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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year P.E. starts pointing toward life after high school. Students sharpen the movement skills they already have and learn how fitness actually works, from heart rate to strength to recovery. They practice working with teammates, handling disagreements, and showing up for a group. By spring, students can plan a workout or activity they would actually keep doing on their own.

  • Fitness concepts
  • Movement skills
  • Teamwork
  • Lifelong wellness
  • Personal responsibility
Source: Vermont Common Core State Standards
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Movement skills and fitness basics

    Students sharpen the basic moves used in sports and everyday activity, like running, jumping, throwing, and catching. They also learn what it means to warm up safely and how the body responds to exercise.

  2. 2

    Teamwork and fair play

    Students play group games and team sports where cooperation and communication matter as much as the score. They practice respecting teammates, including classmates with different skill levels, and handling wins and losses.

  3. 3

    Fitness concepts and personal goals

    Students learn the parts of fitness, such as strength, endurance, and flexibility, and try activities that build each one. They set a personal fitness goal and track their own progress over several weeks.

  4. 4

    Lifelong activity and wellness

    Students explore activities they could keep doing as adults, like hiking, biking, yoga, or weight training. They reflect on what they enjoy and make a plan for staying active outside of class.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 10.
Physical Education

  • Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor

    VT-PE.1.hs-level-1
    High School Level 1

    Students practice moving (running, jumping), balancing, and controlling objects like balls or equipment. Building these skills gives students more ways to stay active for life.

  • Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

    VT-PE.2.hs-level-1
    High School Level 1

    Students connect what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during physical activity. That means understanding why warm-ups matter, how effort affects performance, and what keeps the body healthy over time.

  • Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

    VT-PE.3.hs-level-1
    High School Level 1

    Students practice working with others during physical activities: taking turns, listening, and adjusting their behavior to keep group activities running smoothly.

  • Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

    VT-PE.4.hs-level-1
    High School Level 1

    Students start building habits around movement by figuring out which activities they actually enjoy and why. The goal is to make regular physical activity a personal choice, not just a class requirement.

Common Questions
  • What does physical education look like at this level?

    Students build movement skills they can use for life, not just in class. That means playing sports and games, doing fitness activities like running or strength work, and learning how to warm up, cool down, and stay active outside of school. Health and fitness concepts get woven in alongside the activity.

  • How can I help my child stay active at home?

    Pick something they actually enjoy and do it together a few times a week. A walk after dinner, a bike ride on the weekend, or a pickup game in the yard all count. The goal is regular movement, not a perfect workout.

  • My child says they are not a sports person. Does that matter?

    No. This level is about finding activities students will keep doing as adults, which often means hiking, biking, dancing, lifting, yoga, or yard work. Help them try a few different things and notice what feels good.

  • How do I sequence skills and fitness across the year?

    Many teachers open with cooperative games and fitness baselines, then rotate through team activities, individual or lifetime activities, and a fitness unit. Revisit core concepts like heart rate, effort, and goal setting in each unit so they stick rather than sitting in one isolated block.

  • What does mastery look like by the end of the year?

    Students can perform movement skills well enough to join a game or workout without sitting out. They can explain why a warm-up matters, track their own effort, and work with a group without drama. Most can also name one or two activities they plan to keep doing.

  • How is a student graded in this class?

    Grades usually reflect skill, effort, fitness participation, and how a student treats classmates. Showing up dressed, trying hard, and being a decent teammate matters as much as athletic ability. Ask the teacher for the specific rubric if it is not clear.

  • Which areas usually need the most reteaching?

    Pacing and effort come up again and again. Students often go all-out for a minute then quit, or coast the whole period. Short fitness check-ins with heart rate or rate of perceived exertion, repeated across units, do more than a single fitness lesson.

  • How do I handle students with very different fitness levels in one class?

    Offer two or three versions of each task and let students pick. A run can be a jog, a walk-jog, or intervals. Grade the effort and the choice to push, not the raw time, so a beginner and an athlete can both have a strong day.

  • How do I know my child is ready for the next level?

    They can join most activities without needing the rules re-explained, manage their own warm-up, and talk about fitness in real terms like heart rate or muscle groups. They also cooperate with classmates they did not pick. If those are in place, they are ready.