, national COVID-related guidance and more.
- Healthy Delaware – Provides resources for educators, families and communities on treating and preventing chronic diseases and behaviors.
- Delaware PE Grade Cluster Expectations – The grade cluster expectations were adopted in 2009 with the adoption of the 2009 Delaware Physical Education Standards. This resource can help with lesson and unit development. Delaware will look to update the grade level expectations with the next standards update, following the release of the National Physical Education Standards.
- Grade Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education – The Grade Level Outcomes document was released by SHAPE America in 2013. This resource helps identify when motor skills, movement concepts and engagement in various physical activities can occur throughout a comprehensive physical education program.
- Focused Fitness – Focused Fitness is the new platform for recording students’ physical fitness assessment data for grades 4, 7, 9 or 10. This resource will walk educators through the process of adding the Focused Fitness application to their ClassLink dashboard.
- 2022/2023 Focused Fitness Report – This document captures physical fitness assessment data by school using the Focused Fitness platform. Physical fitness data in grades 4, 7, 9 or 10 is collected within the following domains; muscular strength and endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance and flexibility.
- 2023/2024 Focused Fitness Report – This document captures physical fitness assessment data by school using the Focused Fitness platform. Physical fitness data in grades 4, 7, 9 or 10 is collected within the following domains; muscular strength and endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance and flexibility.
Educator resources
- 2020-21 Classroom Ready Plan – Provides resources and guidance for physical education teachers to transition to remote and hybrid learning for the start of the 2020-21 school year.
- SHAPE, CASEL alignment document – Provides areas of alignment between the national physical education standards and the CASEL standards for social and emotional learning. Includes examples of learning activities.
- Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) – Provides guidance around school sports, standards of conduct, athletic well-being and more. Includes information on the educational significant of school sports as well as guidance for athletics during the 2020-21 school year.
- Additional health educator resources (access required) – Lists in-classroom resources, professional learning opportunities and more for Delaware physical educators. For access, email your current title and school name to Sabra Collins.
