Activate – 50 Million Strong

If you want to show your commitment to 50 Million Strong, follow these 2017-18 Steps to Success:

Just starting out in the profession? Focus on effective instruction and implementing an evidence-based, standards-based curriculum with measurable objectives for all students.
Feel confident in your HPE program? It’s time to move beyond your classroom to take the lead in promoting school-wide wellness.
Ready to make an even broader impact? Advocate for health and physical education at the local, state or even national level.
And if you’re working at the college or university level, we’ll be relying on you to educate the next generation of health and PE teachers about the importance of health and physical literacy — and continue conducting research that elevates our profession.

Each month, we’ll give you some suggested action items. To take your first step, just click on the category you want to start with!

Download the digital badge for the category you’re working on and we’ll notify you when new action items are added in the coming months.

Effective Instruction

If you’re working on this step, the objective is to implement an evidence-based, standards-based curriculum with measurable objectives for all students.

Measure impact on student learning through formative and summative assessments — and don’t forget to reflect often and conduct self-evaluations so you are always improving in the classroom!

Month	Action Items
	Take a look back at your academic year. Since June is the end of the school year, it’s a great month to reflect on your teaching and gather student feedback. You can use the Physical Education Teacher Performance Evaluation as a guide for reflection and self-assessment.
	May is National Physical Fitness & Sports Month and includes National PE & Sport Week! Celebrate physical education and putting children on the path to health & physical literacy by incorporating these free activities and lesson plans throughout the month. Resource tip:Do you have a great idea or activity you use with your students to enhance health and PE? Or…are you looking for ideas and resources? Check out the new Member-Shared Resources section of the SHAPE America Download Library for more information about sharing or downloading classroom materials.
	April is Autism Awareness Month — a great time to learn more about best practices for inclusive physical education! Learn how other schools implement inclusive PE by reading SHAPE America case studies about the “Anchors Away” program in Miami-Dade Public Schools and two Unified PE programs in Minnesota high schools. Resource tip: View SHAPE America’s webinar, Universal Design and Physical Education: Including Everyone, which is designed to provide educators with the knowledge and skills needed to embed the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) within the physical education environment.

Month

Action Items

Take a look back at your academic year.

Since June is the end of the school year, it’s a great month to reflect on your teaching and gather student feedback. You can use the Physical Education Teacher Performance Evaluation as a guide for reflection and self-assessment.

May is National Physical Fitness & Sports Month and includes National PE & Sport Week!

Celebrate physical education and putting children on the path to health & physical literacy by incorporating these free activities and lesson plans throughout the month.

Resource tip:Do you have a great idea or activity you use with your students to enhance health and PE? Or…are you looking for ideas and resources? Check out the new Member-Shared Resources section of the SHAPE America Download Library for more information about sharing or downloading classroom materials.

April is Autism Awareness Month — a great time to learn more about best practices for inclusive physical education!

Learn how other schools implement inclusive PE by reading SHAPE America case studies about the “Anchors Away” program in Miami-Dade Public Schools and two Unified PE programs in Minnesota high schools.

Resource tip: View SHAPE America’s webinar, Universal Design and Physical Education: Including Everyone, which is designed to provide educators with the knowledge and skills needed to embed the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) within the physical education environment.

Ensuring Healthy Behaviors and Physical Activity

If you’re working on this step, the objective is to move beyond your classroom and take the lead in promoting school-wide wellness.

Ensure healthy behaviors and physical activity using a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) and the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model. This can be a big undertaking depending on the current school environment!

Month	Action Items
	Plan for an active summer. Download the summer physical activity calendar and share with your students to help keep them active over the summer break.
	Physical activity is an important part of the school day — and recess is one way to provide opportunities for activity. Does your school have a written recess plan? Check out our recess resources, including the guidance document Strategies for Recess in Schools. Resource tip: One way to incorporate more physical activity throughout the school day is by planning an event where all students move simultaneously. Read how one elementary HPE teacher motivates students to move with multiple May events, including participation in Project ACES, “the world’s largest exercise class.” (Download PDF)
	April is Sexually Transmitted Infections Awareness Month & Alcohol Awareness Month – a great time to help students practice decision-making and prevention skills with the following skills-based health education lessons. Resource tip: Applying Decision-Making Steps A Lesson In Prevention

Month

Action Items

Plan for an active summer.

Download the summer physical activity calendar and share with your students to help keep them active over the summer break.

Physical activity is an important part of the school day — and recess is one way to provide opportunities for activity. Does your school have a written recess plan? Check out our recess resources, including the guidance document Strategies for Recess in Schools.

Resource tip: One way to incorporate more physical activity throughout the school day is by planning an event where all students move simultaneously. Read how one elementary HPE teacher motivates students to move with multiple May events, including participation in Project ACES, “the world’s largest exercise class.” (Download PDF)

April is Sexually Transmitted Infections Awareness Month & Alcohol Awareness Month – a great time to help students practice decision-making and prevention skills with the following skills-based health education lessons.

Resource tip:
Applying Decision-Making Steps
A Lesson In Prevention

Advocacy

If you’re working on this step, the objective is to advocate for effective health and physical education at the local, state and national level.

Another component of advocacy is speaking to other health and physical education teachers who are not aware of SHAPE America, 50 Million Strong and the importance of health and physical literacy. To impact an entire nation of children, we’ll need to get all HPE teachers on board!

Month	Action Items
	Get your share of ESSA funds. Congress recently allocated $1.1 billion for Title IV, Part A of ESSA — and funds will be distributed this July. Your advocacy now has the potential to make a major impact for HPE in your school! Get your share of ESSA funding in 3 easy steps using SHAPE America’s advocacy resources.
	Seizing ESSA’s New $1.1 Billion Opportunity Congress recently allocated $1.1 billion in FY18 funding for Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). That’s $700 million more than last year! Watch this free SHAPE America advocacy webinar to learn what this funding could mean for health and physical education programs in your school — and why local advocacy over the coming months will be critical! Resource tip: Learn how to get your share of ESSA funding in 3 easy steps!
	Relive exciting moments in advocacy for Health and Physical Education Congress has provided $1.1 billion in FY18 funding for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program. This level of funding will allow school districts to have true flexibility in determining how to meaningfully invest in and support programs that support safe and healthy students, a well-rounded academic curriculum, and an effective educational technology program. Resource tip: Tune in to the SHAPE America podcast to relive this exciting moment which was recorded live at the SHAPE America National Convention & Expo in Nashville!

Month

Action Items

Get your share of ESSA funds.

Congress recently allocated $1.1 billion for Title IV, Part A of ESSA — and funds will be distributed this July. Your advocacy now has the potential to make a major impact for HPE in your school! Get your share of ESSA funding in 3 easy steps using SHAPE America’s advocacy resources.

Seizing ESSA’s New $1.1 Billion Opportunity

Congress recently allocated $1.1 billion in FY18 funding for Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). That’s $700 million more than last year! Watch this free SHAPE America advocacy webinar to learn what this funding could mean for health and physical education programs in your school — and why local advocacy over the coming months will be critical!

Resource tip: Learn how to get your share of ESSA funding in 3 easy steps!

Relive exciting moments in advocacy for Health and Physical Education

Congress has provided $1.1 billion in FY18 funding for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program. This level of funding will allow school districts to have true flexibility in determining how to meaningfully invest in and support programs that support safe and healthy students, a well-rounded academic curriculum, and an effective educational technology program.

Resource tip: Tune in to the SHAPE America podcast to relive this exciting moment which was recorded live at the SHAPE America National Convention & Expo in Nashville!