(The Center Square) – Louisiana public schools will begin operating under new physical education standards in the 2027-28 school year that call for fitness assessments beginning in kindergarten, but local school systems will have discretion over how those assessments are administered and whether individual results are shared with parents
The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved the revised K-12 standards Wednesday after a review process that began last year
The Louisiana Department of Education released draft standards for public comment in March. The department said respondents generally supported clearer expectations and a greater emphasis on active participation, while some raised concerns about available facilities and instructional time
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The new standards are separate from Louisiana’s recess requirements. State law requires public schools serving kindergarten through fifth grade to provide at least 15 minutes of supervised, unstructured recess each school day
The Education Department told The Center Square it recommends that all students participate in an age-appropriate fitness assessment to meet the standard, but school systems can adapt assessment practices as needed
School systems will also decide whether and how individual results are shared with parents. The results will not be reported to the Education Department, included in school accountability measures and should not be used as the basis for student grades
Instead, the Education Department said the assessments are intended to help students understand their own fitness, inform instruction and encourage lifelong physical activity
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“Research consistently shows the positive impact of personal fitness on a healthy life,” State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said in announcing the standards. “These fitness-based standards equip students with knowledge and skills they’ll use the rest of their lives to remain active.”
The changes place greater emphasis on students demonstrating physical skills rather than simply identifying them
The standards also avoid requiring particular equipment, facilities or curriculum, allowing schools to adapt instruction to the re
Asked whether implementing the standards would create additional costs for the state or local school systems, the Education Department did not provide a cost estimate. The department instead pointed to that flexibility and said it will provide professional learning and implementation re
The department plans in-person training for school systems as well as training videos and a re
