It
is spring time in Texas, which means that it is testing season for public
school children. FITNESSGRAM is one of the many tests that children will have
to complete before they can enjoy their summer vacations. The FITNESSGRAM
really holds no true value to students other than a brief moment of bragging
rights if mastered. It is still highly thought of by many fitness experts. The
authors of Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport stated, “Many experts
consider the FITNESSGRAM battery to be the most psychometrically sound
assessment of fitness available for field-based testing in youth.”1
However, often times kids do not participate to their full potential
particularly at the high school level. How can this attitude be changed?
One
way to change this is by making the students accountable for their results.
Kids should receive an actual grade, or reward of some kind for these tests. Otherwise,
students will not see the true importance of trying in the first place. A
student being in the Healthy Fitness Zone should mean more than just being
added to a statistic. Especially since the Healthy Fitness Zone is for meeting
the minimum anyway. “If the student meets the minimum standard, she
is said to meet the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ).”2 Instead of meeting
the minimum, shouldn’t the students be encouraged to meet a higher standard? As
a teacher, encourage your students to go above and beyond and to set a new
record for his or her grade. Try keeping a "Wall of Fame" and give your students something to shoot for.
Tune
in next week as I discuss some great games to consider for PE class this
Spring.
1 Morrow Jr., J.
R., Martin, S. B. & Jackson, A. W. (2010). Reliability and validity of the
FITNESSGRAM®, Research Quarterly for
Exercise and Sport, 81:sup3, S24-S30. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2010.10599691
2
Van,
D., Kelder, S. H., Kohl III, H. W., Ranjit, N., & Perry, C. L. (2011).
Associations of physical fitness and academic performance among schoolchildren.
Journal of School Health, 81(12), 733-740. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/
Very good points about encouraging students to give their best efforts on the Fitnessgram. Yet, in my opinion, the state is requiring public schools to complete these tests at every grade level but at the same time, students do not have to take 4 years of physical education. Where are we putting the emphasis? A test once a year or a quality physical education program for throughout all school years? I also believe, in addition to your suggestions, that the state could do a better job of relaying data to schools to see how our local results compare statewide. Personally, I've given this test annually since its existence, yet have not seen any results after submission. The idea of the Fitnessgram may be legit, but the administration of it definitely has its flaws.
ReplyDeleteJonathan, you make a good point. We are using funds to require yearly testing, but we don't feel the need to require classes that will improve those scores. That is a problem. Don't get me wrong - I can see some great benefits to having FITNESSGRAM, but we also need a statewide initiative for using those results in order to better the health levels of our students.
DeleteWhile working at the high school level, I helped administer the test every year, and I helped enter and compile data a couple of years. It's a heavy load, but if done correctly, FITNESSGRAM can provide important information. The ISD that I was at kept the data updated themselves in order to make comparisons from year to year. Again, this places a large load on someone to maintain.