kaorder1999
07-11-2007, 12:17 AM
State to test students' fitness
12:13 AM CDT on Wednesday, July 11, 2007
By STACI HUPP / The Dallas Morning News
shupp@dallasnews.com
The newest standardized test in Texas will make millions of children sweat next year. It also will make them run a mile and touch their toes.
CHERYL DIAZ MEYER/DMN
From left: Cristina Saez, Madison Morse and Caitlin Morse get a jump on the physical fitness test students will face by learning about the weight machines in a Plano YMCA. Texas will be the first state to comprehensively gauge students' physical health as part of a new fitness-focused law that targets growing waistlines.
"We're treading new water here," said Jeff Kloster, an associate commissioner at the Texas Education Agency, which will oversee a state fitness test for children in grades three through 12.
The test will measure aerobic endurance, body fat, flexibility and muscle strength, Mr. Kloster said.
TEA officials expect to spend $2.5 million to equip schools with Fitnessgram, a testing tool developed by Dallas physician Kenneth Cooper, founder of aerobics. The tool includes computer software to train teachers how to conduct the test.
To pass, students must score in the 80th percentile, or better than seven out of 10 peers, for their age and sex. Students with disabilities or a doctor's note don't have to take the test.
TEA officials say the test results will help guide state research into possible links among physical health and student achievement, school attendance and discipline problems.
"What Texas is doing, which could be a really great thing, is they're creating accountability" for student health, said Charlene Burgeson, executive director of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. "It's a really important part of giving the student ownership of their own health, too. They need to understand what those different components of fitness are and how they're doing on them."
TEA officials will tally test results by grade level, campus and school district. Parents who want to know their child's score need only call the school, which will keep files for every student.
"It is not a competition to the extent that if you don't achieve a certain number, you don't get rewarded," Mr. Kloster said. "This is about identifying where we are."
State officials say they have low expectations for the first round of tests next spring.
About one-third of Texas' 4 million public school children are considered overweight, health data show, putting the state above the national average.
Only two-thirds of the state's students were enrolled in PE classes in 2005, according to TEA data.
More PE
PE supporters hope that will change under the new state law, which also attempts to add teeth to physical education requirements.
Critics say PE has taken a back seat to classes that give students a jump-start on high school credits or that boost students' chances of passing standardized tests.
"With the emphasis on TAKS tests, you've got a lot of people who are cutting physical education back," said Michele Rusnak, physical education coordinator for the Austin school district. "At least now this will say, 'Hey, you can't cut anymore.' "
The new law defines the required level of physical activity in schools as "moderate or vigorous."
For elementary students, the law sets the minimum time in PE at 30 minutes a day, 135 minutes a week or 225 minutes over two weeks.
The new rules require middle-schoolers to take PE four out of six semesters starting in the fall of 2008.
PE requirements for high school students won't change. They still need 1 ½ years of PE to graduate.
Connection to learning
Attempts to restore physical education have mounted nationwide as worries escalate about childhood obesity and the costs to treat related illnesses.
State education officials like the renewed focus on PE because some research shows healthy children focus better in the classroom.
Austin ISD, which has tracked student fitness tests for three years, found that fifth- and seventh-graders who scored highest on fitness tests also fared better on the math and reading portions of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
The district's tests include sit-ups and push-ups, a timed one-mile run and body-mass index – a combination of a student's height and weight.
"It's not a cause and effect, but it's definitely a correlation," said Ms. Rusnak, the PE coordinator. "Healthy kids are going to learn better."
Parents like Erin Hanagriff appreciate Austin's testing effort because it reinforces the lessons she tries to teach her two teenage daughters.
"Fitness isn't just how big are your muscles, it's how healthy is your heart?" said Mrs. Hanagriff, a physical therapist assistant. "Tangible results are very helpful."
National leader
Fitness tests have been around for decades, but their use in schools has been spotty.
California tests children in grades five, seven and nine every year, for example.
But Texas is the only state to require across-the-board fitness tests, Mr. Kloster said.
Supporters argue that the tests are the most critical piece of the PE legislation because it forces wary educators to take PE and health seriously.
"There hasn't been a strong arm saying, 'You need to do this,' " Ms. Rusnak said.
Children's poor health "has been the elephant in the room for a long time," she said, "and it's time that we do something differently."
12:13 AM CDT on Wednesday, July 11, 2007
By STACI HUPP / The Dallas Morning News
shupp@dallasnews.com
The newest standardized test in Texas will make millions of children sweat next year. It also will make them run a mile and touch their toes.
CHERYL DIAZ MEYER/DMN
From left: Cristina Saez, Madison Morse and Caitlin Morse get a jump on the physical fitness test students will face by learning about the weight machines in a Plano YMCA. Texas will be the first state to comprehensively gauge students' physical health as part of a new fitness-focused law that targets growing waistlines.
"We're treading new water here," said Jeff Kloster, an associate commissioner at the Texas Education Agency, which will oversee a state fitness test for children in grades three through 12.
The test will measure aerobic endurance, body fat, flexibility and muscle strength, Mr. Kloster said.
TEA officials expect to spend $2.5 million to equip schools with Fitnessgram, a testing tool developed by Dallas physician Kenneth Cooper, founder of aerobics. The tool includes computer software to train teachers how to conduct the test.
To pass, students must score in the 80th percentile, or better than seven out of 10 peers, for their age and sex. Students with disabilities or a doctor's note don't have to take the test.
TEA officials say the test results will help guide state research into possible links among physical health and student achievement, school attendance and discipline problems.
"What Texas is doing, which could be a really great thing, is they're creating accountability" for student health, said Charlene Burgeson, executive director of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. "It's a really important part of giving the student ownership of their own health, too. They need to understand what those different components of fitness are and how they're doing on them."
TEA officials will tally test results by grade level, campus and school district. Parents who want to know their child's score need only call the school, which will keep files for every student.
"It is not a competition to the extent that if you don't achieve a certain number, you don't get rewarded," Mr. Kloster said. "This is about identifying where we are."
State officials say they have low expectations for the first round of tests next spring.
About one-third of Texas' 4 million public school children are considered overweight, health data show, putting the state above the national average.
Only two-thirds of the state's students were enrolled in PE classes in 2005, according to TEA data.
More PE
PE supporters hope that will change under the new state law, which also attempts to add teeth to physical education requirements.
Critics say PE has taken a back seat to classes that give students a jump-start on high school credits or that boost students' chances of passing standardized tests.
"With the emphasis on TAKS tests, you've got a lot of people who are cutting physical education back," said Michele Rusnak, physical education coordinator for the Austin school district. "At least now this will say, 'Hey, you can't cut anymore.' "
The new law defines the required level of physical activity in schools as "moderate or vigorous."
For elementary students, the law sets the minimum time in PE at 30 minutes a day, 135 minutes a week or 225 minutes over two weeks.
The new rules require middle-schoolers to take PE four out of six semesters starting in the fall of 2008.
PE requirements for high school students won't change. They still need 1 ½ years of PE to graduate.
Connection to learning
Attempts to restore physical education have mounted nationwide as worries escalate about childhood obesity and the costs to treat related illnesses.
State education officials like the renewed focus on PE because some research shows healthy children focus better in the classroom.
Austin ISD, which has tracked student fitness tests for three years, found that fifth- and seventh-graders who scored highest on fitness tests also fared better on the math and reading portions of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
The district's tests include sit-ups and push-ups, a timed one-mile run and body-mass index – a combination of a student's height and weight.
"It's not a cause and effect, but it's definitely a correlation," said Ms. Rusnak, the PE coordinator. "Healthy kids are going to learn better."
Parents like Erin Hanagriff appreciate Austin's testing effort because it reinforces the lessons she tries to teach her two teenage daughters.
"Fitness isn't just how big are your muscles, it's how healthy is your heart?" said Mrs. Hanagriff, a physical therapist assistant. "Tangible results are very helpful."
National leader
Fitness tests have been around for decades, but their use in schools has been spotty.
California tests children in grades five, seven and nine every year, for example.
But Texas is the only state to require across-the-board fitness tests, Mr. Kloster said.
Supporters argue that the tests are the most critical piece of the PE legislation because it forces wary educators to take PE and health seriously.
"There hasn't been a strong arm saying, 'You need to do this,' " Ms. Rusnak said.
Children's poor health "has been the elephant in the room for a long time," she said, "and it's time that we do something differently."