Every day, students make decisions affecting their health and well-being: what foods to eat; what company to keep; what risks to take; and what to do for an active lifestyle. These decisions often lead to habits that stay with them throughout life. The Health Education and Physical Education Standards and performance indicators represent the essential knowledge and skills students need to be healthy and fit individuals. These standards guide instruction that will help students make better decisions about their health and set them up for being physically literate and health literate for a lifetime. Through achievement of these standards, students learn that their decisions can affect their health and set a pattern for their lives. Students also learn to protect their health by acquiring reliable information, building skills, seeking good advice and friendships, and taking responsibility for their own wellness which contributes to a healthy, active, balanced approach to life.
With that in mind, the health education and physical education learning results are comprised of an introduction and nine standards (Health Concepts, Health information/Products and Services, Health Promotion and Risk Reduction, Influences on Health, Communication and Advocacy Skills, Decision-making and Goal-setting Skills, Movement/ Motor Skills and Knowledge, Physical Fitness Activities and Knowledge, Personal and Social Skills and Knowledge). Each standard then includes performance indicators and some include descriptors by grade bands (PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-Diploma).
Standards Updates
| 2020 | 2026 | 2031 |
|---|
| Step | Time Period | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Fall | Commissioner gives the approval to begin the standards review process |
| Step 2 | Fall | Public comment period and hearings on current content standards |
| Step 3 | Winter |
Steering Committee: A committee of content area experts who represent the cultural diversity found in Maine and a range of viewpoints as to the content of the standards is formed and tasked to:
The Maine State Board of Education will appoint one member of the Steering Committee. |
| Step 4 | Winter | Maine DOE review and approval of the steering committee's recommended blueprint for standards revision |
| Step 5 | Summer | Writing Team: Teams of pk-12 public school teachers who represent Maine’s cultural and geographical diversity are formed and broken into smaller groups, facilitated by the Maine DOE content specialist, to revise content standards based on guidance from the Steering Committee. |
| Step 6 | Summer | The Writing Team submits draft proposal to the Maine Department of Education. |
| Step 7 | Fall | Internal Maine DOE review of standards revision |
| Step 8 | Fall | The Maine DOE files the standards revision document as proposed rules with the Secretary of State. |
| Step 9 | Fall | Maine DOE will hold a public hearing followed by a public comment period on the proposed rules. |
| Step 10 | Winter | Maine DOE prepares and submits provisional adoption of standards revision to the Secretary of State and Legislative Council. The Legislature, once in session in January, will refer the rule as a legislative document to the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee where they will be given an LD Resolve to revise during session. |
| Step 11 | Winter | The Education and Cultural Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing and work session before sending the proposed rules on to the full legislature. |
| Step 12 | Spring | Final adoption of revised standards by the Maine State Legislature. |
| Step 13 | Spring | The Maine Department of Education will prepare the standards regulation for final adoption |