PE 320 Fitnessgram Research Paper

Fitnessgram: Adopting, Implementing, and Assessing

Fitness Testing in Rural School Districts

Western Kentucky University

Abstract

Fitness testing in schools over the last few years has gained a poor reputation due to a lack of coordination between teachers and individual fitness programs. In a rural community in which an emphasis is put on athletics and sports, fitness testing is just a side note in the physical education program. However, with a fully coordinated fitness program with specific assessment goals that each school can strive for, fitness testing can be given new life and serve it’s intended purpose of creating a health conscious school system and student population.

Key words: Fitnessgram, health, adoption, implementation, assessment, continuation, physical education

Fitness testing in rural areas

I chose a rural school district which was my hometown to conduct my research. This population does not represent the entire population when it comes to the United States, but it does represent many similar school districts with a lack of funding for the physical education program. What started out as an endeavor to find out how each school approached their fitness tests, quickly became a search for a school that still practiced fitness testing in some capacity. Out of the five schools in the district (consisting of K-12), four of them still fitness tested in some form (Duvall, 2012). Two of the schools were the elementary schools and two of the schools were considered the middle school level (5th/6th grade center, and a 7th/8th grade middle school). More interestingly perhaps, is that out of the five schools in the district, two of the physical educators did not have a degree in physical education (Duvall, 2012). Only two of the teachers with a degree in physical education, both teachers at the middle school level, taught fitness testing in their programs (Pierce, 2013). As a physical education student and future physical educator, I know personally that fitness testing is taught as part of the physical education college curriculum. Finally, the most interesting statistic in this district was that the two elementary physical education teachers had the most in depth form of fitness testing in the district.

The most widely practiced form of fitness testing in all of the schools that were still practicing fitness testing was the Presidential fitness test. This is an easy to follow format that the teachers themselves most likely participated in when they were in school (Weaver, 2013). The Presidential Physical Fitness Program started in 1966 under President Lyndon B. Johnson and until this upcoming school year of 2013-2014, has remained virtually unchanged (St. Germaine, 2013). It consisted of an endurance run/walk test to measure cardiovascular endurance, a push up test to measure upper body strength and endurance, a curl up test to measure abdominal strength and endurance, a shuttle run to measure lateral speed and agility, and a sit and reach test to measure lower back and hamstring flexibility (St. Germaine, 2013). These are good tests that can still serve a purpose when used correctly. This program also lends itself to the major benefit of being able to complete all but one of the activities in a gymnasium comfortably in the frame of one class period. However, all of the teachers that still practiced fitness testing singled out specific portions of the test and used them exclusively. The most notable example of this would be the middle school level only participating in the 1-mile run/walk endurance test. This test usually must be completed separately because of the amount of time that it takes some students to complete the task. This distinction has caused some teacher to use this as their primary fitness assessment since they already have to spend an entire class on its completion (Weaver, 2013).

The problem that keeps presenting itself in the arena of fitness testing is the lack of a follow through program or continuation. The schools that do fitness test only test once per school year or class (whatever the school scheduling lends itself to). By only testing once per year, the students do not have legitimate goal setting practice. Fitness testing once per year only shows the first step of a good physical education or fitness program which is the student’s current level of fitness. Testing only once per year only shows a student’s current level of fitness at the beginning or end of the year, depending on when the test is performed. To properly determine improvement of fitness, which is the goal of fitness testing and physical education, there needs to be a pre and post assessment. With that being said, pre and post assessments are not the only important parts of this equation. In between the assessments, there must be some sort of goal setting. To go with that goal setting, there must be the presence of a program that encourages improving the fitness level of the students. A program cannot expect fitness scores to improve if they are not actively improved upon. In other words, if a school does not actively try to improve scores in between the pre-test and the post-test, and improvement would be strictly based on how active an individual student was on his/her own. At the middle school level, students can also become more physically fit because of puberty. So, even if you test twice per year, if you are not actively trying to improve scores and working toward goals that are set by or for students, the purpose of the testing is still lost.

Another benefit of the Presidential Fitness Testing program was the cost. It did not cost a school district any money to perform the required tests. You also did not need any special equipment to perform the tests that were required. The pitfalls of the Presidential Fitness testing model have succumbed to the newly adopted Fitnessgram fitness program (Fitnessgram, 2013). While this program may cost a little more, it has greatly improved upon the foundation that was laid by the Presidential. Our knowledge of how the human body works has greatly increased since 1966, thus increasing our ability to measure and assess physical fitness in a valid and reliable manner. The Fitnessgram has been adopted by the Presidential Youth Fitness Program and is currently in the process of being adopted into school all across the nation. With a brand new program and a rural community, it can be difficult to adopt a brand new program. This can especially be a problem in a school district with a lack of funding. However, in the following few paragraphs, I will explain how to adopt, implement, assess, and reflect on the performance of the program and the continuation of the program in the future.

Adopting the Fitnessgram Program

Fitnessgram is taking on a new shape in the form of a web-based program. The program is not expensive per say, but anything is expensive when you have no money in your budget. The program is very easy to adopt and immediately implement in a school district. The total cost for the first year of the program will be somewhere around $600 per building site license (Fitnessgram, 2013). This would include everything that you need for the program. Other than the site-license that you receive, this price includes Fitnessgram activity and testing manual, a PACER test CD and DVD explaining the proper testing protocols, Healthy Fitness Zone ® wall charts and clipboard, station cards for the included test items, a skinfold caliper for testing body composition, curl up strips, pre-printed assessment forms and activity forms in English and Spanish for both parents and students, and other additional information about other fitness programs including Healthy Fitness Zone ® standards, NFL Play 60, and the complimentary tech support (Fitnessgram, 2013). It is also important to note that many of the items that are present in the Fitnessgram package can be made oneself and are not necessary to buy. The most important parts of the Fitnessgram model are the Healthy Fitness Zone ® standards. These standards are the criterion by which all students are measured. The standards give a more in depth look at things such as aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength and endurance, trunk strength and flexibility, upper body strength and flexibility, and overall flexibility for both males and females (The Cooper Institute, 2012).

Another important aspect of the Fitnessgram as it contrasts the Presidential Fitness Test, is how each category is not simply based on one test. Each test has multiple options so that the teacher can determine which test works best for their situation (Fitnessgram, 2013). For example, the body composition portion of the Fitnessgram is based on the traditional Body Mass Index and a skin fold analysis and a bioelectrical impedance analyzer (The Cooper Institute, 2012). If you perform each test, this gives the user a more explicit view of his/her body composition. Everything about the Fitnessgram works together to give students, parents, and educators a better view of what a student’s fitness level is. Once you purchase the Fitnessgram equipment/make your own, be trained or train yourself with the manual on the proper way to perform each test, and establish your protocols for how to fit the testing into your yearly curriculum, you are ready to implement the Fitnessgram.

Implementing the Fitnessgram

As mentioned before, implementing the any successful fitness program is planning. The fitness program should be part of your curriculum. This does not mean setting aside one day at the beginning and the end of the school year to perform the required tests. This includes creating a curriculum that will actively try to improves student fitness and help them achieve their goals. To implement the Fitnessgram properly, you must first perform all of the pre-tests. Because there are more tests than the Presidential, one might have to designate more than one day to perform the tasks. Once you have completed the tasks and the students’ data has been entered into the web based program, the students can then see how their performance compares to the Healthy Fitness Zone ® standards. These standards help minimize student comparisons and instead focus on personal health and fitness. As the official Fitnessgram website states, “Since only modest amounts of exercise are needed for obtaining health benefits, most students who participate in physical activity almost every day will be able to achieve a score that will place them in the Healthy Fitness Zone”(Fitnessgram, 2013). Students can then set personal goals or use the goals set for them by the Healthy Fitness Zone ®. Now, the curriculum for the rest of the school year does not have to center around fitness testing but it should promote things that are beneficial to the students’ objective of reaching their goals and meeting the standards. For example, if you do everything correctly and administer all of the tests at the beginning of the year and then spend the rest of the year playing basketball, you should not automatically expect the students’ upper body strength to improve. If a teacher wants the scores to improve, then he/she must take the appropriate steps to ensure that outcome.

In the elementary school setting this can be done without much deviation an average elementary curriculum. In elementary school, movement concepts are the most important part of physical education. You can use movement concepts and skill themes to subliminally teach and improve physical fitness. Sometimes young children do not respond as well to a fitness based approach to physical fitness. However, if you combine what they are already doing with activities that improve their overall fitness, they can meet their goals and still enjoy their time in physical education.

Assessing the Program

The Fitnessgram has made it extremely easy to assess student development. Because the new version of the Fitnessgram is web-based, and because the information is so explicit and readily available, assessment is not difficult at all. The website that your school will have access to will grant students and physical educators access to the students’ scores (Fitnessgram, 2013). Students can enter the scores themselves or the teacher can enter the scores for them (Fitnessgram, 2013). This will allow the students to keep track of their progress and self-assess from anywhere with an internet connection. You can also create reports for both students and their parents. Getting the parents involved with their child’s health is one of the best ways to encourage health living and activity. Once the post-test portion of the Fitnessgram has been completed, one can then send out a report to the student, the student’s parents, and evaluate the students based on the aforementioned standards. This can all be done online without pen and paper.

Continuation of the program

As stated before, the continuation of a fitness program is very important to the overall success of a program. In an ideal situation, an entire school district would be on board with the Fitnessgram testing procedures. This way, the students would be familiar with the protocols from the time they were in elementary school all the way through secondary education. For a program to be successful it must function on all levels of education. Not only is it important for the students to know the protocols, but communication between the other physical educators in the school district is key. In the school district in which I conducted my research, most of the teachers (unless they worked in the same building or coach together) did not have any significant contact with any of the other physical educators (Duvall, 2012). There has to be a strong communication between teachers in order to provide the strongest educational system possible for the students. This is especially important when it comes to fitness testing. If everyone is on the same page about the way that fitness testing should be carried out, it is much easier on everyone involved.

After the program is complete, you now have an opportunity to do some reflective thinking. Just as with any assessment, you must go back and review what you accomplished and what the goals were. The first year might not go as smooth as expected. One must then go back and make corrections that need to be made to his/her teaching style, instruction, planning, implementation, and perhaps some of the tests. As stated before, this particular step of teaching is much easier if everyone is on the same page, is communicating well, and is working toward the same goal.

In conclusion, the poor reputation of fitness testing can be accredited to numerous things. Rural communities sometimes do not have funding, it takes up too much time, focus on athletics takes away from other activities, it doesn’t benefit the students, and poor planning and scope and sequence are just a few. However, with the Fitnessgram a school can conduct fitness tests in the correct way and actually attempt to make fitness fun for each individual child. Fitnessgram does not forces students to compete with each other, it assesses the important aspects of a child’s physical fitness, and it makes goal setting a simple task. All of these things combined are a very strong argument for the reprise of functional fitness testing in our school systems. As of the next school year, the school district in which I performed my research will be actively seeking grants for the Fitnessgram system. If one rural school can set an example for a region, then a region can set an example for a state, and a state for a country, eventually our nation will all be rejoined in the fight against obesity and be striving for a healthy life.

References

Duvall, L. (2012, December 1). Interview by J. Bagshaw [].

Fitnessgram. (2013). Fitnessgram: assess, report, educate. Retrieved from http://www.fitnessgram.net/programoverview/assessreporteducate/

Fitnessgram. (2013). Fitnessgram prices and order info. Retrieved from http://www.fitnessgram.net/storenew/

Pierce, K. (2013, April 12). Interview by J. Bagshaw [].

St. Germaine. (2013). Presidential physical fitness testing. Retrieved from http://www.mtmorriscsd.org/webpages/mstgermaine/index.cfm?subpage=222854

The Cooper Institute. (2012, August). Fitnessgram performance standards. Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/pf/documents/pft1213fpscharts.pdf

Weaver, B. (2013, April 12). Interview by J. Bagshaw [].