What does Physical Education look like at this level?

Students build on the basics and start applying skills in real games, fitness routines, and outdoor activities. The focus shifts toward making smart choices about movement, working well with others, and finding activities students might keep up for life.

How can I help my child stay active at home?

Pick activities students actually enjoy and make them part of the weekly routine. A walk after dinner, a bike ride on the weekend, or a pickup game in the yard all count. Consistency matters more than intensity at this age.

My child says they hate gym class. What can I do?

Ask what specifically feels hard. Often it is the team-sport setting, not movement itself. Help students find one activity outside of school they like, such as hiking, lifting, dance, or yoga, so movement starts to feel like theirs.

How should the year be sequenced across these four standards?

Most teachers cycle through fitness, individual activities, team activities, and outdoor or lifetime sports. Skills and social standards get woven into each unit, while fitness concepts and personal wellness come back every quarter so students see progress over time.

What usually needs the most reteaching at this level?

Reading game situations and applying fitness concepts to a personal plan. Students can often perform a skill in drills but struggle to use it under pressure, and many need help connecting heart rate, effort, and recovery to their own workouts.

Does my child need to be good at sports to do well?

No. Grades at this level focus on effort, fitness habits, teamwork, and applying what students know about healthy movement. A student who shows up, tries hard, and treats others well will do fine, even without strong athletic skills.

How do I know students are ready for the next level?

They can design and stick with a simple fitness plan, play a variety of activities safely, and work with a group without constant prompting. They should also be able to explain why regular movement matters and name a few activities they want to keep doing.

What about students who already play a sport outside school?

Use class to broaden their experience rather than repeat it. Lifetime activities like hiking, climbing, swimming, or strength training give athletes something useful beyond their main sport and help them think about wellness once the season ends.

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year physical education shifts from learning skills to building a routine students can keep after graduation. Students refine the movements they have practiced for years and apply them in games, fitness work, and outdoor activities. They also take more ownership of how they treat teammates and handle setbacks. By spring, students can describe a personal plan for staying active and explain why it works for them.

Lifelong fitness
Movement skills
Teamwork
Personal wellness
Healthy choices

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
Movement skills for lifelong activity
Students sharpen the movement skills behind sports, fitness routines, and outdoor activities. They practice running, throwing, striking, and balancing in ways they can keep using long after high school.
2
Fitness concepts in action
Students learn how the body responds to exercise and how to plan a workout that builds strength, endurance, and flexibility. They use heart rate, pacing, and form to train with a purpose.
3
Teamwork and personal responsibility
Students work through games and group activities that depend on clear communication and respect. They practice handling disagreements, encouraging teammates, and taking responsibility for their part.
4
Building a personal wellness plan
Students reflect on what kinds of activity they actually enjoy and set goals they can stick with after the school year ends. They leave with a plan for staying active on their own.

Mastery Learning Standards

The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 11.

Physical Education

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

VT-PE.1.hs-level-2

High School Level 2

Students practice moving, balancing, and handling objects well enough to stay active for life. The focus is on building enough physical skill to make exercise feel worth doing, not just in school but after graduation.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

VT-PE.2.hs-level-2

High School Level 2

Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during physical activity. That means adjusting effort, form, or pacing based on what the activity actually demands.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

VT-PE.3.hs-level-2

High School Level 2

Students practice working with others during physical activities: listening, taking turns, resolving disagreements, and keeping the group focused on a shared goal.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

VT-PE.4.hs-level-2

High School Level 2

Students set personal fitness goals, reflect on why movement feels good to them, and build habits that can last well past high school.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor High School Level 2	Students practice moving, balancing, and handling objects well enough to stay active for life. The focus is on building enough physical skill to make exercise feel worth doing, not just in school but after graduation.	VT-PE.1.hs-level-2
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance High School Level 2	Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during physical activity. That means adjusting effort, form, or pacing based on what the activity actually demands.	VT-PE.2.hs-level-2
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others… High School Level 2	Students practice working with others during physical activities: listening, taking turns, resolving disagreements, and keeping the group focused on a shared goal.	VT-PE.3.hs-level-2
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement High School Level 2	Students set personal fitness goals, reflect on why movement feels good to them, and build habits that can last well past high school.	VT-PE.4.hs-level-2

Physical Education

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

VT-PE.1.hs-level-2

High School Level 2

Students practice moving, balancing, and handling objects well enough to stay active for life. The focus is on building enough physical skill to make exercise feel worth doing, not just in school but after graduation.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

VT-PE.2.hs-level-2

High School Level 2

Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during physical activity. That means adjusting effort, form, or pacing based on what the activity actually demands.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

VT-PE.3.hs-level-2

High School Level 2

Students practice working with others during physical activities: listening, taking turns, resolving disagreements, and keeping the group focused on a shared goal.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

VT-PE.4.hs-level-2

High School Level 2

Students set personal fitness goals, reflect on why movement feels good to them, and build habits that can last well past high school.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor High School Level 2	Students practice moving, balancing, and handling objects well enough to stay active for life. The focus is on building enough physical skill to make exercise feel worth doing, not just in school but after graduation.	VT-PE.1.hs-level-2
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance High School Level 2	Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during physical activity. That means adjusting effort, form, or pacing based on what the activity actually demands.	VT-PE.2.hs-level-2
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others… High School Level 2	Students practice working with others during physical activities: listening, taking turns, resolving disagreements, and keeping the group focused on a shared goal.	VT-PE.3.hs-level-2
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement High School Level 2	Students set personal fitness goals, reflect on why movement feels good to them, and build habits that can last well past high school.	VT-PE.4.hs-level-2

Common Questions

What does Physical Education look like at this level?
Students build on the basics and start applying skills in real games, fitness routines, and outdoor activities. The focus shifts toward making smart choices about movement, working well with others, and finding activities students might keep up for life.
How can I help my child stay active at home?
Pick activities students actually enjoy and make them part of the weekly routine. A walk after dinner, a bike ride on the weekend, or a pickup game in the yard all count. Consistency matters more than intensity at this age.
My child says they hate gym class. What can I do?
Ask what specifically feels hard. Often it is the team-sport setting, not movement itself. Help students find one activity outside of school they like, such as hiking, lifting, dance, or yoga, so movement starts to feel like theirs.
How should the year be sequenced across these four standards?
Most teachers cycle through fitness, individual activities, team activities, and outdoor or lifetime sports. Skills and social standards get woven into each unit, while fitness concepts and personal wellness come back every quarter so students see progress over time.
What usually needs the most reteaching at this level?
Reading game situations and applying fitness concepts to a personal plan. Students can often perform a skill in drills but struggle to use it under pressure, and many need help connecting heart rate, effort, and recovery to their own workouts.
Does my child need to be good at sports to do well?
No. Grades at this level focus on effort, fitness habits, teamwork, and applying what students know about healthy movement. A student who shows up, tries hard, and treats others well will do fine, even without strong athletic skills.
How do I know students are ready for the next level?
They can design and stick with a simple fitness plan, play a variety of activities safely, and work with a group without constant prompting. They should also be able to explain why regular movement matters and name a few activities they want to keep doing.
What about students who already play a sport outside school?
Use class to broaden their experience rather than repeat it. Lifetime activities like hiking, climbing, swimming, or strength training give athletes something useful beyond their main sport and help them think about wellness once the season ends.