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District unveils K–4 physical‑education curriculum updates to align with New York State standards
Summary
District staff presented a draft K–4 physical education curriculum aligned to New York State learning standards and the district’s Understanding by Design framework; next steps include classroom collaboration, annual review and alignment with middle‑school curriculum.
Northport‑East Northport School District staff presented proposed revisions to the K–4 physical‑education curriculum at the Jan. 9 Board of Education meeting, describing changes to align local practice with the revised New York State physical‑education learning standards and to emphasize social‑emotional learning.
Physical‑education coordinator Mark Dantuano outlined the rationale for the rewrite, saying state standards issued in 2020 place explicit emphasis on social‑emotional learning (SEL) integrated with physical skills. The draft curriculum uses the district’s Understanding‑by‑Design (UbD) planning template with three stages: desired outcomes, evidence (assessment) and the learning plan (lesson sequencing).
Dantuano told trustees the district surveyed staff to recruit teacher leaders and to shape the writing team; teacher leaders from each elementary building — Steven Carr (Pulaski), Kathleen Catania (Ocean Avenue), Stacy Norman (North Avenue) and Lisa Schafer (Fifth Avenue) — took part in writing and the district intends to use collaboration time and department meetings to finalize the document. The team also plans an annual curriculum review process and cross‑level collaboration between elementary teacher leaders and middle‑school PE staff to scaffold learning across grades.
On the draft rubric shown to trustees, Dantuano said assessments focus on demonstrating skill approach and mechanics (hand placement, footwork) rather than simply successful completion of an athletic act (for example, whether a student catches the ball). Board members asked whether assessment outcomes will measure students’ application of mechanics and approach rather than binary success, and Dantuano confirmed the rubric evaluates “critical elements” of a skill and includes differentiated tasks to accommodate differing student abilities.
Trustees asked about staff participation in the writing process; Dantuano said four staff volunteers were on the writing team. Trustees also asked about alignment with secondary expectations; Dantuano said the K–4 work is the foundation and the district will proceed to middle‑school redevelopment next.
The presentation did not include a board vote; staff requested feedback and identified next steps: elementary staff collaboration time for implementation, establishment of an annual review, and facilitation of cross‑level coordination to scaffold K–4 through middle and high school. The district plans to bring a final curriculum to the board for approval in a future meeting.
