COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA
Department of Education

March 6, 2015

TO:  Division Superintendents

FROM:  Steven R. Staples, Superintendent of Public Instruction

SUBJECT: Adapted Physical Education Content Teaching Academy (CTA)

I am pleased to announce that the Office of Science and Health Education and the Office of Special Education Instructional Services, in collaboration with James Madison University, will offer an Adapted Physical Education Content Teaching Academy.  Participants will have an opportunity to delve deeper into understanding the newly adopted 2015 Physical Education Standards of Learning, and explore a variety of instructional strategies to ensure all students are successful, regardless of ability or disability.  This high-quality staff development provides opportunities for sharing effective teaching and learning practices that improve the health and educational performance of all children.  The Academy is specifically designed to help teachers:

1. be effective in their roles as physical educators by learning how to skillfully adapt or modify curriculum, instruction, tasks, equipment, and/or environment to address the individualized needs and abilities of each child so all students can successfully learn and participate; and
2. have the tools and knowledge to transition from the 2008 to the 2015 Standards of Learning.

The Academy will be held on June 22-26, 2015, at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis with space limited to 100 K-12 health and physical education teachers and program supervisors.  The Virginia Department of Education will assume the cost of registration, lodging, meals, and tuition for three semester hours of graduate credit offered by James Madison University.

To register and for more detailed information regarding this professional development opportunity, please visit the CTA Web site at http://www.jmu.edu/contentacademy/.  If you have additional questions, please contact Vanessa Wigand, principal specialist for health education,  physical education, and driver education, Office of Science and Health Education, by e-mail at vanessa.wigand@doe.virginia.gov or by telephone at (804) 225-3300.

SRS/VCW/rt