(a) General requirements. Students shall be awarded one credit for successful completion of this course.     
      (b) Introduction.      
        (1) Physical education is the foundation of a well-balanced curriculum. "It is an academic subject with a planned and sequential K-12 curriculum based on the national standards for physical education. Physical education provides cognitive content and instruction designed to develop motor skills, knowledge, and behaviors for physical activity and physical fitness. Supporting schools to establish daily physical education can provide students with the ability and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CDC Healthy Schools, May 2019).                  (A) Physical education is designed to develop motor skills, knowledge, and behaviors for active living, physical fitness, sportsmanship, self-efficacy, and emotional intelligence. Physical education addresses the three domains of learning: cognitive skills related to the knowledge of movement, affective skills related to feelings and attitudes about movement, and psychomotor skills related to the manual or physical skills in movement literacy (SHAPE America, 2014, p. 4).                   (B) Physically literate students have the ability to develop a lifetime of wellness. Physical literacy can be described as the ability to move with competence and confidence, to acquire knowledge and understanding, and to value and take responsibility for engagement in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person (Mandigo, Francis, Lodewyk & Lopez, 2012, and Whitehead, 2016).                   (C) Research shows physical education is important to the development of the whole child and increases a lifetime of wellness. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the National Academy of Medicine support the belief that physical education, taught at a developmentally appropriate level, improves physical fitness and skill development, supports and improves academic achievement, reinforces self-discipline and teacher goal setting, reduces stress and increases blood flow to the brain, strengthens peer relationships, and improves self-confidence and self-esteem.         
        (2) The physical education standards are categorized into five strands that are of equal importance and value. The movement patterns and movement skills strand guides the physically literate student in the development of fundamental movement patterns, spatial and body awareness, and rhythmic activities. The performance strategies strand guides the physically literate student in using strategies in fundamental components of games, activities, and outdoor and recreational pursuits. The health, physical activity, and fitness strand encompasses health-related fitness, environmental awareness, and safety practices that guide students to a health-enhancing, physically active lifestyle. The physically literate student demonstrates skills and mechanics used during physical activity and analyzes data used during fitness performance. The physically literate student recognizes the correlation between nutrition, hydration, and physical activity. The social and emotional health strand incorporates working with others, responding to class expectations, and applying self-management skills. The lifetime wellness strand engages students in physical activity for the purposes of self-expression, enjoyment, and challenge.       
        (3) Quality physical education programs include a comprehensive curriculum, physical activity, safety policies, safe environments, qualified physical education specialists instructing the class, and student assessment and do not use physical activity as a form of punishment. Texas state law outlines state requirements that support these essential components. In accordance with state law, physical education curriculum and instruction must be sequential, developmentally appropriate, and designed to meet the needs of all students, including students with disabilities, and of all physical ability levels. At least 50% of the physical education class must be used for actual student physical activity at a moderate or vigorous intensity level, which aligns with additional state requirements for a minimum number of minutes for moderate or vigorous physical activity in Kindergarten-Grade 8. Required student-to-teacher ratios of 45-to-1 ensure the proper supervision and safety of students in physical education classes, and school districts must identify how student safety will be maintained if that ratio is exceeded. State law also requires that school districts and charter schools annually assess the physical fitness of students in Grade 3 or higher who are enrolled in a physical education course.       
        (4) Access to course-appropriate physical education equipment is essential to quality instruction. Course-appropriate equipment for all students is imperative for the development of motor skills, manipulative skills, and eventually becoming a physically literate, lifelong learner. Equipment should include a variety of sizes, weights, and textures to provide differentiated experiences for students of various ability levels.       
        (5) The Lifetime Fitness and Wellness Pursuits course offers current approaches for the foundation of personal fitness, physical literacy, lifetime wellness, and healthy living. Students in Lifetime Fitness and Wellness Pursuits will apply the knowledge and skills to demonstrate mastery of the concepts needed to achieve lifetime wellness. Students will participate in a variety of physical activities for attaining personal fitness and lifetime wellness.       
        (6) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.       
      (c) Knowledge and skills.      
        (1) Movement patterns and movement skills. While participating in physical activity, the physically literate student applies physiological and biomechanical principles to improve health-related fitness. The student is expected to:                  (A) apply physiological and fitness principles related to exercise and training, including warm-up and cool-down, overload, frequency, intensity, time, and specificity; and                   (B) apply basic biomechanical principles related to exercise and training, including force, leverage, and type of contraction.         
        (2) Performance strategies. During physical activity, the physically literate student applies skills, techniques, and safety practices associated with physical activity. The student is expected to:                  (A) apply appropriate procedures to ensure safety;                   (B) apply appropriate practices and procedures to improve skills in various fitness activities;                   (C) perform skills and appropriate techniques at a basic level of competency;                   (D) modify movement during performance using appropriate internal and external feedback; and                   (E) explain various methods to achieve personal fitness, including interval training, circuit training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and functional fitness training.         
        (3) Health, physical activity, and fitness. The physically literate student applies fitness principles that encompass personal fitness programs, nutrition, technology, and environmental awareness. The student is expected to:                  (A) demonstrate appropriate safety procedures, including wearing proper attire, using equipment safely, practicing exercise etiquette, and recognizing situational environmental hazards;                   (B) identify and describe exercise techniques that may be harmful or unsafe;                   (C) explain the relationships among hydration, physical activity, and environmental conditions;                   (D) explain the relationship between physical fitness and wellness;                   (E) participate in a variety of activities that develop health-related physical fitness;                   (F) describe training principles appropriate to enhance cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility;                   (G) exhibit a basic level of competency in two or more aerobic and two or more anaerobic activities;                   (H) select and use appropriate technology tools to evaluate, monitor, and improve health-related fitness;                   (I) design and implement a personal fitness program that includes health-related fitness components;                   (J) measure and evaluate personal skill-related components of physical fitness, including agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, and speed; and                   (K) measure and evaluate personal fitness in terms of health-related fitness components.         
        (4) Social and emotional health. During physical activity, the physically literate student develops positive self-management and social skills needed to work independently and with others. The student is expected to:                  (A) describe and analyze the relationship between physical activity and social and emotional health;                   (B) discuss how improvement is possible with appropriate practice;                   (C) identify and respond to challenges, successes, conflicts, and failures in physical activities in socially appropriate ways;                   (D) explain how to accept successes and performance limitations of self and others by exhibiting appropriate behavior and response; and                   (E) evaluate the impact of the use of technology on social and emotional health.         
        (5) Lifetime wellness. The physically literate student comprehends practices that will impact daily performance, physical activity, and health throughout the lifespan. The student is expected to:                  (A) describe how sleep is essential to optimal performance and recovery;                   (B) identify myths associated with physical activity and nutritional practices;                   (C) explain the relationship between nutritional practices and physical activity;                   (D) explain the risks of over training;                   (E) evaluate consumer issues and trends related to physical fitness such as marketing claims promoting fitness and nutritional products, services, and supplements; and                   (F) analyze how nutrition, exercise, and other factors impact body composition.         
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §116.62 adopted to be effective August 1, 2022, 46 TexReg 2804