The California Department of Education released 2012-13 physical fitness reports for school districts throughout California this week.
California students in grades five and seven improved in aerobic capacity and body composition, two of six areas assessed annually and considered the most important gauges of health.
Central Coast results varied across the six physical fitness areas — aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extension strength, upper body strength and flexibility — and were divided into three categories that indicate a healthy score, a result that needs improvement and scores that indicate health risk.
Districts throughout Northern Santa Barbara and Southern San Luis Obispo counties experienced a combination of drops and gains in the number of students who fell into each of the categories from 2011-12 to 2012-13.
More than 50 percent of students met at least five of the six fitness standards in all of the grades tested in Lucia Mar Unified, Orcutt Union, Santa Maria Joint Union and Santa Ynez Valley Union school districts.
In the K-8 Blochman Union School District: 20 percent of fifth-graders and 50 percent of seventh-graders met at least five of the six standards.
Schools in other K-8 districts such as Guadalupe Union and Santa Maria-Bonita showed similar results last school year:
n 26.1 percent of Guadalupe students in fifth grade and 54 percent of seventh-graders met at least five of the six standards.
n In Santa Maria-Bonita, 28.5 percent of fifth-graders and 43.4 percent of seventh-graders met at least five of the six standards.
Most students in the districts met four of the standards (with few grade-level exceptions), and all met at least half of the goals.
Maggie White, spokeswoman for the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, said physical education at the fifth-grade level centers around group games such as soccer and softball.
The games teach students sportsmanship and teamwork and may cover some of the fitness standards, White said. But more targeted and well-rounded physical education programs occur at the high school and junior high levels, when schools set aside a greater period of time for physical education.
California education code
requires students in grades first through sixth to complete 200 minutes of physical education every 10 school days. The requirement increases to 400 minutes for grades seven through 12.
“Any time you spend more time practicing something, you’re likely to get better at it,” White said.
She explained that middle school physical education (PE) teachers use state fitness results to guide focus areas and elementary teachers — who lead both PE classes and other courses — try to incorporate academic standards in health, science and math into physical education lessons.
Gwen Pryor, a physical education teacher at Tommie Kunst Junior High School, said her students practiced Tabata on Friday, a form of exercise that is new for the students but that tested their active movements in regimented time increments.
“Our big focus is fitness,” she said.
Within the physical fitness testing, she adheres to five state standards and focuses on five components of fitness — cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition.
Pryor said last year she focused on a different skill set each academic quarter. Students practiced push-ups, sit-ups, curls, speedball and Ultimate Frisbee.
“Physical education is important, because it keeps mind and body together,” she said.
Students Elyssa De La Peña and Esteban Curiel said although some aspects of PE are difficult, they enjoy the challenge.
“It’s one of my favorite classes,” Esteban said.
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