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New Health Education Standards Provide Greater Guidance to Public Schools

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Contact: Fred Lewis, [email protected], (202) 412-2167

In an effort to improve health and academic outcomes for public schools students in the District of Columbia, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) has developed new, comprehensive Health Education Standards that will take effect at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.

The standards were approved April 20 by the DC State Board of Education.  OSSE drafted the standards in partnership with the State Board of Education, educators, students, parents, health advocates, District agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure that the new standards reflect best practices and evidence-based approaches in health education. The new standards, which replace the standards approved in 2007, are aligned to the National Health Education Standards and the DC Health and Physical Education Assessment and are grounded in the needs of District students.

“These new standards reflect local and national trends in health education, and will help all of us better support students in the District on their health and wellness needs,” said State Superintendent of Education Hanseul Kang.

The Health Education Standards provide concise, clearly articulated descriptions of what students should know and be able to do at specific stages in their education.

The DC Health Education Standards cover six categories: Mental and Emotional Health; Safety Skills; Human Body and Personal Health; Disease Prevention; Nutrition; and Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs. The standards also offer eight strands that provide overarching context of what students should know and be able to do to adopt or maintain healthy behavior: Health Promotion; Analyzing Influences; Accessing Information; Communication; Decision-making; Goal-setting; Healthy Behaviors; and Advocacy.  

From October 2015 through March 2016, OSSE analyzed current standards, evaluated other states’ standards as well as the National Health Education Standards, convened teacher engagement sessions, participated in State Board of Education public engagement sessions and public hearings, and reviewed written feedback from stakeholders. On Jan. 7, 2016, OSSE released a draft of the standards to local education agencies (LEAs) to field test. On March 28, OSSE released the DC Health and Physical Education Assessment to field test selected standards released on Jan. 7.

In the coming months, OSSE will provide training and resources related to the standards and offer technical assistance directly to LEAs and schools during the implementation phase of the standards. View the new DC Health and Physical Education Standards on the OSSE website.