Articulation of the National Health Education Standards to Support Learning and Healthy Behaviors Among Students

Abstract

The original and revised National Health Education Standards (NHES) and performance indicators provide the foundation for curriculum, instruction and assessment in health education. The article clarifies the revised NHES and performance indicators for classroom teachers, health education teachers, curriculum directors, state department of education health educators working on the development of state-level standards, and health education teacher education faculty working in institutions of higher education. This articulation of the standards and the performance indicators will facilitate their appropriate utilization in planning, implementing and evaluating health education curriculum, instruction and assessment for students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12 as well as professional preparation and development experiences for pre-service and in-service classroom and health education teachers. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the revised NHES and the performance indicators is important for classroom teachers, health education teachers, curriculum directors and other local school personnel as well as individuals working in institutions of higher education and state education and health agencies. This article provides an overview of the NHES, an in-depth description and clarification of the NHES and the sub-concepts and sub-skills embedded in the performance indicators, and strategies for integrating the NHES and performance indicators with health education curricula, instruction and assessment.