Skip to main content

Health Education

Vermont law (16 V.S.A § 131) defines comprehensive health education as “systemic and extensive” educational program and requires this education for K-12 students. School health programs for K-12 students prove to be more effective in changing health behaviors than occasional programs on a single health topic. Vermont Education Quality Standards (EQS) stipulate each Supervisory Union/Supervisory District/Unified District (SU/SD/UD) have a written and delivered curriculum aligned with standards approved by the State Board of Education that enables students to engage annually in rigorous, relevant, and comprehensive learning opportunities that allows them to demonstrate proficiency in seven content areas, including health. This web page includes information about Vermont’s Health Education standards, a portrait of a graduate considering Health and Physical Education, links to the Linking Health and Learning newsletter, and resources that support health education and sexual health education.

Spotlight on Equity Resources

Educational equity means that every student has access to the resources, opportunities, and educational rigor they need at the right moment in their education, whatever their race, gender/identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, language, ability, family background, or family income may be. (Adapted from CCSSO, Leading for Equity.) The Spotlight on Equity Resource below provides a list of considerations and resources for the purpose of supporting equity and access while emphasizing high-quality and culturally sustaining learning opportunities for all students.

Section List

Health Education Standards

Comprehensive Health Interdisciplinary Framework

A Vermont Portrait of a Graduate: Health and Physical Education

Linking Health and Learning Newsletters

Vermont Health Education Resources

National Health Education Resources

Technical Assistance Resource Guide for Sexual Violence Prevention in Vermont

Required CPR Instruction

Health Education Standards

Health literacy is defined as "the capacity of individuals to obtain, interpret and understand basic health information and service, and the competence to use such information and services in ways that enhance health." The State Board of Education adopted the National Health Education Standards (NHES) in May 2015 to be used as a framework for schools to develop a PK-12 health curriculum that will help ensure that our young people will have the foundational knowledge and proficiency at using health skills to maintain good health that supports their ability to learn and pursue personal life goals.

Sexual Health Education Standards

The Agency of Education (AOE) is responsible for helping to increase the awareness of sexual health related information and services that are available to promote student wellness and increase academic success. The National Health Education Standards (NHES) influenced the development of the National Sex Education Standards. While the NHES focus on a student’s ability to understand key concepts and learn particular skills to manage personal health, they do not address any specific health content areas required by 16 V.S.A § 131 content for sexuality education. The National Sexuality Education Standards support educators by defining the minimum, essential content and skills for K-12 sexuality education given student needs and assists schools in designing and delivering sexuality education that is planned, sequential and part of a comprehensive school health education approach.

Return to Section List

Comprehensive Health Interdisciplinary Framework

This document/tool explores the ways that health can be integrated into K-12 curriculum/instruction through an interdisciplinary approach. Integrating health instruction across the curriculum supports a school-wide culture of wellness and health promotion where student health is relevant and nurtured in ALL spaces in the school. An interdisciplinary approach, furthermore, enhances the meaning and real-world relevancy for both the health education topic/skill and the integrated subject area (e.g., math or social studies). This guide offers a “suite” of resources to support all educators in identifying linkages and developing curricular materials to support interdisciplinary instruction. The purpose of this document is not to supplant current health education practices, but to provide further tools that school districts can use to supplement, and further advance, current comprehensive health education programs (as required by 16 V.S.A § 131).  

The Comprehensive Health Interdisciplinary Framework is a “living document” whereby educators are encouraged to share feedback and/or integrated health lesson/unit plans that they have created with the Agency of Education. Please do so using the Comprehensive Health Interdisciplinary Framework Feedback Form

Return to Section List

A Vermont Portrait of a Graduate Through Health and Physical Education 

The Agency of Education provides schools with sample proficiency-based graduation requirements for health and physical education based on state-adopted standards. These sample graduation proficiencies are examples of a rigorous proficiency-based graduation framework that meets Education Quality Standards requirements. A Vermont Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) was collaboratively developed to be used as a tool for reviewing and refining local proficiency-based graduation requirements, as well as a guide for making instructional decisions. The PoG specifies the cognitive, personal, and interpersonal skills and abilities that students should be able to demonstrate upon graduation considering six attributes: learner agency, global citizenship, academic proficiency, communication, critical thinking and problem solving, and well-being. Each attribute includes key descriptors and performance indicators.  

Health and physical education programs should provide students with valuable learning experiences that support the development of PoG attributes. The following diagram highlights specific health and physical education program skills and abilities that are associated with PoG attributes. Information about how the six attributes of a Vermont PoG can be addressed through health and physical education can be found below.

The Vermont Framework for Proficiency: Health Literacy description serves as a foundation on which to build Health Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements, Critical Proficiencies, and Priority Performance Indicators. 

Information about how the six attributes of a Vermont PoG can be addressed through Health and Physical Education can be found below. 

Return to Section List

Linking Health & Learning – A Newsletter for Vermont’s Health and Physical Educators

Return to Section List

Vermont Health Education Resources

Return to Section List

National Health Education Resources

  • CDC: BAM! Body and Mind CDC Classroom Resources for Teachers

  • SHAPE America Health Education web page: Health Education Standards and SEL Crosswalk to Health Education Standards
  • SHAPE America Download Library - Health: Classroom-ready and teacher-friendly resources you can use right now to help your students on the path to health and physical literacy.
  • EVERFI: EVERFI has resources for teaching students to make healthy choices in a safe environment. EVERFI partners with sponsors nationwide to offer interactive, online health resources to K-12 schools free of charge.
  • KidsHealth: KidsHealth offers educators free health-related lesson plans for PreK through 12th grade. Teacher guides include discussion questions, classroom activities and extensions, printable handouts, and quizzes and answer keys – all aligned to National Health Education Standards.
  • Learn to be Healthy: Learn to be Healthy is a standards-based resource that includes lesson series on several health topics.
  • The Health Teacher: Current, relevant, adaptable resources for connecting health curriculum to the world we live in.
  • USDA Food and Nutrition Services: Serving Up MyPlate – A Yummy Curriculum

Return to Section List

Technical Assistance Resource Guide for Sexual Violence Prevention in Vermont

The Technical Assistance Resource Guide (TARG), created by the Sexual Violence Prevention Task Force pursuant to Act 1 of 2009 and updated in 2014, provides guidance for schools to build their capacity for and knowledge of sexual violence prevention. Additional resources for schools and educators:

Return to Section List

Required CPR Instruction

Act 151 of 2012 requires that information regarding and practice of compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators becomes a part of comprehensive health education.

Return to Section List


Questions?

Email Ian Burfoot-Rochford.