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PE teachers present shift to physical literacy and proficiency-based grading to Missisquoi Valley board
Summary
District PE teachers told the board the new K–12 standards emphasize physical literacy, proficiency-based assessment and lifetime activity rather than traditional sport performance; presenters said Vermont has adopted grade-span performance indicators that the district is aligning to.
Tessa Masset, a seventh–through–12th-grade teacher, and Cameron Nielsson, a K–6 teacher, told the Missisquoi Valley School District board that the district is implementing newly adopted physical education standards focused on ‘‘physical literacy’’ and proficiency-based assessment.
The presentation, which the teachers framed as part of the district strategic plan on student well-being, said the new approach shifts PE from participation and standardized fitness tests to demonstrated skills, social-emotional learning and personal goal-setting. "PE is for all, not for some," Masset said, summarizing the presenters’ central message.
Why it matters: The teachers said the standards aim to prepare students to be lifelong movers by teaching a range of movement categories (net/wall, target, invasion games), motor skills fundamentals in elementary grades and more self-directed personal fitness and lifetime activities in high school. The presenters said proficiency will be shown in multiple ways — not by a single fitness test — and will include social and cognitive indicators such as teamwork, sportsmanship and health literacy.
Presentation details: The district’s model follows national guidance and the presenters noted Vermont has consolidated national standards into grade-span performance indicators the state recommends. Examples shown to the board included progression charts for elementary, middle and high school; atypical units such as circus arts, fitness drumming and outdoor activities (skiing, snowshoeing, archery); and an integration of social-emotional learning into assessment rubrics.
Professional development and recognition: Masset and Nielsson said MBSD staff participated in Shape Vermont training and hosted a regional training for PE teachers; the presenters described invitations to present at out-of-state conferences. Kosha (district staff) later noted the work has earned regional and state recognition.
Board response and next steps: Board members thanked the presenters and asked about resources and state alignment. Superintendent Julie Regal noted the district had been an early adopter of the training the year before Vermont’s state guidance and encouraged continued professional development; the board did not take any formal vote on curriculum changes at the meeting. The presentation materials and Vermont Agency of Education performance indicators were offered as resources for board members to review.
The board moved on to administrative reports after the presentation; no formal policy action was taken at this meeting.
