Background
Health and physical education are an important part of school. Strong health and physical education standards provide a clear, skills-based and age-appropriate approach to essential health topics that impact District students. The DC Health Education Standards and DC Physical Education Standards were last updated in 2016 and 2017, respectively. In March 2023, following the passage of the Expanding Student Access to Period Products Act of 2022 (DC Official Code § 38-531.03), the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) added supplemental DC state learning standards for menstrual health education.
2024-25 Standards Revision Process
In the 2024-25 school year, OSSE is engaging the DC community to revise the DC Health Education Standards and the DC Physical Education Standards following the release of updated national health education standards and national physical education standards by the Society of Health and Physical Educators, or SHAPE America. As part of the standards revision process, OSSE is reviewing other states’ health and physical education standards and conducting extensive stakeholder engagement with educators, community members, parents/caregivers, students and subject matter experts. Information gathered from these activities will inform OSSE’s standards revision process. OSSE anticipates implementing the new standards beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
Timeline for Standards Development
The standards will be developed across the following timeline:
- March 2024: Attended the SHAPE America National Convention and Expo introducing the new national standards.
- May – Aug. 2024: Conducted a review of DC, state and national standards.
- September – October 2024: Conducted focus groups with educators, community-based organizations, government agencies and parents/caregivers.
- October 2024: Revised draft standards.
- November – December 2024: Engage subject matter experts in an external review of draft standards.
- January – February 2025: Release draft standards for public comment.
- March 2025: Review and incorporate public comment feedback.
- April 2025: Present draft standards to SBOE and incorporate SBOE feedback.
- May 2025: Present final standards and resolution of support to SBOE.
- 2025-26 School Year: DC local education agencies (LEAs) implement standards.
Public Comment
Public comment will open on Monday, Jan. 13 and close Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Public comment allows the community to provide input on the draft health education standards and physical education standards. OSSE will use input from the public comment period to consider changes to the draft standards before submitting the standards to the State Board of Education for approval.
If you have any questions about the standards revision process or opportunities for feedback, please contact [email protected].