A Quality checklist

Carl Gabbard, Professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Texas A&M University and past President of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, lays out the following essentials of a quality PE program in an article titled "Physical Education: Should It Be in the Core Curriculum?" that ran in Principal magazine in January. A quality program:

Is an integral part of, and consistent with, the total educational philosophy of the school
Serves the diverse needs of all students
Is based on an established written curriculum
Is of sufficient breadth and depth to be challenging to all
Is developmentally based and progressively sequenced from year to year
Is regularly updated and revised
Has well-defined objectives for progressive learning
Is built around the development of efficient, effective, and expressive movement abilities
Provides opportunities for the development of fundamental movement patterns and specific movement skills
Provides experiences to enhance the development of physical fitness
Provides opportunities for students to develop skills in games/sports, dance/rhythm, and gymnastics
Provides opportunities for students to enhance their knowledge and understanding of human movement in a variety of physical activities
Promotes safe behaviors by incorporating proper safety practices into physical education lessons
Fosters creativity
Promotes self-understanding and acceptance
Promotes positive social interaction and self-control
Recognizes and provides for learning enjoyment and fun
Helps each student learn how to manage risk-taking and other challenges