State law mandates that students in elementary school get forty minutes of physical education instruction each week (with an additional 90 minutes of physical activity such as recess each week).  While the physical education standards should be covered in a PE class, the health-related standards may be incorporated into other subject areas as appropriate in elementary school. However, the health course codes must still be included in the master schedule for each grade level. 

 

Students in a middle school setting must have the annual equivalent of forty minutes of physical education each week.  They must also take a health class each school year.  It is possible to cover the health standards and the PE standards in a single course, but both course codes must be included in the master schedule.  This is often accomplished by coding PE for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and coding Health for Tuesday and Thursday.

 

Arkansas high school students are required to earn one-half (1/2) credit of health and one-half (1/2) credit of physical education in order to graduate. The health standards are contained in the Health & Safety and Physical Education Standards document. The physical education requirement can be met with Personal Fitness for Life (0.5 credit), Recreational Sports (0.5 credit), Outdoor Pursuits (0.5 credit), or Athletics (0.5 credit). Per A.C.A. § 6-16-137(c), a student may have no more than one-half (1/2) unit of physical education credit toward graduation for a single organized physical activity course. Up to one full credit of physical education may count toward the 22 required credits to graduate when two of the four courses listed above are successfully completed.