- See also: K-12 education content standards in the states
This page features information about K-12 areas of instruction required by state statute in Pennsylvania public schools.
Background
- See also: K-12 education content standards in the states and K-12 curriculum authority, requirements, and statutes in the states
State education officials may develop content standards and curricula, depending on the state, in order to facilitate instruction in public schools. In some states, lawmakers also adopt required areas of instruction by statute.
K-12 content standards and curriculum development
State or local education officials may develop K-12 curricula for classroom instruction that generally includes lessons and materials used in a particular course of study.[1] Depending on the state, K-12 curricula may reflect or incorporate state content standards—educational learning and achievement goals that state education officials either require or recommend that local schools satisfy in K-12 instruction.
Areas of instruction required by statute
Some state laws require the inclusion of specific areas of instruction in K-12 public school curricula. In these cases, lawmakers—rather than state education officials—mandate certain education requirements for students. Laws governing specific areas of instruction in K-12 curricula vary by state.
Statutorily required areas of instruction in Pennsylvania
The following table provides information about selected areas of instruction required by statute in Pennsylvania, as of 2023. The statutes provided may not be comprehensive. The statutory text is provided below the table.
| Statutorily required areas of instruction in Pennsylvania
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| Area(s) of instruction
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Statute(s)
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| Elementary education: Language arts, mathematics, science, technology and engineering, social studies, the arts, understanding the use of the library, health, safety, physical education, history of the United States and Pennsylvania, technology education, and family and consumer science |
22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.21
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| Middle-level education: Language arts, mathematics, science, technology and engineering, social studies, the arts, information skills, health, safety, physical education, history of the United States and Pennsylvania, geography, and civics |
22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.22
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| World languages |
22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.25
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| English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) |
22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.26
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| Physical education and athletics |
22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.27
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| HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening and communicable diseases |
22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.29
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22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.21:
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Elementary education: primary and intermediate levels.
(f) Planned instruction in the following areas shall be provided to every student every year in the intermediate level program. Planned instruction may be provided as a separate course or as an instructional unit within another course or other interdisciplinary instructional activity:
- (1) Language arts, integrating reading, writing, spelling, listening, speaking, literature and grammar.
- (2) Mathematics, including problem-solving and computation skills.
- (3) Science, environment and ecology, including instruction about agriculture and agricultural science.
- (4) Technology and engineering.
- (5) Social studies (civics and government, economics, geography and history).
- (6) The arts, including art, music, dance and theatre.
- (7) Understanding and use of library and other information sources.
- (8) Health, safety and physical education, including instruction in concepts and skills which affect personal, family and community health and safety, nutrition, the prevention of alcohol, chemical and tobacco abuse, knowledge and practice of lifetime physical activities, personal fitness, basic movement skills and concepts, motor skill development, principles and strategies of movement and safety practices in physical activity settings.
(g) Planned instruction aligned with academic standards in the following areas shall be provided to every student at least once by the end of elementary school. Planned instruction may be provided as a separate course or as an instructional unit within another course or other interdisciplinary instructional activity. See section 1511 of the School Code (24 P. S. § 15-1511).
- (1) History of the United States.
- (2) History of the Commonwealth.
- (3) Geography.
- (4) Civics...[2]
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22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.22:
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Middle level education.
(c) Planned instruction aligned with academic standards in the following areas shall be provided to every student in the middle level program. Planned instruction may be provided as a separate course or as an instructional unit within a course or other interdisciplinary instructional activity:
- (1) Language arts, integrating reading, writing, listening, speaking, literature and grammar.
- (2) Mathematics, including mathematical reasoning, algebra and problem-solving.
- (3) Science, environment and ecology, which involves active learning experiences and which may include laboratory experiments, instruction in agriculture and agricultural science, and political and economic aspects of ecology.
- (4) Social studies (civics and government, economics, geography and history, including the history and cultures of the United States, the Commonwealth, and the world).
- (5) Technology and engineering.
- (6) Information skills, including access to traditional and electronic information sources, computer use and research.
- (7) Health, safety and physical education, including instruction in concepts and skills which affect personal, family and community health and safety, nutrition, physical fitness, movement concepts, motor skill development, safety in physical activity settings, and the prevention of alcohol, chemical and tobacco abuse.
- (8) The arts, including art, music, dance and theatre.
- (9) Career education, including exposure to various career options and the educational preparation necessary to achieve those options.
- (10) Technology education, emphasizing practical application of academic skills and problem-solving experiences facilitated by technology.
- (11) Family and consumer science, including principles of consumer behavior and basic knowledge of child health and child care skills...[2]
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22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.25:
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Languages.
(a) World language programs must prepare students to be proficient in meeting the World Language Standards issued by the Department and available on its web site. Every school district shall provide planned instruction in at least two languages in addition to English, at least one of which shall be a modern language, and at least one of which shall be offered in a minimum 4-year sequence in the secondary program (middle level and high school).[2]
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22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.26:
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ESOL.
Every school district shall provide a program for each student whose dominant language is not English for the purpose of facilitating the student’s achievement of English proficiency and the academic standards under § 4.12 (relating to academic standards). Programs under this section shall include appropriate bilingual-bicultural or English as a second language (ESL) instruction.[2]
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22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.27:
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Physical education and athletics.
(a) Physical education shall be taught as required under § § 4.21(e)(6) and (f)(8), 4.22(c)(7) and 4.23(c)(8) (relating to elementary education: primary and intermediate levels; middle level education; and high school education)...[2]
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22 Pennsylvania Code § 4.29:
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HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening and communicable diseases.
(a) Instruction regarding prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other life-threatening and communicable diseases shall be given for primary, intermediate, middle school and high school education and shall follow the requirements of subsections (b) and (c)...[2]
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See also
External links
