Steering committee endorses three revised physical education domains; LDOE posts drafts for public comment

The steering committee overseeing revisions to the Department of Education’s physical education standards voted Friday to endorse the proposed standards for domain 3 (health-enhancing physical activity and fitness), domain 4 (personal and social responsibility) and domain 5 (value of physical activity).

Morgan Smith, director of health and physical education in the department’s academic content division, summarized the edits the committee reviewed, including adding a kindergarten–grade 1 standard to "participate in age-appropriate fitness assessment" that emphasizes introduction and engagement rather than performance. "The intent is simply to familiarize students with the purpose and the process of fitness activities in an age-appropriate, low-pressure way," Smith said.

The committee also approved moving a standard that examined the relationship between physical activity and mental health from domain 3 into domain 5 and changing the wording from "mental health" to the broader "well-being," a change staff said will allow educators to address emotional, social, intellectual and physical dimensions more flexibly. Smith said the department will remove a prescriptive list of body systems from the standard to give teachers instructional flexibility and include component explanations in companion guidance materials. Smith added that the FIT acronym (frequency, intensity, time) will remain in the standard per LDOE policy.

Committee members raised implementation concerns during the meeting. Mister Reyes urged the steering committee and work groups to consider not only standards development but also how those standards will be implemented in classrooms — including expectations for instructional time and teacher supports. Kelly questioned whether duplicative or equipment-specific wording (for example, references to a "long-handed implement" in middle-school standards) was necessary, noting some schools may lack such equipment; staff said companion guidance and the equipment list will be adjusted to support implementation.

Work-group reports presented to the full committee reflected broad confidence in vertical alignment. The K–5 representative reported a single wording change in domain 3 to improve clarity and said the group reviewed and revised the recommended K–5 equipment list; the group also emphasized increasing physical education frequency to align with the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous activity. The 6–12 representative reported no substantive revisions were needed and that the work group added materials and equipment recommendations to strengthen implementation support.

During the reconvened session Sharon called three motions in succession. Braden Kenley moved to endorse the amended domain 3 standards; Christie seconded and the motion carried. Keana moved to endorse domain 4 as written; Carrie Lee seconded and that motion carried. A motion to endorse domain 5 was made and seconded (a second was recorded as coming from Lana); the transcript does not clearly record the motion’s mover by name. For each vote the chair noted no public comment or opposition and declared the motion carried.

Smith said the draft standards will be posted to the LDOE website for public review and a public comment period anticipated in March. The department will transmit the endorsed draft, along with public feedback, to BESI for final approval in June. LDOE plans professional learning for teachers in the 2026–27 school year and full implementation in 2027–28.

The committee adjourned after closing remarks thanking members for their work and reminding participants to sign up for LDOE communications for updates on the review process.