Marin students are more fit than the state's average student, according to recent physical fitness test results.
The state-required Physical Fitness Test, administered to fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders, tests fitness levels in six categories. About 45 percent of Marin students tested last school year passed all six tests, compared to less than a third of students statewide.
Within Marin, Kentfield School District posted the highest passing rates, with nearly 88 percent of seventh-graders and 57 percent of fifth-graders passing all six tests.
"We can directly attribute our success from the board level on down to the classroom level on fitness and wellness," Kentfield Superintendent Liz Schott said.
Whether it is the board of trustees supporting health and fitness education, parents dedicated to keeping their kids active and feeding them well, or "the legions of kids riding their bikes and walking to school," Schott said, "there's a focus on fitness and health and wellness in the area that we are then able to take and capitalize on in the classroom and (physical education) classes."
School districts throughout the county generally performed well in the fitness testing.
Though more than half of Marin students failed at least one of the fitness tests, more students from the three grades tested passed all six tests in 2012-13 than in the previous school year. The biggest improvement came among seventh-graders, with a jump from 44.8 to 49 percent.
The disparities between Marin and the state average is magnified in individual categories, where students in some Marin school districts scored 30 percentage points higher in certain categories when compared to state averages.
The six testing categories are aerobic capacity, body fat composition, abdominal strength, trunk extension strength, upper body strength and flexibility. Students who satisfy minimum standards are determined to be in the "healthy fitness zone," while those who don't meet them are categorized as "need improvement."
Aerobic capacity and body fat composition, which generally show lower passing rates than the other four categories, include a "need improvement-health risk" category for students who fall significantly below minimum requirements and risk future health problems.
Nearly 81 percent of Marin seventh-graders passed the aerobic capacity test, compared to 64 percent for the rest of the state.
In Kentfield, 95.9 percent of fifth-graders and 93.6 percent of seventh-graders passed the aerobic test. Kentfield students were even stronger in the other categories, including 100 percent of seventh-graders passing the trunk extension test.
"As a (physical education) department, we decided to separate a couple days of the week just for fitness," Kent Middle School physical education teacher Matthew Kelly said. "It gives you a chance to get a more complete fitness experience."
Kelly said last week's fitness classes focused on core strengthening, using the principles of the popular video exercise regimen, P90X.
Reed Union Elementary School District ranked near the top among Marin school districts in the testing, partially due to the school's emphasis on health, superintendent Steve Herzog said, but more due to the healthy habits they pick up at home.
"It's how active they are in their lives," Herzog said. "Everybody is playing soccer, swimming, playing baseball, lacrosse. If anything, we're looking at whether they're over involved."
Along with being active, Herzog said the district's nutrition plays a big part in student health.
"With our food service program, the kids order very healthy food," Herzog said. "I walk around and I'm impressed with what the kids order. They get that from their parents."
Among high schools, Tamalpais Union schools proved the most fit, with 88 percent of ninth-graders passing the aerobic test and 83 percent scoring satisfactorily in body composition. About three out of five Tam Union students pass all six categories — more than 20 percentage points higher than the statewide rate for high school freshmen.
There is a notable drop off in the county's other high schools. In the San Rafael High School District, 70.7 passed the aerobic test and 67.6 passed the body competition, while students at Novato Unified — the county's largest school district — scored slightly above the state averages, with 65.5 passing the aerobic test and 61.7 passing body fat composition.
Though the testing is most directly a reflection of physical fitness, school administrators throughout the county and state also see fitness as a key component to the learning experience.
Novato Superintendent Shalee Cunningham said the district's elementary schools have implemented a morning exercise routine over the last year to jumpstart their students' days, doing activities such as jumping jacks and walking around the track before school begins.
"There's an awful lot of research that shows that if kids get more oxygen early in the day, it improves their learning," Cunningham said.
Contact Laith Agha via email at lagha@marinij.com[1]
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