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Participates regularly in physical activity.
Standard 4:
Achieves and maintains a health-enhancing level of 
physical fitness.
Standard 5:
Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that 
respects self and others in physical activity settings.
Standard 6:
Values physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, 
self-expression, and/or social interaction. 
SOURCE: NASPE, 2004.
sess and display (see Box 5-7). These characteristics encompass knowledge, 
skill, behavior, and confidence critical to the development and maintenance 
of health and to the enjoyment of a physically active, healthful lifestyle. 
Certified Physical Education Specialists as the Main Teaching Force
If standards are the gauge for quality, teachers make the difference in 
a particular school in terms of the extent to which students can achieve 
the standards. Research has made clear that certified physical education 
specialists can provide more and longer opportunities for students to meet 
physical activity guidelines compared with classroom teachers trained to 
teach physical education (McKenzie et al., 2001). Moreover, when teachers 
are taught strategies to encourage vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical 
activity in physical education class, a significant increase in physical activ-
ity can be expected (Lonsdale et al., 2013). The role of certified physical 

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
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