Standards & Framework
In October 2005, Assembly Bill (AB) 689, cosponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) Jack O’Connell, was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, adding Section 51210.8 to the California Education Code (EC); that section required the State Board of Education (SBE), based on recommendations from the SSPI, to adopt content standards for health education. The health education standards shape the direction of health education instruction for children and youths in California’s public schools: they provide school districts with fundamental tools for developing health education curricula and improving student achievement in this area; and they help ensure that all students in kindergarten through high school receive high-quality health education instruction, providing students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead healthy lives (p. vi).
The Health Education Framework is aligned to the 2008 California Health Education Content Standards, which support the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes in eight overarching standards: (1) essential health concepts; (2) analyzing health influences; (3) accessing valid health information; (4) interpersonal communication; (5) decision making; (6) goal setting; (7) practicing health-enhancing behaviors; and (8) health promotion in six content areas of health education: nutrition and physical activity; growth, development, and sexual health; injury prevention and safety; alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; mental, emotional, and social health; and personal and community health in the 2008 Health Education Content Standards, which can be downloaded from the Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division Content Standards web page.