In the standards-based movement, physical education (PE) has developed its own national standards (NASPE, 2004), but it has not been a subject included in high-stakes testing. Elimination from high stakes testing marginalizes PE and influences teachers' willingness to follow through with best practices to achieve the National Standards. Researchers investigating teachers' knowledge concerning National Standards (Chen, 2006) and best practices (Logan, Lambdin, Ramirez, & Farr, 2000) have found that (a) personal commitment, (b) active participation in professional development activities, and (c) understanding of the standards influence k-12 teachers' attitudes toward NASPE standards and that schools with daily PE and lower teacher-student ratios scored higher on student performance measures and implementation of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAPs) (NASPE, 2001). Middle school teachers' views of the DAPs were beyond the scope of that research. This study was designed to examine current perceptions and practices of 6th grade physical education teachers as related to the DAPs. Specific research questions used to guide the study were (a) of which DAPs are teachers most aware? and (b) what factors appear to influence teachers' implementation of the DAPs? Data were collected through formal interviews with 26 full-time middle school physical educators who volunteered out of a randomly selected group that previously completed an online DAP survey. In the 58-item survey, created using the DAP document, participants indicated both current and ideal practices. Constant comparison (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) between interview data and a priori DAP categories yielded frequencies, percentages, and specific illustrative excerpts to support the following results. Ninety-one percent of the teachers mentioned appropriate curricular decisions and establishing positive learning environments. Ninety percent described inappropriate methods for reporting student progress. The least frequently mentioned inappropriate practice was competition (10%). No teacher mentioned the use of exercise as punishment. Positive and negative contextual factors influencing teachers' use of the DAPs included (a) administrative support (leadership, scheduling, funding, etc), (b) collegial interaction (philosophy alignment, socialization), (c) resource availability (space, technology, equipment), and (d) students', parents', classroom teachers' attitudes. Lack of specific information about the DAPs resulted in teachers using higher percentages of inappropriate practices. The strength and number of negative contextual forces impeded teachers' perceived empowerment to follow through with appropriate practices. Teachers' current practices were often misaligned with DAPs because they lacked knowledge of DAPs and taught in negative contexts.Keyword(s): assessment, middle school issues, standards and ethics