Curriculum Standards Health Education Today's programs are meticulously built to exceed the National Health Education Standards (NHES), Common Core Health Standards, and the most rigorous state-level frameworks. Our curriculum follows one of the nation's most comprehensive state standards (Washington State), allowing it to meet the requirements for health education & PE across all 50 states. Use the links below to cross-reference your specific state's standards.
Modern Digital Semester Health Program Meets all National Standards and the following rigorous State Standards:
State Standards Click on your state below to discover how and where our program aligns with your current State's Standards:
Classic Full Year Health Program Meets all National Standards and the following rigorous State Standards:
Middle | High School Physical Education Curriculum Meets all National Standards and the following rigorous State Standards:
The CDC's 15 Characteristics of an Effective Health Education Curriculum Health Education Today's High School Health Curriculum meets all 15 expectations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
1. Focuses on clear health goals and related behavioral outcomes. Each lesson begins with a header that includes outcomes such as the lesson standards met, content and protective behavioral-skill learning targets, and assessments for the day's activities. The curriculum is based on the CDC's National Health Standards as well as the Washington State Standards for Health Education.
2. Is research-based and theory-driven. HET employs educational strategies proven to address the causes of unhealthy teen behaviors and to nurture the skills needed to implement healthy ones. Research-based materials include trending nutrition information from Harvard Health, the latest substance-prevention lessons from Stanford Medicine, Healthy Youth Survey data, analysis from the National Institute of Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and obesity maps, statistics, and videos from the CDC. It also draws on resources such as heart.org and health.gov.
3. Addresses individual values, attitudes, and beliefs. Numerous surveys across many topics help students identify individual values, choices, and beliefs — including the Personal Values Survey, Eating Disorders Survey, Aggression Survey, 'Am I Eating Healthy?' Survey, Depression Survey, Sexual Assault Survey, and Multiple Intelligences Survey.
4. Addresses individual and group norms that support health-enhancing behaviors. Instructional strategies and learning experiences help students accurately assess the level of risk-taking behavior among their peers. For example, Healthy Youth Survey statistics show how many peers actually use illegal drugs, correcting misperceptions of peer and social norms and following up with realistic ways for teens to choose health-enhancing behaviors.
5. Reinforces protective factors and increases awareness of personal risk. Daily learning targets include both a content and a protective behavioral skill. For instance, the Drug Unit's 'Risk Factors for Drug Addiction Survey' helps students assess risk factors in their own lives, and the Empathy Unit focuses on protective factors related to choosing non-violent behaviors.
6. Addresses social pressures and influences. One of the curriculum's greatest emphases, promoted daily through posted learning targets built around 'being above teen pressures' — e.g., Being Above the Past, Being Above Mental and Emotional Problems, and Being Above the Danger. Learning Target Exit Sheets let students reflect on how each target applies to their own circumstances.
7. Builds personal competence, social competence, and self-efficacy by teaching skills. Essential skill-building appears in every unit: practicing refusal skills in the Alcohol Unit, analyzing poor decision-making in the Dangerous Decisions Unit, assessing information accuracy in the Tobacco Unit 'Ad Appeal' activity, goal-setting in 'Eating Healthy for Life,' and building confidence through the Conflict Resolution 'Assertiveness Survey' and follow-up activities.
8. Provides functional health knowledge that is basic, accurate, and health-promoting. Content knowledge gives students the ability to assess risk, clarify attitudes and beliefs, correct misperceptions about social norms, identify ways to avoid or minimize risky situations, examine internal and external influences, make decisions, and build competence. Methods include videos, true-story articles, surveys, assessments, online activities, art projects, homework, role-plays, partner activities, share-outs, presentations, goal-setting, and parent-teen homework.
9. Uses strategies designed to personalize information and engage students. Relevant activities help teens identify with topics and personalize information — favorites include 'How Celebrities Overcame Hardships' articles, the 'Food Label Scavenger Hunt Around the Room,' and 'Cultural Diversity Ice-Cream Cartons' art.
10. Provides age- and developmentally appropriate content. Lessons meet high-school students where they are, covering relevant topics such as mental health, depression and suicide, abuse, healthy eating, disordered eating, sexuality, media literacy, peer pressure, drug use, healthy relationships, parent-teen communication, empathy, cultural diversity, and more.
11. Incorporates culturally inclusive strategies, methods, and materials. The curriculum is free of cultural bias and promotes inclusivity; all race, ethnicity, age, physical and mental ability, appearance, and religion are valued. The three-week Cultural Diversity Unit empowers teens to identify and overcome bias, stereotypes, prejudice, and racism, while the Empathy Unit covers empathy, the power of words, bullying, self-esteem, risk and protective factors, and values.
12. Provides adequate time for instruction and learning. The High School Health Curriculum is a full-semester program of 55-minute classes, and includes additional lessons totaling an additional full second semester of teaching.
13. Provides opportunities to reinforce skills and positive health behaviors. Daily, student-centered, hands-on practice includes 'First Aid Scenarios Group Re-Enactments,' a 'Communicable Diseases Card Game,' 'Tobacco Habits Survey and Goal-Setting,' 'Sexual Peer Pressures Flip Charts,' the 'How Marijuana Hurt Me' card game, and the 'What I Learned in Health' board game.
14. Provides opportunities to make positive connections with influential others. The curriculum showcases influential role models teens can look up to, reinforcing health-promoting norms, attitudes, and behaviors through 'Celebrities Who Overcame Hardships in Positive Ways,' 'Monday Morning Motivation' videos, and true-story articles and videos of overcoming hardship, resisting peer pressure, and resolving conflict non-violently.
15. Includes teacher information and professional-development plans. HET's creators are certified in Secondary Health Education, K-12 Physical Education, 3-8 Multiple Subjects, and 4-12 Language Arts, with a combined Master of Education in Instructional Technology, a Master of Education in Multiple Subjects, and National Board Certification in Health. Their experience spans classroom and gym instruction, athletic direction, department leadership, school administration, coaching, and community outreach, with a continual focus on current education technology, norms, and trends.
