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The following information is provided by the State Department of Education and provides guidelines for the instruction of physical education.

STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS
Physical Education Standards Grades Kindergarten - 5
Motor Skill Development 2.1 Apply movement concepts including direction, balance, level (high, low), pathway (straight, curve, zigzag), range (expansive, narrow), and force absorption (rigid, with bent knees) to extend versatility and improve physical performance.
2.2 Use a variety of manipulative (throwing, catching, striking), locomotor (walking, running, skipping, hopping, galloping, sliding, jumping, leaping), and non-locomotor (twisting, balancing, extending) skills as individuals and in teams.
2.3 Perform rhythm routines, including dancing, to demonstrate fundamental movement skills.
Fitness

2.4 Identify physical and psychological changes that result from participation in a variety of physical activities.
2.5 Explain the benefits of physical fitness to good health and increased active lifestyle.
2.6 Identify the major behaviors that contribute to wellness (exercise, nutrition, hygiene, rest, and recreation, refraining from using tobacco, alcohol, and other substances)
Personal and Social Competency 2.7 Demonstrate responsible personal and social conduct used in physical activity settings.
Physical Education Standards Grades 6-8
Motor Skill Development 2.8 Use combinations of manipulative, locomotor, and non-locomotor skills to develop movement sequences and patterns, both individually and with others.
2.9 Demonstrate developmentally appropriate basic manipulative and advanced specialized physical skills, including throwing and catching different objects with both accuracy and force, hand and foot dribbling while preventing an opponent from challenging, and accurate striking proficiency.
2.10 Perform a rhythm routine that combines traveling, rolling, balancing, and weight transfer into smooth flowing sequences with intentional changes in direction, speed, and flow.
Fitness 2.11 Apply basic principles of training and appropriate guidelines of exercise to improve immediate and long-term physical fitness.
2.12 Participate in activities that promote physical fitness, decrease sedentary lifestyle, and relieve mental and emotional tension.
2.13 Explain the personal benefits of making positive health decisions and monitor progress towards personal wellness.
Personal and Social Competency 2.14 Apply advanced movement concepts and beginning game strategies to guide and improve individual and team performance.
2.15 Demonstrate strategies for inclusion of all students in physical activity settings related to strength and speed.
2.16 Describe the purpose and benefits of sports, games, and dance in modern society.
Physical Education Standards Grades 9-12
Motor Skill Development 2.17 Demonstrate developmentally appropriate competence (basic skills, strategies, and rules) in many and proficiency in a few movement forms and motor skills (team sports, aquatics, individual/dual sports, outdoor pursuits, self-defense, dance, and gymnastics).
2.18 Demonstrate activities for warming up and cooling down before and after aerobic exercise.
2.19 Apply concepts about sequential motor learning and development, biomechanics, exercise physiology, and sports psychology.
Fitness 2.20 Demonstrate exercises in strength training, cardiovascular activities, and flexibility training.
2.21 Identify the components of physical fitness and the factors involved in planning and evaluating fitness programs for individuals at different stages of the life cycle.
2.22 Conduct a personally developed physical activity program.
2.23 Meet developmentally appropriate health-related fitness benchmarks.
Personal and Social Competency 2.24 Identify life-management skills and protective factors that contribute to achieving personal wellness health goals, including researching, evaluating, and implementing strategies to manage personal wellness, monitor progress, and revise plans.
2.25 Understand how activity participation patterns are likely to change throughout life and identify strategies to deal with those changes, including a plan for life-long wellness.
2.26 Apply safe practices, rules, procedures, and sportsmanship etiquette in physical activity settings, including how to anticipate potentially dangerous consequences and outcomes of participation in physical activity.
2.27 Define the functions of leadership in team sports (increasing motivation, efficiency, and satisfaction).
 
EXAMPLES OF ACTIVITIES
Physical Education Standards Grades Kindergarten - 5
2.1 In pairs, students practice throwing and catching different objects, then hitting a target. Observe partner and use movement concepts to provide feedback.
Physical Education Examples Grades 6-8
2.10 Students create gymnastics or dance routines using objects (such as balls and flags).
2.11 Students select an exercise related to one component of physical fitness (such as using proper sit-ups to increase endurance and strength of abdominal muscles, swimming laps to increase cardiorespiratory endurance). Record and graph the progress made over six weeks.
2.15 In teams, students identify and try various ways for players of different abilities to participate fully.
2.16 Students choose and participate in a game, sport, or dance and trace its history and its place in contemporary times.
Physical Education Examples Grades 9-12
2.22 Students participate daily in any physical activity and keep a journal for one-month recording specifics (such as aerobic endurance, flexibility, and strength) and description of physical and psychological states before, during, and after participation. At the end of the month, summarize with personal recommendations regarding the amount and regularity of activity, as well as beliefs about future commitment to a daily or weekly schedule of exercise.
2.24 Students work with school health services to create personal risk profiles. After completing the forms, use research-based strategies to develop a plan to reduce risks identified. Implement the plan, determine points at which to monitor, do the monitoring, revise plan, and assess at a later point.
2.27 Students participate in an adventure activity in which they must work together to accomplish a group goal. At completion, based upon observations and student performance, self-report on contributions.