JUMPING WITH JOY OVER MUSD’S BRAND-NEW K-8 PE CURRICULUM
Grade level standards vs. curriculum: You’ve heard these terms before, and may have wondered, “What’s the difference?” Standards are what a student needs to learn, and curriculum refers to how an educator teaches students to achieve standards. At the state level, California educators and citizens work with the California Department of Education to write, review, and revise standards. Then, for standards to become official, the California State Board of Education approves standards. While at the local level, teachers and administrators recommend curriculum (things like textbooks, instructional programs, and resources) to a local school board for school district adoption. Once curriculum is adopted by a school district, educators use that curriculum to teach students state-approved learning standards. The big picture: a child must meet state standards in every grade level, K-12, to receive a California high school diploma. This is why the term Grade-Level Standards is at
the forefront in MUSD, it drives discussions, decisions, and ultimately determines a student’s trajectory and success. This is also why curriculum adoptions in MUSD are exciting and newsworthy to share! At the April 2022 Board of Education meeting, the Board unanimously approved a new Physical Education (PE) curriculum to be implemented in elementary schools.
Curriculum Vetting: A decision to implement a brand-new curriculum begins with an adoption committee. “It has been my pleasure leading and facilitating our PE Curricular Adoption committee to select the best standards based physical education curriculum that aligns with our MUSD vision and will provide students with the skills necessary to be successful,” stated Julie Hollander, MUSD Director of Teaching and Learning. The committee consisted of a PE teacher from every elementary school, with French Camp teacher Kortney Agdeppa taking lead, Executive Director of Elementary Education Jenni Andrews, Instructional Materials Supervisor Kimi Davis-Olivas, Technology Analysist Kathy Cambra, and Hollander. Teacher Kortney Agdeppa commented on her perspective and leadership role on the committee, “It’s
important to me to advocate for physical education. At times, physical education can get misinterpreted for physical activity. And it’s important for not only our students but our teachers to know that physical education has standards and student learning outcomes such as building teamwork skills, sportsmanship, problem solving, strategizing, social emotional learning, and much more.” The work began Fall 2021. After initial vetting, the committee narrowed in on two curriculums to compare and evaluate very closely: SPARK PE and OPEN PE. Each PE teacher dedicated eight weeks to pilot a unit in both curriculums and during the evaluation process, “our focus was to identify a rigorous standards-based PE curriculum that aligned to meet the instructional needs of students while being aligned to MUSD’s mission,” described Hollander. For close evaluation, the committee used a specific analysis tool designed for PE and developed by the CDC known as the PECAT (Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool). The tool helps school districts assess how closely PE curricula aligns with standards by analyzing curriculum outcomes, content, and components.
meeting before official board recommendation, the committee voted unanimously for SPARK PE. “Based on our evaluation data, students feel safe and supported when their learning environment is implemented with the SPARK Curriculum. When students can feel safe in their learning environment, we are more likely to see a higher-level of competence and confidence which builds individual success,” said Hollander.
Cost: For an eight-year subscription that includes instructional materials, equipment packages and professional development, the total adoption cost is $1,360,746.81.
Implementation: Following an introductory training in May, on August 1, 2022, all elementary PE teachers will undergo 90 minutes of training for initial SPARK PE implementation at the outset of the 2022/23 school year. Throughout the year, Hollander explained that select PE teachers will be chosen as teacher leaders to attend special SPARK PE trainings to bring that knowledge back to MUSD where teacher leaders become the trainers and will host a series of trainings for PE educators by region. This professional development model is known as Trainer of Trainer, or TOT.
Results and Recommendation: When the committee was asked if the OPEN PE learning experience supported student understanding of the standard, 4.39/5 agreed that it did. When the same question was asked for SPARK PE, 4.57/5 agreed that it did. When students were asked their feedback about how much they enjoyed their experience, they rated OPEN PE lessons 3.60/5 compared to SPARK PE lessons which scored 3.81/5. When it came time for the committee’s final consensus
Standards based education matters – and this begins with the curriculum. Our vision at Manteca Unified is to provide a curriculum where EVERY student works to achieve grade level standards in a safe and supported environment.