More fifth, seventh and ninth grade public school students have reached the “Healthy Fitness Zone” on this year’s Physical Fitness Test than last year, according to results released Nov. 26.
The 2008 test scores show that 28.5 percent of the students in grade 5, 32.9 percent in grade 7, and 35.6 percent in grade 9 achieved in the HFZ for all six areas of the test. These results represent a 1.4 percentage point increase in fifth grade students’ scores, a 2.0 percentage point increase in seventh grade students’ scores, and a 5.5 percentage point gain in ninth grade students’ scores compared to last year’s results.
“Students are moving in the right direction toward better fitness,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell. “But to get them to take giant leaps instead of baby steps will require additional encouragement from school administrators, teachers and parents. We all need to work together to help our students attain the level of fitness and well-being that will keep their bodies in shape and their minds sharp.”
The goal of California’s physical fitness test is to facilitate learning about physical activity and physical fitness concepts in order to increase the likelihood students will adopt lifetime patterns of physical activity.
A score in the HFZ represents the level of fitness thought to provide some protection from the potential health risks imposed by a lack of fitness in this measure. The HFZ reflects reasonable levels of fitness that can be attained by most students who participate regularly in various types of physical activity.
A comparison of the results for the last three years shows an encouraging 2.9 to 8.2 percentage point improvement in achieving the HFZ across all six areas of the test. Sixty percent of the students across the three grades in 2008 met the targeted performance level for aerobic capacity, considered the most important of the six areas tested. Recent research correlates good aerobic capacity with a reduction in many health problems.
State law requires school districts to administer a physical fitness test, designated by the State Board of Education, to all fifth, seventh and ninth graders annually. The test assesses six major fitness areas, including aerobic capacity (cardiovascular endurance), body composition (percentage of body fat), abdominal strength and endurance, trunk strength and flexibility, upper body strength and endurance, and overall flexibility. A number of test options are provided so that most students can participate.
For complete school, district, county and state results on the 2008 California Physical Fitness Test, visit the California Department of Education online at www.cde.ca.gov.