2012 Shape of the Nation Report Reveals State Loopholes

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2012 Shape of the Nation Report Reveals State Loopholes
Posted on 01/03/2013
The 2012 Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in the USA, released by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the American Heart Association, finds that while 74.5 percent of states mandate physical education in elementary through high school, most still fail to require a specific amount of instructional time and nearly half allow exemptions, waivers, and/or substitutions. These “loopholes” reduce the effectiveness of policy efforts to ensure the quality of physical education currently taught in the nation’s schools.

While physical education is a graduation requirement in New York, the time spent in PE decreases as students age.  The highest minimum, 120 minutes for students in grades K-6, still falls far below the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 150 minutes per week for elementary students and 225 minutes per week for secondary school students.  Substitutions for PE are still permitted in the state.

Full Shape of the Nation Report