What is the course of study for the elementary grades?
The selection of a course of study for grades one through six is the responsibility of local governing boards of education. The course of study selected and implemented for physical education, beginning in grade one and continuing through grade six, must include instruction with an “emphasis upon the physical activities for the pupils that may be conducive to health and vigor of body and mind, for a total period of time not less than 200 minutes each ten schooldays, exclusive of recess and the lunch period” (EC Section 51210 [g]). The CDE provides both the Physical Education Model Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve and the Physical Education Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve that it recommends local governing boards use to guide their choice of courses of study for physical education programs. Both documents are available on the CDE Curriculum and Instruction Web page.
