Participation in physical education can contribute to positive attitudes regarding vigorous activity as essential throughout life to maintain health and to enrich the quality of life. Because of its unique and essential contribution to the total education program, the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance strongly recommends quality daily physical education instruction be required for grades K-12.
Texas Law as it pertains to Physical Education and Health Education in K-12
TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) – Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Title 19, Part II, Chapter 116, TEKS for Physical Education and Health Education
Minutes of TEKS based physical activity required - Texas Education Code (TEC), Title 2, Subtitle F, Chapter 28, Subchapter A
Physical Fitness Assessment Initiative - State law requires school districts to annually assess the physical fitness of students enrolled in grade three or higher and to provide the results of individual student performance on the administered physical fitness assessments to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The Physical Fitness Assessment Initiative (PFAI) is a program designed to collect and analyze the required student physical fitness data.
Each year, physical fitness educators collect various fitness measurements of students for the PFAI and record the data.
- FitnessGram® assessments are the assessment tools all Texas school districts must administer for the purpose of the PFAI.
- Physical fitness data must be submitted to the agency in one of two ways: 1) using FitnessGram® software or 2) using the PFAI application available through the Texas Education Agency Login (TEAL).
- Physical fitness data is due each year on the second Friday of June by 5:00 p.m.
- TEA aggregates the physical fitness data collected for the PFAI and provides a report to the legislature.
- Schools are not required to submit ethnicity data due to changes in federal and state ethnicity codes.
CPR – AED Instruction required - Texas Education Code (TEC), Title 2, Subtitle F, Chapter 28.0023
SHAC – School Health Advisory Council and Health Education Instruction - Texas Education Code (TEC), Title 2, Subtitle F, Chapter 28.004
Physical Education Teachers of the Year