New Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published the Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT) to help school districts conduct clear, complete, and consistent analyses of written physical education curricula, based upon national physical education standards. 

Establishing and implementing high-quality physical education programs can provide students with the appropriate knowledge, skills, behaviors, and confidence to be physically active for life.  And physical education curricula shape physical education in schools.  Therefore, developing or selecting the best physical education curriculum is essential to ensuring that physical education is effective in establishing physically educated individuals and that it will produce long-term healthy behaviors throughout their lifetime. 

PECAT allows educators to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of written curricula in relation to their content, student assessment, and sequence.  Results of the analyses can help school districts enhance, develop, or select appropriate and effective physical education curricula for delivering high-quality physical education in schools.  Consequently, the ability of schools to positively influence knowledge, motor skills, and physical activity behaviors among school age youth can be enhanced. 

Based on the national standards for physical education, the PECAT can assist in assessing how closely the written curricula align with national standards for high-quality education programs.  It includes an overview of high-quality physical education, information about physical education curricula, tools to assess a curriculum, and resources for developing a curriculum improvement plan.  The tool can be used to identify where revisions might be needed in a locally developed curriculum.  Further, for those without a curriculum, the PECAT provides a vision of what should be included in a high-quality, written physical education curriculum.  Alternatively, the PECAT can be used to compare strengths and weaknesses of various published physical education curricula that might be under consideration. 

PECAT is designed to be used by a team of individuals representing district or school building personnel, such as physical education coordinators, curriculum specialists, and curriculum committee members.  Additionally, college/university physical education faculty may use the PECAT as a teaching tool in teacher education courses.  It can be used at the district level to analyze curricula for all grades from kindergarten through grade 12.  At the school building level, users should complete grade levels that pertain to their school and involve a diverse set of team members.  

PECAT is divided into three sections:  curriculum description, preliminary curriculum analyses (accuracy, acceptability, feasibility, and affordability analyses), and content and student assessment analyses.  In addition, it includes the overall PECAT scorecard, multiple curricula comparison scorecards, a curriculum improvement plan as well as appendices. 

There are five steps to completing the PECAT: 1) Select a PECAT coordinator, form a PECAT committee, and identify roles and responsibilities of each member; 2) Review curriculum materials, the PECAT, and any additional state or local standards; 3) Complete the accuracy, acceptability, feasibility, and affordability analyses; 4) Complete the content and student assessment analyses; and 5) Create a plan for improvement.

PECAT is available at no cost.  Copies can be downloaded from CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health website at www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/PECAT, or ordered by e-mail at CDC-INFO@cdc.gov or by calling a toll-free number: (800) CDC-INFO; for hearing impaired, call (888) 232-6348.

For questions about using PECAT in a local setting, please contact:

Sarah Lee
Phone: (770) 488-6126
Email: skeuplee@cdc.gov

Source: Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool, CDC, 2006.