About 1.34 million of California's fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders took the test, called FITNESSGRAM, in February. Its primary goal is to help students form lifetime habits of regular physical activity. The test measures six fitness areas: aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extensor strength, upper body strength, and flexibility.
At a press conference in Orange County, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson noted that nearly 94 percent of students enrolled in the three grades took the test. Students in grades five and seven improved in aerobic capacity and body composition, two areas considered among the most important gauges of health. Students in grade nine showed improvement in aerobic capacity, but dipped one-tenth of a percentage point in body composition.
Overall, about 26 percent of fifth-graders, 32 percent of seventh-graders, and 37 percent of ninth-graders scored in the so-called Healthy Fitness Zone for all six areas. That reflects slight gains for grades five and seven since last year and no change for grade nine. The data is available for review at the California Department of Education website, www.cde.ca.gov[1] .
In the Vacaville and Travis unified districts, only seventh-graders showed declines in the HFZ for six out of six fitness areas.
Kim Forrest, director of curriculum, assessment and instruction for VUSD, a 12,500-student district, noted that the nearly 1,000 fifth-graders tested improved their year-over-year percentage gain by six points, from 22 to 28. Some 960 ninth-graders improved their gains by less than 1 percent, 32.5 to 33, while some 900 seventh-graders saw their percentages drop by nearly two points, from 20 to 18.
She called the percentage change for fifth-graders "significant."
Jim Bryan, assistant superintendent of educational services in the 5,500-student Travis Unified district, said that 360 fifth-graders improved their year-over-year percentage gains by nine points, from 27 to 36. Some 450 ninth-graders improved their gains by 5 percent, 31 to 36, while 425 seventh-graders saw their percentages drop by four points, from 39 to 35.
At press time, Brian Dolan, superintendent of Dixon Unified, had not returned a request for comment about year-over-year scores in the 3,500-student district.
State data indicated that 240 Dixon fifth-graders were tested last winter, with nearly 29 percent reaching the HFZ for six out of six fitness areas. More than 270 seventh-graders were tested and nearly 32 percent of them reached the zone for six out of six fitness areas, while more than 44 percent of 250 ninth-graders reached that zone.
"The simple fact is, that healthy kids learn better," Torlakson said. "I'm pleased to see the slow shift toward better health continue, but when only about a third of our students are physically fit, we are nowhere near the end of this effort. To help them succeed in school and in life, California's young people need more access to physical activity, fresh, healthy food and clean water."
The overriding question, Forrest agreed, is whether such test results indicate that children are getting enough physical activity in school, given the increasingly sedentary lifestyles many American families observe, leaving many kids susceptible to health problems now and later in life. Students who are unfit or unhealthy tend not to do well in school, she said.
"Fortunately, we still have recess at school," in the elementary grades, she said. "Teachers, if they see a student not being active, they will encourage them."
But in Vacaville Unified, elementary students receive only one hour of organized physical education each week.
"It used to be two hours, but it was cut back during the financial crises," said Forrest, noting that the current state requirement is 200 minutes of physical education every 10 days in the elementary grades.
By contrast, elementary students in Travis Unified experience "regular PE programs," depending on the grade level, said Bryan. Students in grades 1 to 3, receive a minimum 120 minutes every two weeks, while students in grades 4 to 6 receive 150 minutes of physical education instruction.
But at Golden West Middle School, seventh- and eighth-graders receive physical education instruction every day, and freshman and sophomores at Vanden High do, too.
Bryan said parents and educators are increasingly aware that recent improvements to school meal programs and increases in physical education offerings do, indeed, make a difference in student achievement, in class and on annual high-stakes tests.
Still, according to a May 2012 Institute of Medicine Report, only about half of U.S. kids and teens get enough activity to meet current guidelines that call for children to participate in 60 minutes of vigorous or moderately intense exercise every day.
During the school day, few children actually get that amount of exercise -- 4 percent in elementary schools, 8 percent in middle schools, and 2 percent in high schools, the institute's report indicated.
Follow Staff Writer Richard Bammer at Twitter.com/REBammer[2]
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