NASP is an international target-archery program designed to be delivered by school teachers to students in grades 4-12 as an in-school lesson.
Currently, 47 states have adopted the program – including the countries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. In California, the program (CalNASP) is supported by CDFW and the Department of Education (DOE).
NASP activities are often taught in a gymnasium as a two-week, physical education unit, but educators from other disciplines, (math, history, art, etc.) find creative opportunities to demonstrate educational concepts through the NASP program.
The safety record of archery is exemplary. The National Safety Council rates archery as more accident free than every ball sport, including tennis and golf.
The NASP program is designed to be delivered to students in a very concise, controlled manner. The range is usually set up indoors – with all access doors locked to prevent others from walking onto the range. The students are only allowed to move on the range when instructed via whistle blasts.
Additionally, the students shoot at stationary targets from a short distance of 5 to 7 yards or meters with an arrow-resistant curtain placed behind targets.
These questions should be posed to your principal – who will then check with your Office of Risk Management. School programs are usually covered under the school district's general liability policy and no additional liability insurance is necessary.
However, the principal should check to make sure the existing liability policy covers the activity of archery.
The insurance industry considers archery to be safer than most school contact sports. Contact an insurance agent that specializes in school insurance liability to answer specific questions.
No previous archery experience is necessary; although, teachers are asked to attend Basic Archery Instructor training (BAI) to become certified to teach the NASP program. CDFW provides the instruction and the training is conducted in a school gymnasium. There is no cost to attend certification classes and participants may sign up for refresher classes at no charge.
Retention requirements for BAI certification is to teach the program to students at least once every two years or retake the course.
Currently, the curriculum that NASP provides follows the National P.E. Standards; however, we have aligned the national curriculum with California Physical Education Content Standards. California correlation matrices are available by request.
Additionally, we have a number of standards-based, supplemental archery activities for various grade levels and disciplines that make cross-curricula connections. If you would like to request activities, email Lesa.Johnston@wildlife.ca.gov.
To download the National NASP curriculum, visit www.archeryintheschools.org.
Yes, during training we will walk you through the steps of setting up a range and we will show you how to safely set up both an indoor range and outdoor range.
We will cover safety aspects of the program during the training; however, we suggest the class be split in half and another teacher instructs a separate activity simultaneously. The groups will then switch.
Additionally, as a control measure the layout of the range is designed to include a student waiting area that allows those students not on the shooting line to be monitored and remain in a holding area until their turn on shooting line.
Equipment is available at below retail cost and one archery kit is approximately $3000-$3500. Price is partly determined on the equipment choices selected (some targets are more expensive than others).
Although we make reference to a kit, equipment is purchased in individual pieces which typically include: Twelve Genesis compound bows, five bulls-eye targets, one arrow-resistant net, one or two bow racks, five dozen arrows and an equipment maintenance kit. You may visit
www.naspschools.org/ to view and order equipment. Note: We ask that you complete training before you purchase equipment through NASP.
We will teach basic equipment maintenance during training; however, there may be CDFW volunteers in your area that can assist you with equipment maintenance and inspection. Also, local archery shops are often helpful and may offer support.
To ensure that all students participating in the NASP program have an equal chance of receiving the same training benefits, we ask that the recommended equipment be used to deliver the program. The NASP program only uses the Genesis compound bow.
We are currently accepting letter proposals for equipment grants. These grants are made possible by federal monies. Please email Leticia.Palamidessi@wildlife.ca.gov to find out how to apply.
Check the training calendar for upcoming classes and register online. Thanks to federal aid, there is no cost to attend the Basic Archery Instructor (BAI) class.
Sign up for the mailing list to be notified of upcoming classes and to receive other important information.
Contact (916) 322-8962 or Bridget.Kennedy@wildlife.ca.gov if you need assistance or have questions.