Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Education Committee

HB 1235

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Requires all school districts, beginning in the 2018-19 school year, to conduct an annual assessment of their physical education (PE) programs.
Specifies numerous provisions the assessment must consist of, including: (1) a summary of the amount of PE instruction being offered in each school within the district; (2) the total number of PE instructors of the district who possess a valid health and fitness endorsement; and (3) an assessment of whether the PE programs have appropriate equipment and adequate facilities.
Requires school districts to annually post the collected assessment data on their websites and to provide it to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for compilation, summarization, and posting on the OSPI website.

Background:

Every public school student in grades 1 through 8 must receive instruction in physical education (PE) as prescribed by rule of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI). Students may be excused from PE course requirements on account of physical disability, religious belief, or participation in directed athletics.

All high schools of the state must emphasize the work of PE, and carry into effect all PE requirements established by the SPI's rules. Individual students may be excused from participating in PE otherwise required because of physical disability, employment, or religious belief, or because of participation in directed athletics or military science and tactics or for other good cause.

In 2016, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) adopted revised K-12 learning standards for health and PE that describe what students should know and be able to do as they progress through school. Although the PE K-12 learning standards that the OSPI adopted are the National Standards adopted by SHAPE (Society for Health and Physical Educators) America, curriculum decisions, in accordance with a district's overall approach to teaching and learning, are made by the local school district.

Administrative rules adopted by the OSPI for grades one through eight specify that, unless a waiver applies, students must, on average, have at least 100 instructional minutes of PE per week per year. For grades 9-12, one credit course or its equivalent must be offered in PE for each grade in the high school program.

Summary of Bill:

Beginning in the 2018-19 school year, all school districts must conduct an annual assessment of their PE programs. The assessment must consist of numerous provisions, including:

A summary of the amount of PE instruction being offered in each school within the district. This summary must include:
- the total number of students in PE programs;
- the average class size, by school, for the PE instruction periods within the district;
- the average number of days per school year that students are receiving PE instruction;
- the average number of class periods, blocks, or applicable measurement per week of PE; and
- the average number of total instructional minutes per week of PE received by students, including the average amount received per student.
the total number of PE instructors of the district who possess a valid health and fitness endorsement, and for PE instructors who do not possess a valid health and fitness endorsement, a plan for insuring that those instructors will seek the endorsement and demonstrate progress in doing so;
an assessment of whether the PE programs of the district have appropriate equipment and adequate facilities for students to engage in the recommended amount and intensity of PE;
an indication of whether the district or schools within the district permit students to be excused from participating in PE programs to allow students to prepare for other classes or standardized tests;
an indication of whether the district or schools within the district, instead of issuing excuses from participating in PE programs, offer modifications or adaptations to programs that allow students with disabilities to participate in these programs;
an indication of whether the district or schools within the district allow teachers or administrators to exclude students from PE programs for disciplinary reasons; and
an indication of whether PE course grades are included, either throughout the district or in schools within the district, in the calculation of grade point averages, class rank, and academic recognition programs, including honor roll, in the same manner as other subject areas.

Within one year of the collection of the annual assessment, the results must be available to the public and posted on the web site of the district, and must be submitted to the OSPI. The results of the assessment should be integrated into the district's school wellness policy.

The OSPI is directed to compile and summarize the annual assessment results it receives and must make the summaries and individual district assessments available to the public in an easy-to-access form on its web site within one year of the data being submitted.