School Physical Education

School physical education curriculum, instruction, and assessment involves planning, implementing, and assessing a developmentally appropriate PreK-12 standards-based curriculum that covers critical physical education content, skills, and dispositions.

Concussion Law, Wis. Stat. sec. 118.293
The law requires all youth athletic organizations to educate coaches, athletes, and parents on the risks of concussions and head injuries, and prohibits participation in a youth activity until the athlete and parent or guardian has returned a signed agreement sheet indicating they have reviewed the concussion and head injury informational materials. The law requires immediate removal of an individual from a youth athletic activity if symptoms indicate a possible concussion has been sustained. A person who has been removed from a youth athletic activity because of a determined or suspected concussion or head injury may not participate again until he or she is evaluated by a health care provider, and receives written clearance from the health care provider to return to the activity. Click here for more info.


Considerations Regarding the Physical Education Requirement Change Option Resulting from 2011 Wisconsin Act 105
Guidance on the physical education requirement change option resulting from 2011 Wisconsin Act 105. This will provide you with some considerations as your district addresses this issue.


Tools to Help with Physical Education Curriculum Development

The following items were developed to help you build a standards-based K-12 physical education program.

• A National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Appropriate Instructional Practices grid is available at http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/standards/nationalGuidelines/upload/Appropriate-Practices-grid.pdf.
• The web site for the Wisconsin Partnership for Childhood Fitness is located at http://fitness.pediatrics.wisc.edu/.


• Set Your FitStep Pedometer to Measure Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (This is a youtube video located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sWJeKTnRg0.)
  This video was developed by Dr. Bob Pangrazi, emeritus professor at Arizona State, for the 48 schools in a Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction Childhood Fitness project done in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin. Each of these schools received a set of fifteen pedometers to use to measure the effectiveness of physical education lessons on moderate to vigorous physical activity.


• The DPI co-sponsors a symposium called Best Practices in Physical Education and Health each summer to help increase knowledge and skills on the latest information in these content areas. The 2013 event will be held July 23-25 at UW Stevens Point.

School Physical Activity

Strategies for Active Schools

The Department of Public Instruction, in partnership with the Department of Health Services and University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, have created the Wisconsin Active Schools Project as part of the "Communities Putting Prevention to Work" initiative funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Active Schools Project is part of the state’s plan to support public health efforts to reduce obesity, increase physical activity, and improve nutrition among children - three important actions for preventing chronic disease and promoting health. The Active Schools Project will increase options for physical activity in schools and school-linked settings to help young people achieve 60 minutes of daily activity.

Funded schools will increase active time in physical education class, assess student fitness levels, increase active play during recess, increase intramural sports options, open facilities before and after school for physical activity, and increase activity in after-school programs.

Success Stories: Active Schools
This document highlights projects of eight active schools, the strategies they implemented, and the findings from the data the project collected. If you are interested in any aspect of becoming an active school, contact Jon Hisgen at jon.hisgen@dpi.wi.gov.

Brain Breaks for Secondary Students
This powerpoint was developed by the incoming president of Wisconsin Health and Physical Education (WHPE), Jo Bailey, who presented at the 2012 Best Practices symposium. Please consider and encourage the implementation of these cutting edge strategies.

Strategies to Increase Physical Activity

• Active Schools Toolkit
• Physical Activity Category
  • School Physical Education Class Time
  • Physical Activity as Part of the School Day
  • School-Related Physical Activity Outside the School Day
  • Recreation Programs
  • School Transportation-Related Physical Activity
  • Walkable and Bikeable Neighborhoods

Funded School Projects

• School List and Target Physical Activity Strategies
• Descriptions of the Active School Environments Strategies
• Project Coordinator Information

Funded Project Resources and Forms

The Association Between School-Based Physical Activity, Including Physical Education, and Academic Performance Summary report Full report Self-Assessment Webcasts Strategies for Active Schools Strategies for Active Schools Powerpoint Active Schools Data Collection Protocols Active Schools Data Collection Protocols Powerpoint Activity Log Booklet (English) Activity Log Booklet (Spanish) Movin and Munchin Schools Colleen Evans Handouts from Active School/Active Recess Workshop