Washington

Washington is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that deliver HIV, STD, or pregnancy prevention programs (including after school or supplemental programs) that meet the needs of ethnic/racial minority youth at high risk (e.g., black, Hispanic, or American Indian youth) by doing all of the following:

• Providing curricula or supplementary materials that include pictures, information, and learning experiences that reflect the life experiences of these youth in their communities.
• Providing curricula or supplementary materials in the primary languages of the youth and families.
• Facilitating access to direct health services or arrangements with providers not on school property who have experience in serving these youth in the community.
• Facilitating access to direct social services and psychological services or arrangements with providers not on school property who have experience in serving these youth in the community.
• Requiring professional development for school staff on HIV, STD, and pregnancy prevention issues and resources for these youth.

Activities

• Provide two regional professional development sessions on the ¡Cuídate! (Take Care of Yourself) curriculum for teachers and staff working with ethnic/racial minority youth.
• Provided two regional professional development sessions for secondary teachers and staff working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning youth.
• Provided two regional professional development sessions on FLASH Special Education curriculum for teacher and staff working with youth with special needs.

Washington is seeking to increase the percentage of schools in which the lead health education teacher received professional development during the past 2 years on all of the following:

• Describing how widespread HIV and other STD infections are and the consequences of these infections.
• Understanding the modes of transmission and effective prevention strategies for HIV and other STDs.
• Identifying populations of youth who are at high risk of being infected with HIV and other STDs.
• Implementing health education strategies using prevention messages that are likely to be effective in reaching youth.

Activities

• Update video lending library to increase quality and quantity of materials available to school districts.
• Update the HIV and Sexual Health Education Web site to include most recent professional development, technical assistance, and information-sharing resource listings for Washington school district constituents.
• Develop electronic professional development opportunities for teachers and staff on HIV and sexual health education topics.

Washington is seeking to increase the percentage of schools in which the lead health education teacher received professional development on at least six of the following during the past 2 years:

• Teaching HIV prevention to students with physical, medical, or cognitive disabilities.
• Teaching HIV prevention to students of various cultural backgrounds.
• Using interactive teaching methods for HIV prevention education, such as role plays or cooperative group activities.
• Teaching essential skills for health behavior change related to HIV prevention and guiding student practice of these skills.
• Teaching about health-promoting social norms and beliefs related to HIV prevention.
• Strategies for involving parents, families, and others in student learning of HIV prevention education.
• Assessing students’ performance in HIV prevention education.
• Implementing standards-based HIV prevention education curricula and student assessment.
• Using technology to improve HIV prevention education instruction.
• Teaching HIV prevention to students with limited English proficiency.
• Addressing community concerns and challenges related to HIV prevention education.

Activities

• Provide technical assistance and professional development opportunities for statewide cadre of trainers and Coordinated School Health Network members.
• Provide six regional professional development events on the KNOW HIV/STI prevention curriculum.
• Convene review panel to assess the alignment of CDC's Health Education Curriculum Assessment Tool with the Washington state guidelines used for reviewing curriculum.

Physical Activity

Washington is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that teach about all of the following in a required course:

• Physical, psychological, or social benefits of physical activity.
• Health-related fitness (i.e., cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition).
• Phases of a workout (i.e., warm-up, workout, cool down).
• How much physical activity is enough (i.e., determining frequency, intensity, time, and type of physical activity).
• Developing an individualized physical activity plan.
• Monitoring progress toward reaching goals in an individualized physical activity plan.
• Overcoming barriers to physical activity.
• Decreasing sedentary activities such as television viewing.
• Opportunities for physical activity in the community.
• Preventing injury during physical activity.
• Weather-related safety (e.g., avoiding heat stroke, hypothermia, and sunburn while physically active).
• Dangers of using performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids.

Activities

• Provide four regional professional development sessions and three state conference sessions on the implementation of physical education standards, appropriate practices, and assessments.
• Disseminate critical information to educational service district superintendents, school district superintendents, school principals, and curriculum, instruction, and assessment administrators in response to Washington State law RCW 28A.230.095 on Classroom-Based Assessments to assure that students have an opportunity to learn the essential academic learning requirements in health and fitness.
• Develop partnerships to provide a one free pre-conference day for teachers at three statewide health and fitness conferences.
• Develop a series of video clips on “best practice” lessons to ensure that health and fitness teachers receive support in curriculum development, instructional practices, and assessment of student learning.

Nutrition

Washington is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that do not sell the following foods and beverages anywhere at school outside the school food service program:

• Baked goods that are not low in fat (e.g., cookies, crackers, cakes, pastries).
• Salty snacks that are not low in fat (e.g., regular potato chips).
• Candy (i.e., chocolate or non-chocolate candy).
• Soda pop or fruit drinks that are not 100% juice.

Activities

• Provide technical assistance to teachers and administrators on Washington State law, RCW 28A.210.365 Food choice, physical activity, childhood fitness—minimum standards—District waiver or exemption and connected them to resources across disciplines.
• Provided professional development on the Shop, Eat, Move! classroom-based assessment for middle school health and fitness teachers.
• Collaborate with the Washington Dairy Council to develop an electronic nutrition newsletter for health and fitness teachers, parents, students, administrators, staff, and/or for posting on classroom, building, and district Web sites.

Tobacco

Washington is seeking to increase the percentage of schools in which the lead health education teacher received professional development on tobacco-use prevention education during the past 2 years.

Activities

• Develop a partnership with Washington Department of Health's Tobacco Prevention Education Specialists and Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction's Health and Fitness Cadre to increase regional professional development capacity.
• Provide professional development to four Educational Service Districts on health and fitness standards specific to tobacco-use prevention.
• Provide professional development on the Tobacco Times classroom-based assessment to middle school health and fitness teachers.

Washington is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that have a group (e.g., school health team) that helps plan and implement school health programs, with representation from 10 or more of the following:

• School administrators.
• Health education teachers.
• Physical education teachers.
• Mental health or social services staff.
• Nutrition or food service staff.
• Health services staff (e.g., school nurse).
• Maintenance and transportation staff.
• Student body.
• Parents or families of students.
• Community.
• Local health departments, agencies, or organizations.
• Faith-based organizations.
• Businesses.
• Local government.

Activities

• Collect and share online resources for School Health Advisory Councils.
• Provide professional development on establishing and maintaining School Health Advisory Councils for schools statewide.
• Respond to legislative and school district requests for School Health Advisory Council requirements in all K–12 districts.

Washington is seeking to increase the percentage of schools that have ever assessed their policies, activities, and programs by using the School Health Index or a similar self-assessment tool in any of the following areas:  

• Physical activity.
• Nutrition.
• Tobacco-use prevention.

Activities

• Provide support and technical assistance to 26 local health jurisdictions, school districts, and school buildings using the School Health Index to integrate school health data into their school improvement planning process.
• Offer professional development on the School Health Index to all schools at the annual Healthy Schools Summit.
• Collect and share online resources and examples for how to use health data to make program and policy decisions.