How to Use the Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT)

Who uses PECAT, and when does it make sense?

The CDC publishes PECAT (the current edition is PECAT 2019), and CDC's PECAT page names three uses: improving a curriculum you already teach, developing a new one, and selecting a published one. School districts and individual schools can both run it.

It reviews the curriculum on paper: outcomes, content and assessments, written out for one of three grade bands (K–5, 6–8 or 9–12). It does not observe a class or rate a teacher. It fits best when the written documents are what people will rely on later:

• a department is rewriting its scope and sequence
• your state or district has adopted new standards
• a school is weighing a purchased curriculum against the one it has
• a principal or a new hire asks what the PE program actually covers

Two formats exist. The online version saves your answers, calculates scores automatically, archives earlier versions and lets you print or share scorecards. A PDF print version is also available. CDC says both are equally effective, so pick the one your team will actually use.

What does PECAT check in a written PE curriculum?

PECAT splits the review into a preliminary check and a standards analysis, then ends with a plan. The standards analysis scores three things for each grade band: outcomes, content and assessments.

The standards are the same across grade bands, but the questions change. CDC's FAQ uses Standard 1 as the example: K–5 questions focus on basic skills, while 9–12 questions add mental and physical complexity. An outcome copied unchanged across every grade level is worth a second look. For a picture of what complete looks like before you score, see what a strong PE curriculum includes.

What should your team gather before you start?

CDC's FAQ says a committee should complete PECAT, not one person. It suggests curriculum directors, PE and health teachers, nurses, parents, students and public health or nonprofit professionals. At a small school, two PE teachers, an administrator and a classroom teacher who covers PE make a workable start.

Collect these before the first meeting:

• The written curriculum for each grade band you are reviewing: scope and sequence, unit plans, lesson plans and grade-level outcomes.
• Assessment materials: rubrics, skills checklists, written tests, project directions and report-card criteria.
• The standards your state uses, plus SHAPE America's national standards.
• Facts for the feasibility check: class sizes, minutes per week, gym and field space, equipment counts.
• A decision on which forms you need. CDC says you can leave out items that do not apply to your curriculum, such as the affordability analysis or forms for a grade band you do not review.

Plan the time. Field testing found PECAT can take as little as 6 hours, and the total depends on how well reviewers know the curriculum, how large it is and how organized the documents are. If the documents are scattered across drives and binders, add time to collect them first. Having two people read each grade band before the team compares notes keeps one reviewer's habits from deciding a score.

How do you read the PECAT scores?

The online version calculates scores for outcomes, content and assessments automatically, and you can print or share the scorecards with your team and administrators. The useful reading comes from comparing the three scores for the same standard and grade band.

Treat the numbers as conversation starters. CDC states it has no validity or reliability data for PECAT, because it is an educational and community-organizing tool that was field tested for readability and user-friendliness. Compare your own scores from year to year instead of comparing your school with the one down the road. A score also describes paper only. A few walk-throughs of real classes will show whether the written units match what happens in the gym.

How do you turn the gaps into a revision plan?

The last step in PECAT is a curriculum improvement plan built from your scores, with strengths and weaknesses named. Keep it short enough to finish. Three to five changes for next school year make a realistic list.

1. Rank the gaps by how many grade levels they touch.
2. Start with assessment gaps. A rubric or skills checklist for a unit you already teach is the cheapest fix.
3. Fill a missing standard with a new or replacement unit, and name the unit it replaces so the year does not get longer.
4. Check progression. If one outcome repeats at every grade level, rewrite it with a harder skill or a new context. A yearly K–5 PE curriculum map template and a middle school PE scope and sequence show how to lay that out. For grades 9–12, see the high school physical education curriculum guide.
5. Check access for students with disabilities. The guide to building an adaptive PE curriculum covers it.
6. Give each change an owner and a date, and re-score the revised parts after a full school year. The online version archives earlier versions for that comparison.

If the plan calls for purchased material, PECAT's affordability analysis applies. PhysEdPrep's School & District License is a custom quote, purchase orders are accepted, and you request it by email at support@physedprep.com. The guide to the school and district PE curriculum license has the details.

Where do the SHAPE America standards fit in?

PECAT scores your curriculum against national physical education standards. CDC's FAQ says PECAT is aligned with the 2014 SHAPE America standards. SHAPE America archives that generation, five standards (S1–S5), as its 2013 edition. In March 2024 it launched a 2024 edition with four standards: motor skills, movement and fitness concepts, social skills, and personal skills (S1–S4).

If your state or district has moved to the 2024 wording, PECAT's items will not match your documents word for word. Build a one-page crosswalk before you score, a table that matches each old standard to the new standards it relates to, and keep it with the scorecard so every reviewer reads items the same way.

Your state may add its own standards on top. PhysEdPrep has guides on how to tie lessons and units to the state standards of California, New York and Texas.

For the lesson-level side, see the guide on how to align PE lessons with the SHAPE America standards.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need permission to use PECAT?

No. CDC says PECAT was developed with federal funds by a federal agency, so you do not need permission to use it. It is free. The main cost is committee time, and CDC notes that many schools have completed it with no funding at all.

Do I have to report my PECAT scores, and what happens if we score low?

No. CDC does not ask school districts or schools to report their scores, and it describes the results as solely for self-improvement. A low score tells you where to start. In the online version, scores are shared only when you give someone your reference code or add their email to the access list.

Can PECAT help me choose a published curriculum?

Yes. CDC lists selecting published curricula as one of the tool's uses. Run the review for each candidate against the same grade band so your team can compare outcomes, content and assessments side by side, and complete the affordability analysis to compare costs too.

What is the difference between PECAT and HECAT?

PECAT reviews physical education curricula. HECAT, the Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool, is the CDC's companion tool for health education curricula and is based on the National Health Education Standards. If you teach both subjects, you use each tool for its own curriculum.

How often should we repeat PECAT?

Rerun it after a major change, such as adopting new standards, rewriting units or buying a curriculum. After a revision, re-score only the revised parts once you have taught them for a full school year. The online version archives earlier versions, so you can compare the new scores with the old ones.