Texas Administrative Code
Title 19 - EDUCATION
Part 2 - TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
Chapter 115 - TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR HEALTH EDUCATION
Subchapter A - ELEMENTARY
Section 115.12 - Health Education, Kindergarten, Adopted 2020
Universal Citation: 19 TX Admin Code ยง 115.12
Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Introduction.
(1) The goal of health education is to
provide instruction that allows youth to develop and sustain health-promoting
behaviors throughout their lives. The understanding and application of these
standards will allow students the ability to gather, interpret, and understand
health information; achieve health literacy; and adapt to the ever-evolving
science of health. The health education knowledge and skills should be
presented to students in a positive manner to support the development of a
healthy self-concept and responsible decision making. The standards will help
students reinforce, foster, and apply positive character traits.
(2) There are essential skills that repeat
throughout the five strands and embody the interconnection of health literacy.
These skills include decision making, problem solving, goal setting,
maintaining healthy relationships with self and others, seeking help and
support, and recognizing various influences on health such as social,
environmental, media, and genetic. These skills, developed early on and
reinforced throughout a student's education, will foster mastery of health
concepts. Health class educators are encouraged to partner with school
counselors where available to schedule time for them to deliver classroom
guidance lessons to help teach these essential competencies.
(3) In Kindergarten-Grade 3, students gain an
understanding of health information and skills through five strands: physical
health and hygiene; mental health and wellness; healthy eating and physical
activity; injury and violence prevention and safety; and alcohol, tobacco, and
other drugs.
(A) Physical health and hygiene
education helps to prepare students for improved lifelong health outcomes.
Learning about body systems lays the foundation for personal health and
hygiene. Health literacy and preventative behaviors empower students to make
informed choices to support self, family, and community.
(B) The mental health and wellness strand
recognizes that the knowledge and skills necessary to manage emotions,
reactions, and relationships are essential to reaching one's full potential.
Students gain knowledge about social and emotional health, including developing
a healthy self-concept, understanding risk and protective factors, and
identifying and managing mental health and wellness concerns. In the early
grades, students develop fluency around emotions and self-regulation and
understand the relationship between feelings, thoughts, and behavior. In
subsequent grades, students learn and practice appropriate ways to solve
interpersonal conflicts, work to develop a positive self-image, and develop
healthy self-management skills.
(C)
The healthy eating and physical activity strand addresses the importance of
nutrition and physical activity to support a healthy lifestyle. Students apply
critical-thinking and decision-making skills to make positive health choices.
Students learn about essential nutrients, food groups, portion control,
government nutritional recommendations, and the health benefits of being
physically active. Students evaluate the connection between physical activity
and nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases.
(D) By focusing on injury and violence
prevention and safety, the standards promote student well-being and awareness
of dangerous situations. Supporting student well-being and providing
instruction in digital citizenship, bullying prevention, first aid, and
identification of safe and unsafe situations creates empowered and educated
students who are able to make decisions that keep themselves and others safe.
Beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through high school, students gain
knowledge and skills to support safety and wellness at school, at home, online,
and in the community.
(E) The
standards under the alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs strand focus on a number
of protective factors that develop empowered students who are able to make
better-informed decisions, including understanding the impact of substance use
on physical, mental, and social health. Through this strand, students learn key
concepts about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, including the use, misuse,
and physiological effects; short- and long-term impacts on health; treatment;
risk and protective factors; and prevention. These concepts introduce healthy
alternatives and ways for students to ask for and seek out help from parents
and other trusted adults.
(4) Statements containing the word
"including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the
phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(5) Students should first seek guidance in
the area of health from a parent or legal guardian.
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Physical health and hygiene--body
systems. The student examines the structure, function, and relationships of
body systems and their relevance to personal health. The student is expected to
name the five senses.
(2) Physical
health and hygiene--personal health and hygiene. The student understands health
literacy, preventative health behaviors, and how to access and evaluate health
care information to make informed decisions. The student is expected to:
(A) name people who can provide health care
guidance such as parents, family members, other trusted adults, teachers, and
health care professionals;
(B)
identify personal hygiene and health habits that help individuals stay healthy
such as hand washing and brushing teeth;
(C) discuss ways in which germs are
transmitted, methods of preventing the spread of germs, and the importance of
immunization; and
(D) identify head
lice and biting insects that may cause illness and their proper removal and
care.
(3) Mental health
and wellness--social and emotional health. The student identifies and applies
strategies to develop socio-emotional health, self-regulation, and healthy
relationships. The student is expected to:
(A)
identify their own feelings and emotions;
(B) describe and practice calming and
self-management strategies;
(C)
discuss how friends can influence a person's behavior;
(D) demonstrate skills for making new
acquaintances;
(E) demonstrate
respect and communicate appropriately with individuals; and
(F) identify and practice ways to solve
conflicts with a friend.
(4) Mental health and wellness--developing a
healthy self-concept. The student develops the capacity for self-assessment and
evaluation, goal setting, and decision making in order to develop a healthy
self-concept. The student is expected to:
(A)
describe positive social skills and personal qualities such as truth, kindness,
reliability, and respectfulness; and
(B) discuss the meaning of goals and identify
at least one health-related goal.
(5) Mental health and wellness--identifying
and managing mental health and wellness concerns. The student develops and uses
appropriate skills to identify and manage conditions related to mental health
and wellness. The student is expected to discuss how to treat peers with
different learning needs with dignity.
(6) Healthy eating and physical
activity--food and beverage daily recommendations. The student identifies and
explains healthy eating strategies for enhancing and maintaining personal
health throughout the lifespan. The student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate an understanding that the
human body is composed mostly of water and explain the importance of drinking
water daily;
(B) identify healthy
portion sizes for common food items;
(C) identify types of foods that help the
body grow, including fruits and vegetables, dairy, and protein; and
(D) identify healthy and unhealthy snack
choices.
(7) Healthy
eating and physical activity--risk and protective factors. The student
identifies and explains risk and protective factors related to healthy eating
and physical activity. The student is expected to:
(A) describe basic facts of food allergy
safety such as not sharing food and explain the importance of respecting others
who have allergies; and
(B)
identify habits that help individuals stay healthy such as getting the proper
amount of sleep and daily physical activity.
(8) Injury and violence prevention and
safety--safety skills and unintentional injury. The student identifies and
demonstrates safety and first aid knowledge to prevent and treat injuries. The
student is expected to:
(A) discuss and
demonstrate procedures for responding to emergencies, including reporting to a
parent or another trusted adult or contacting 911; and
(B) identify the purpose and demonstrate the
proper use of protective equipment such as seat belts, booster seats, and
bicycle helmets.
(9)
Injury and violence prevention and safety--healthy relationships and
conflict-resolution skills. The student differentiates between healthy and
unhealthy relationships and demonstrates effective strategies to address
conflict. The student is expected to:
(A)
identify roles and characteristics of a trusted adult;
(B) identify and role play refusal skills
such as saying "no" to protect personal space and to avoid unsafe situations;
and
(C) identify personal space and
appropriate boundaries.
(10) Injury and violence prevention and
safety--healthy home, school, and community climate. The student understands
that individual actions and awareness can impact safety, community, and
environment. The student is expected to:
(A)
name safe play environments;
(B)
name objects that may be dangerous such as knives, scissors, and screwdrivers
and explain how they can be harmful; and
(C) recall personal home address as part of a
personal safety plan.
(11) Injury and violence prevention and
safety--digital citizenship and media. The student understands how to be a safe
and responsible citizen in digital and online environments. The student is
expected to identify situations when one should get help from a teacher,
parent, or other trusted adult when made to feel bullied, uncomfortable, or
unsafe in a digital or online environment.
(12) Injury and violence prevention and
safety--interpersonal violence. The student understands the impact of
interpersonal violence and the importance of seeking guidance and help to
maintain personal safety. The student is expected to:
(A) identify bullying behaviors and the role
of the bystander;
(B) identify ways
to discourage bullying;
(C)
describe appropriate actions to take in response to bullying such as telling a
parent or another trusted adult; and
(D) explain and practice how to get help from
a parent or another trusted adult when made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe by
another person.
(13)
Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs--use, misuse, and physiological effects. The
student understands the difference between the use and misuse of different
substances and how the use and misuse of substances impacts health. The student
is expected to:
(A) discuss the proper usage
of medications; and
(B) discuss the
harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs on physical health.
(14) Alcohol, tobacco, and other
drugs--risk and protective factors. The student understands how various factors
can influence decisions regarding substance use and the resources available for
help. The student is expected to identify refusal skills and how to get help
from a parent or another trusted adult in unsafe situations involving the use
or misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Texas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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