Quality Physical Education: Past

Practice & Future Directions (USA)

Darla M. Castelli, PhD University of Texas at Austin
Overview
Part 1: How was physical training during physical
education used to refine skill- and health-related fitness?

Part 2: What does quality physical education look like? Has

this changed over time?

Part 3: What are CSPAP, PYFP, and physical literacy and

how might these initiative shape the future of physical
education?
Glossary of Terms
1. Physical activity: Gross motor movements, requiring energy
expenditure beyond rest
2. Physical education: Planned, progressive learning
experiences that are part of a curriculum and delivered by
highly qualified physical education teachers
3. Physical fitness: A set of attributes that are either skill- or
health-related
4. Physical literacy: An outcome of physical education; The
embodiment of a physically active life by maximizing
potential
5. Sport/athletics: Structured competition that takes place
beyond the school curriculum
 History of Physical Education

 German gymnastics
 Swedish exercise for health
 Physical training
 1800’s physical education include across America
 The Round Hill School, a private school established in
1823 in Northampton, Massachusetts
 Physical Fitness

 "The Soft American" in Sports

Illustrated
 Council on Physical Fitness
 President's Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports
 On July 19, 1961, John F. Kennedy
urges schools to adopt youth
fitness guidelines
 15 mins of MVPA, assessment
Movement Education

 Rudolf von Laban (1879-1958) is the pioneer

 Movement concepts applied across three domains
 Physical
 Cognitive
 Affective
 “Physical education is of the physical through the physical”
 Physical education lessons were presented by using
questions
 How many different ways can you take weight on you hands?
Standards-Based Physical Education
 A Nation at Risk (1983)

 Physical Education’s Role in Public Health (Sallis &

McKenzie, 1991)

 Critical Crossroads (1992)

 NASPE Physical Education Content Standards

(1995 & 2004 & currently under revision)
Childhood Obesity
In the last 30 years…
 Obesity has doubled in children (7% - 18%)

 Quadrupled in adolescents (5%-21%)

 More than 1/3 of youth are overweight or obese

Obesity is a
global issue
Global Cost of Obesity
Physical Activity
Youth aged 6–17 years should participate in at least 60
minutes of physical activity daily.
 Only 27% of high school students get 60 –mins MVPA

 Only 6% of U.S. schools offer daily physical education

 Emerging Initiatives Since 2005
 Idea of the Director’s of Physical Activity
 PE Teachers as Physical Activity Leaders (PALs; Castelli & Beighle, 2007)
 Preparing PALs through teacher education (Beighle, Castelli et al., 2009)
 Fuel Up Play 60
 CSPAP position statement (NASPE, 2008)
 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (USDHHS, 2008)
 Youth PA: The role of schools (CDC, 2009)
 First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! (2010)
 Let’s Move in School (NASPE, 2011); Let’s Move! Active Schools
Part 2: Quality Physical Education &
Appropriate Practices
Quality Physical Education
To develop skills, knowledge, and dispositions by providing…
 Opportunities to learn
 Meaningful content
 Appropriate instruction
 Assessment
 Developmentally appropriate
 Elementary: 150-mins;
Secondary: 225-mins
 Maximized, safe participation
 Varied and enjoyable
 Highly qualified physical
education teacher
 Motor skills, fitness, &
knowledge
Quality Physical Education
 Comprehensive effort to improve skills, knowledge and
dispositions
 Educate students to lead a physically active lifestyle
 Actualize its potential benefit within each child
 Integrate technology whenever possible
 Create a student & parent demand for QPE
Physical Education Examples
Appropriate Practices:
 Students should learn to play a variety of individual and

team, physical and sport-oriented activities

 Refine motor skills
 Build self-efficacy
 Promote PA to other students, family members, or teachers
who do not have physical education
 Set PA goals and monitor progress
 Identify where students can be active in the community
 Assess and track physical activity, physical fitness, & healthy
eating
Part 3: Future Directions
 Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP)

 Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP)

 Physical Literacy as an outcome of QPE

 CSPAP
Physical Activity Opportunity Variables’ Mean by Group
8

6 Treatment
PreTest
5 Treatment
PostTest
4
Control
3 PreTest
Control
2 PostTest
1
4.0 4.7 4.4 4.7 3.3 3.5 3.9 3.2 3.0 3.8 2.9 2.8 2.2 3.2 1.9 1.9
0
Opp. D.S Opp. B/A Opp. Fam/Comm Opp. Staff

Note: * = Significant difference between Pre/Post; Opp. = Opportunities; D.S. = During School; B/A = Before
and After School; Fam/Comm = Family and Community Engagement
 Evidence Supporting Teacher
Training & CSPAPs
 Relevant and meaningful professional development (PD)
for teachers
 PD increases self-efficacy to provide PA for children and
adults (Centeio et al., 2013)
 After PD teacher provide significantly more PA
opportunities across the school day (Carson et al., in press)
 Teachers see it as their responsibility to implement CSPAP
(Centeio, Erwin, & Castelli, in press)
 Paucity of research examining the effects of CSPAP
implementation on student PA (Carson et al., 2014)
 JTPE special feature on CSPAP (October 2014)
Schools and Physical Activity Promotion
 Physical Activity Leaders must minimize barriers,
advocate for their needs, and consider the context

 Efforts must assist schools with meeting their

objectives
 Cost effective
 User friendly
 Sustainable
 Embedded in school culture

 Programs must be multifaceted

Presidential Youth Fitness Program:
Process Evaluation – Year 1
Darla M. Castelli, Jessica Duncan Cance, Seraphine Pitt
Barnes, Jane Wargo, & Jeanne Barcelona

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Presidential Youth Fitness Program

Presidential Youth Fitness Program adopted the

FITNESSGRAM® (April 2012)

Three core areas:

1. Professional development
2. Assessment
3. Recognition
 Participants: Year 1
Professional Development
N = 454
Virtual Training Package In-Person Training
n = 353 n = 101

 Funding program (n=500 schools)

 From 48 of 50 states, 454 schools from 242 school
districts
 82% of the schools already conducted fitness
assessment
Data Sources
• Application
• PYFP Index
• Teacher Knowledge Checks
• Teacher Evaluations of Program
• Teacher Interviews
• FITNESSGRAM Assessments
• Site Visits
• LMAS Common Measures Survey
• Annual Program Evaluation Survey
Facilitators & Barriers
Facilitators
• Provision of
resources
Barriers
• Support
administration • Technology
• Student desire to • Administration
receive awards and • Communication
recognition
• Program funding
*CDC Webinar, September 29th
Physical Literacy
 An individual lives a physically active life as an outcome
of physical education

 Standards-based, but considers the individual

 Maximizes potential of each student

 Develops mastery
Physical Literacy
 Physical Literacy & CSPAP

• Whole Child, ASCD

• Rethinking physical
activity in and
around the schools
• Physical activity
across the
curriculum
• Live an active life
In sum…
 History repeats its self and physical education is no
different
 Children and adolescents need quality physical
education to be taught by highly qualified people
 PYFP provides valuable professional development for
teachers and the potential for national & global tracking
of health-related fitness
 CSPAP involves other teachers, community members,
and families in getting youth active
 Physical literacy is the outcome that we all desire
Questions? dcastelli@utexas.edu
@darlacastelli