14.5 Program Goals, Unit and Lesson Planning, and Standards Alignment

PE Curriculum Planning & Standards Alignment

Curriculum planning in physical education serves as the blueprint for developing physically literate individuals who possess the knowledge, skills, confidence, and desire to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity. Modern physical education has evolved from an activity-based model focused on recreational free play into a standards-based, outcomes-oriented academic discipline. The Praxis Health and Physical Education (5857) exam rigorously tests a candidate's understanding of national physical education standards, scope and sequence design, unit planning using backward design, writing measurable behavioral objectives, and applying major curriculum models.

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1. SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards (2024)

The Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America) sets the national standards for K-12 physical education in the United States. SHAPE America released new National Physical Education Standards in March 2024, replacing the 2013 set. The revision reduced the number of standards from five to four, reframed physical literacy as a lifelong physical literacy journey, and replaced grade-level outcomes with grade-span learning indicators that include learning progressions.

The Four National Standards (2024)

Note the structural change: the 2013 set separated health-related fitness (old Standard 3), responsible personal and social behavior (old Standard 4), and valuing physical activity (old Standard 5). In the 2024 set, fitness knowledge folded into Standard 2, the social dimension became Standard 3, and the personal dimension and the choice to participate became Standard 4.

A note on the exam: the ETS Study Companion for 5857 carries a 2022 copyright and predates the 2024 revision, so items written against the older framework may still reference the five-standard structure. Know the current four standards, and be able to recognize the retired five-standard language as the prior set rather than as current.

The 2013 standards, for reference

Physical educators use the standards to establish grade-span learning indicators. Under the 2024 Standard 1, elementary work emphasizes fundamental movement skills such as hopping, skipping, throwing, and catching, while high school work shifts toward refined specialized and lifetime activity skills such as tennis, swimming, and resistance training.

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2. Scope and Sequence in K-12 Physical Education

A comprehensive physical education curriculum is grounded in a well-articulated Scope and Sequence document, which prevents content fragmentation and ensures seamless developmental progression across grade levels.

Defining Scope vs. Sequence

• Scope: Refers to the breadth and depth of content, concepts, and skills covered within a physical education program across a school year or K-12 continuum. Scope outlines what will be taught (e.g., invasive games, net/wall games, rhythms and dance, aquatics, personal fitness).
• Sequence: Refers to the chronological and developmental order in which learning experiences are introduced, practiced, and mastered over time. Sequence outlines when and in what progression concepts are taught.

Horizontal and Vertical Alignment

1. Horizontal Alignment: Ensures that physical education teachers within the same grade level across a school or district are teaching consistent concepts, skills, and assessments during the same instructional timeframe.
2. Vertical Alignment: Ensures continuous, non-duplicative progression from grade to grade (e.g., Kindergarten students learn underhand throwing $\rightarrow$ 2nd graders master overhand throwing mechanics $\rightarrow$ 5th graders execute throwing to a moving target $\rightarrow$ 8th graders apply throwing tactics in dynamic invasive games).

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3. Unit Planning & Backward Design Architecture

Effective unit planning translates broad curriculum standards into actionable, multi-week instructional modules (typically 3 to 6 weeks in duration). Standard-based physical education relies on Backward Design (Understanding by Design, developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe), which reverses traditional lesson planning by focusing first on desired outcomes.

The Three Stages of Backward Design in PE

[Stage 1: Identify Desired Results] 
   └─► Align with SHAPE America Standards & Grade-Level Outcomes

[Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence] 
   └─► Design Formative & Summative Assessments (Rubrics, FitnessGram, Skill Checklists)

[Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences & Instruction] 
   └─► Select Pedagogical Strategies, Tasks, Equipment, & Daily Progressions

In traditional planning, teachers often select fun activities first and think about assessment later. In Backward Design, the physical educator determines the target standard (Stage 1), creates the skill rubric or assessment tool to measure mastery (Stage 2), and only then selects the drills, tactical games, and learning tasks required to build those specific competencies (Stage 3).

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4. Writing Behavioral Learning Objectives across Three Domains

Instructional objectives must be written in explicit, observable, and measurable terms. Physical education is unique because it addresses learning across three distinct domains of human development: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective.

The ABCD Formula for Objective Writing

Every high-quality behavioral objective should contain four key elements:

• A — Audience: Who is performing the behavior? (e.g., 'The 7th-grade student...')
• B — Behavior: What observable verb will the student demonstrate? (e.g., '...will execute a mature overhand throw...')
• C — Condition: Under what circumstances or context will the behavior occur? (e.g., '...during a small-sided lead-up game from a distance of 30 feet...')
• D — Degree: What is the measurable criterion or standard for success? (e.g., '...hitting the target 4 out of 5 trials.')

Educational Domains in Physical Education

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5. Major Curriculum Models in Physical Education

Rather than teaching isolated sports, modern physical education utilizes research-based curriculum models designed to achieve specific educational goals.

• Sport Education Model (Daryl Siedentop): Designed to educate students to become competent, literate, and enthusiastic sportspersons. Features include seasons (rather than short units), persistent team membership, formal schedules, student leadership roles (coach, referee, scorekeeper, trainer), and a culminating festive event.
• Tactical Games Model (TGM) / Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU): Emphasizes game appreciation and tactical awareness before refining technical skills. Uses a 'game-test-game' structure where students play a modified game, identify tactical problems (e.g., protecting open space), practice skills to solve the problem, and return to the game.
• Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR - Don Hellison): Focuses on using physical activity to build character and social skills in underserved or all youth. Features five explicit levels of responsibility: Level 1 (Respect), Level 2 (Effort/Participation), Level 3 (Self-Direction), Level 4 (Caring/Helping), Level 5 (Transfer Outside the Gym).
• Skill Themes Approach (Graham, Holt/Hale, Parker): Primarily used in elementary PE; organizes content around fundamental movement patterns (skill themes like striking, chasing, fleeing) and movement concepts (space awareness, effort, relationships).

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Common Praxis Exam Traps & Real-World Scenarios

• Trap 1: Treating the 2013 five-standard set as current. The 2024 set has four standards; fitness knowledge now sits inside Standard 2, and the social and personal dimensions are Standards 3 and 4.
• Trap 1b: Confusing Standard 1 and Standard 2. Standard 1 concerns developing motor skills (psychomotor execution), whereas Standard 2 concerns applying knowledge of movement and fitness concepts (cognitive understanding).
• Trap 2: Omitting the 'Degree' in Objectives. Exam items asking candidates to identify a complete behavioral objective often include distractors missing a degree of accuracy (e.g., 'Students will throw a football underhand'). Ensure the objective specifies a measurable criterion (e.g., '3 out of 4 attempts').
• Trap 3: Misinterpreting TPSR Levels. Remember that TPSR Level 1 is not mastery—it is basic Respect for the rights and feelings of others (refraining from bullying/interfering). Level 5 represents the ultimate goal of Transferring responsible behaviors into the classroom, home, and community.