The Louisiana Department of Education(LDOE) Physical Education Content Standards Review Committee on Nov. 1 endorsed a set of structural changes intended to make K 612 physical education standards clearer and more developmentally appropriate.

The steering committee voted to relabel the five existing overarching standards as concise "domains," adopt a simplified coding system, remove the EMA (emerging/maturing/applying) performance-indicator framework, and organize standards into grade bands (K 1, 2 3, 4 5, 6 8 and 9 12). The motions were made and seconded on the record and carried with no opposition during the meeting.

Why it matters: Morgan Smith, director of health and physical education at LDOE, said the changes aim to emphasize progressive skill development, increase clarity for classroom implementation and better align standards with natural developmental milestones rather than prescriptive, grade-by-grade performance counts. Smith told the committee the update is intended to support "lifelong health-enhancing physical activity" and give teachers more flexible, observable language to use in instruction and assessment.

What the committee endorsed: The committee approved shorter domain titles that will replace long sentence-style overarching standards; a streamlined coding format to make standards easier to locate; removal of the EMA performance indicators, which the presenters said do not fit the variability of student development; and a reorganization of content into the five grade bands listed above. The committee also agreed that examples and task progressions will be provided separately in guidance documents to help teachers differentiate for learners and for adaptive instruction developed by the district's diverse learners team.

Votes at a glance:
- Endorse domains: motion by Amy Ballard, second by Christie Scott; motion carried, no opposition (official roll-call tally not recorded in the minutes).
- Endorse new coding format: motion by Byron Reyes, second by Tamika Zachary; motion carried, no opposition (official roll-call tally not recorded).
- Remove EMA performance indicators: motion by Carrie Lee, second by Kiana Bell; motion carried, no opposition (official roll-call tally not recorded).
- Endorse new organization/grade-band structure: motion by Mr. Kinley, second by Christie Scott; motion carried, no opposition (official roll-call tally not recorded).

Discussion and next steps: Committee members discussed examples that will appear in separate guidance documents rather than in the standards text (for example, task progressions for catching, serving, and locomotor skills). Members urged inclusive language changes (for example, replacing "target" with "control force and directionality", using "and/or" to increase flexibility), and recommended that guidance show differentiated tasks for beginner through advanced learners. LDOE staff said the steering committee will receive compiled notes from grade-band work groups and will vote on draft standards at subsequent meetings; the review timeline presented at the meeting calls for a five-month committee review with two months of public comment, professional learning in 2026 27, and full implementation in 2027 28.

Work group reports: After the structural votes the meeting broke into grade-band work groups. K 5 representatives reported removing specific K 1 items and restoring wording about variations of force; they recommended the guidance include differentiated examples. The 6 12 group reported similar edits emphasizing inclusive language ("mature" '1"appropriate") and adding "and/or" in places to avoid overly prescriptive expectations.

What was not decided: The steering committee approved the structural framework and coding but did not finalize the full text of revised standards during this meeting; the committees will draft and return recommended language at later meetings. The committee also noted that specialized adaptive individual programing for students with identified needs will be developed separately by the diverse learners team.

Next meeting and materials: LDOE staff said members will receive the meeting minutes, logistics memo and draft materials in advance of the next meeting on Dec. 3 so steering and work-group members can prepare for formal votes on drafted standards.