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K–12 Standards

Grades 6-8

Other Kentucky Health Education sets

Use functional health information to support health and well-being of self and others: The acquisition and application of functional health information provides a foundation for promoting health and well-being. This standard includes essential concepts based on established theories and models of health behavior and health promotion. It focuses not only on risk factors, but also on protective factors that can support health and wellness. Concepts reflected in this standard include health literacy, health promotion, health equity, social determinants of health, well-being and health outcomes within individual, interpersonal, community, societal and environmental contexts. Functional information can be applied to health-related skills, such as analyzing influences, accessing resources, interpersonal communication, decision-making, goal-setting, engaging in health practices and behaviors and advocacy.1

  • 1

    Apply ways to build upon strengths and assets to support individual and collective health and well-being.1.8.1

  • 2

    Analyze how practices and behaviors support a variety of dimensions of wellness.1.8.2

  • 3

    Analyze behaviors that reduce or prevent illnesses and injuries.1.8.3

  • 4

    Analyze practices and behaviors that support health and well-being, including how to manage health conditions.1.8.4

  • 5

    Analyze connections between health literacy and health outcomes.1.8.5

  • 6

    Analyze how individual, interpersonal, community and environmental factors impact health and well-being.1.8.6

  • 7

    Explain how health care promotes personal health.1.8.7

  • 8

    Describe male and female reproductive body parts, their functions, the menstrual cycle and their relationships to conception.1.8.8

  • 9

    Describe the physical, social and emotional changes that occur during puberty.1.8.9

  • 10

    Determine the benefits of being sexually abstinent and summarize ways to prevent pregnancy and STDs.1.8.10

  • 11

    Explain why individuals have the right to refuse physical or sexual contact.1.8.11

  • 12

    Explain signs, symptoms, transmission and prevention of the most common STDs.1.8.12

  • 13

    Describe the short- and long-term health benefits of avoiding or discontinuing nicotine products, including the benefits of being nicotine free.1.8.13

  • 14

    Describe the short- and long-term health benefits of avoiding or discontinuing alcohol and other drugs.1.8.14

  • 15

    Summarize ways to protect oneself against potential damage from exposure to the sun and other kinds of weather.1.8.15

Analyze influences that affect health and well-being, including but not limited to family, peers, culture, media and technology: Health and well-being are affected by many, diverse influences within individual, interpersonal, community, societal and environmental contexts. This standard focuses on identifying and evaluating internal and external factors influencing health practices and behaviors. Influences on health and well-being may include but are not limited to: personal values and beliefs, perceived and social norms, family, peers, schools, communities, culture, media and technology, policies and the environment. This standard recognizes that the factors affecting health behaviors and outcomes, such as social determinants of health, are complex and impact people and communities differently. It also supports the individual’s ability to identify and use skills to recognize the types of influences, analyze the role of influences across a variety of wellness dimensions and manage influences on health and well-being in digital and in-person settings. This skill contributes to a better understanding of the connections between individual health, community health and health equity, which can strengthen use of other health skills, such as accessing information and advocacy.2

  • 1

    Analyze the interrelationships between various influences on health and well-being.2.8.1

  • 2

    Analyze individual, interpersonal, community, societal and environmental factors that influence health behaviors, health outcomes and health equity.2.8.2

  • 3

    Analyze how various influences affect the health and well-being of people and communities in different ways.2.8.3

  • 4

    Apply strategies and resources to manage influences that impact health and well-being.2.8.4

  • 5

    Analyze how technology and social media influence the health of self and others.2.8.5

Access valid and reliable resources to support health and well-being of self and others: Access to valid and reliable health information, products, services and other resources is essential to promoting health and well-being and preventing, detecting, managing and treating health issues and conditions. Access to valid and reliable information, products, services and other resources promotes health and well-being in individual, interpersonal, community, societal and environmental contexts. This standard focuses on identifying, accessing and evaluating valid and reliable resources, including managing misinformation and disinformation, within digital and in-person settings. Media and technology play a significant and increasing role in the way individuals learn about and connect with themselves, others and the world. This standard engages students in critical thinking around media messages and resources, including how they are accessed, evaluated and used to support health and well-being.3

  • 1

    Describe situations that may require support from trusted adults, other individuals and health professionals.3.8.1

  • 2

    Identify supports and barriers to accessing valid and reliable health information, products, services and other resources.3.8.2

  • 3

    Access valid and reliable sources of health information, products, services and other resources.3.8.3

  • 4

    Analyze the validity and reliability of health information, products, services and other resources.3.8.4

  • 5

    Apply strategies to manage misinformation and disinformation.3.8.5

Use interpersonal communication skills to support health and well-being of self and others: Effective communication promotes health and well-being in individual, interpersonal, community, societal and environmental contexts. This standard focuses on expressive and receptive communication in digital and in-person settings. Combined with perspective-taking, communication skills help to recognize and strengthen interpersonal interactions, create and maintain relationships, express and interpret messages and manage conflict. Developing communication skills helps individuals to see how they communicate and the ways in which their communication affects those around them.4

  • 1

    Use effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills across multiple modes of communication to support health and well-being of self and others.4.8.1

  • 2

    Apply active listening skills and strategies in a variety of interpersonal contexts.4.8.2

  • 3

    Use various communication strategies to seek and offer support and assistance.4.8.3

  • 4

    Demonstrate ways to communicate boundaries and consent for a variety of situations.4.8.4

  • 5

    Use refusal skills and strategies in a variety of situations.4.8.5

  • 6

    Use skills and strategies to prevent, manage or resolve conflict.4.8.6

  • 7

    Use collaboration skills in a variety of situations.4.8.7

  • 8

    Use negotiation skills in a variety of situations.4.8.8

  • 9

    Demonstrate strategies to communicate with others with different perspectives and values.4.8.9

  • 10

    Demonstrate ways to communicate empathy and compassion.4.8.10

Use a decision-making process to support health and well-being of self and others: Effective decision-making is needed to identify, adopt and maintain health-promoting behaviors. This standard includes skills and steps integral to the process of effective decision-making to support health and well-being. The decision-making process enables collaboration to improve quality of life within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, cultural and environmental contexts.5

  • 1

    Explain how the use of a decision-making process affects health and well-being.5.8.1

  • 2

    Determine when health-related situations require the application of a thoughtful decision-making process.5.8.2

  • 3

    Use an individual, supported or collaborative decision-making process to maintain or improve health and well-being.5.8.3

  • 4

    Evaluate how various options may affect health-related outcomes within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, cultural and environmental levels. 5.8.4

  • 5

    Identify supports and barriers that affect decision-making within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, cultural and environmental levels.5.8.5

  • 6

    Evaluate the results of health-related decisions on self and others.5.8.6

Use a goal-setting process to support health and well-being of self and others: Goal-setting is a process to support short- and long-term health and well-being goals. In addition to achieving a goal, a goal-setting process includes using practices, habits and routines in daily life. This standard includes the processes needed to plan, reach and reflect on health goals. Setting goals is a flexible process and considers personal and social factors affecting health and well-being. Goal-setting supports aspirations and future planning for health and well-being within individual, interpersonal, community, societal, cultural and environmental contexts.6

  • 1

    Assess personal health and well-being to identify focus areas for goal-setting.6.8.1

  • 2

    Analyze when individual, supported or collaborative goal-setting is appropriate.6.8.2

  • 3

    Develop a goal and explain how it supports health and well-being.6.8.3

  • 4

    Develop a plan that addresses supports and barriers related to attaining a health-related goal.6.8.4

  • 5

    Monitor progress to determine whether a health-related goal or plan should be maintained or adjusted.6.8.5

  • 6

    Examine the goal-setting process and outcomes on health and well-being.6.8.6

Demonstrate practices and behaviors to support health and well-being of self and others: Developing health practices and behaviors can promote health and well-being over the lifespan and reduce risk to self and others. Practicing health behaviors is critical to incorporating health-promoting habits and routines into all dimensions of wellness. Due to the increasing influence of technology, it is crucial to develop and apply practices and behaviors that support media balance and digital wellness. This standard promotes individual and collective responsibility by encouraging the exploration and practice of skills and processes that support health and wellbeing in individual, interpersonal, community, societal and environmental contexts.7

  • 1

    Examine supports and barriers to health-related practices and behaviors.7.8.1

  • 2

    Analyze practices and behaviors that support personal and community health and well-being.7.8.2

  • 3

    Demonstrate practices and behaviors that support personal and community health and well-being.7.8.3

Advocate to promote health and well-being of self and others: Advocacy skills are critical for promoting health and well-being within individual, interpersonal, community, societal and environmental contexts. This standard helps learners develop and apply skills and strategies to increase agency and advocacy for self and others. Practicing advocacy helps students be informed, civic-minded members of their community, who are inclusive of individual, cultural, historical and other differences.8

  • 1

    Analyze opportunities to advocate for the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities.8.8.1

  • 2

    Determine when individual or collaborative advocacy is appropriate to promote health and well-being.8.8.2

  • 3

    Apply advocacy skills and adjust strategies when addressing a variety of audiences and contexts.8.8.3

  • 4

    Demonstrate advocacy skills and strategies to promote the health and well-being of self and others.8.8.4

  • 5

    Evaluate the effectiveness of advocacy efforts for promoting health and well-being.8.8.5

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
Grade 6, Grade 7, and Grade 8
Where can I read the official document?
Kentucky Academic Standards Health Education June 2025

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