GACE: Health and Physical Education

The Health and Physical Education assessment, offered as part of the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators, is divided into two tests.

The first test consists of 60 selected-response questions (80% of the test score) and 2 constructed-response assignments (20% of the test score). The content areas covered by the first test are: personal health and development; disease and health-risk prevention; and family and social relationships. The topics covered by the personal health and development subarea are: human growth and development; the structures and functions of the major body systems and the relationship of personal health to body systems; nutrition and personal health; and the principles of personal care and safety. The topics covered by the disease and health-risk prevention subarea are: types of disease, disease prevention, and control in maintaining health; the role of prevention of tobacco, alcohol, and drug use in the promotion of personal health; the importance of violence prevention and conflict resolution for personal health; and the role of critical thinking and decision-making skills in personal and community health. The topics covered by the family and social relationships subarea are: interpersonal relationships; family relationships and their impact on the well-being of individuals and society; and community relationships, community health issues, and community healthcare resources.

The second test consists of 60 selected-response questions (80% of the test score) and 2 constructed-response questions (20% of the test score). The content areas covered by the second test are: motor learning, motor development, and movement concepts; health-related fitness; and sports and lifetime activities. The topics covered by the motor learning, motor development, and movement concepts subarea are: the principles of motor development and motor learning; movement concepts and their role in improving motor skills; activities for developing locomotor, nonlocomotor, manipulative, and rhythmic movement skills; and the role of movement activities in the development of self-management skills and positive personal and social behaviors. The topics covered by the health-related fitness subarea are: exercise physiology, principles of fitness training, and the role of physical fitness and the promotion of personal health; the principles and activities for developing and maintaining cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular strength, and the muscular endurance; and assessment of health-related fitness and the procedures for developing personal fitness plans based on the results of assessment. The topics covered by the sports and lifetime activities subarea are: the skills, rules, equipment, and safety practices for individual, duel, team, and lifetime sports and activities. The sports and activities covered in this section include but are not limited to the badminton, golf, tennis, track and field, basketball, soccer, volleyball, camping, orienteering, folk dance, square dance, modern dance, and aerobic dance.

The examination must be completed within four hours. The total test score is placed on a scale of 100 to 300, with 220 as the lowest passing score. Scores are based on the number of selected-response questions answered correctly and the scores assigned by judges to the constructed responses. Test-takers will also receive performance indices indicating their success in each subarea of the examination. Scores will be available approximately a month after the date of the examination; unofficial results are posted on the internet, and an official score report is mailed to the test-taker, the Professional Standards Commission, and the institution specified by the test-taker during registration.

Practice Questions

1. How does a warm-up period before exercise help to preserve the joints?

A: It encourages the uptake of lactic acid.
B: It increases the proportion of blood in the thoracic cavity.
C: It stimulates the release of synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints.
D: It activates the sympathetic nervous system.

2. During which stage of pregnancy will the mother begin feeling the baby move?

A: First trimester
B: Second trimester
C: Third trimester
D: Fourth trimester

3. What is another name for kinesthesis?

A: tonic neck response
B: coordination
C: proprioception
D: reflex action

4. What is the clinical name for a sudden, temporary decrease in the flow of oxygen to heart tissue?

A: pelvic inflammatory disease
B: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
C: angina pectoris
D: heartburn

5. Which part of the brain is responsible for refining skilled movements?

A: cerebrum
B: medulla oblongata
C: pons
D: cerebellum

Answer Key

1. C. The presence of synovial fluid reduces wear and tear on the joints.
2. B. The mother typically begins feeling the baby's movements during the fifth and sixth months of pregnancy.
3. C. Both of these terms refer to an individual's awareness of the arrangement of his or her own body parts.
4. C. Angina pectoris causes immediate discomfort, and puts the individual at a greater risk of heart attack.
5. D. The cerebellum coordinates muscular contractions and the movements of the skeleton.