9486 in the collection  

Physically Fit Students Perform Better on Tests, Texas Lawmakers Say

Stephen Krashen's comments are, as always, vital. he has done what reporters rarely do on education stories--followed the money.

Stephen Krashen Comment:

Texas plans to test all children, starting at grade 3,
on pushups, sit-ups, a mile run, and measure
flexibility and body fat (“PE not just fun, games
anymore,” July 11).

Everything is wrong with this.

The passing mark is scoring in the top 20% of all
children. Thus, no matter how well the children do,
80% will fail the test and be declared unfit.

To get children to pass, PE will focus on sit-ups,
pushups, and running. Gone is the idea that a major
goal of PE is to introduce children to a variety of
sports to encourage them to become fit for life in
enjoyable ways.

We are told that the reason for the test is to see if
there is a relationship between fitness and academic
performance. The way to do studies is with small
groups, not entire populations.

Not mentioned by the Morning News is that the
developer of the tool to be used to measure fitness
(which includes software), Kenneth Cooper, has served
as personal physician to President Bush, and is known
as “Bush’s exercise guru.”
Cooper donated $12,000 to the campaigns of Gov. Perry
and State Senator Nelson, the author of the fitness
legislation.


by Staci Hupp

The newest standardized test in Texas will make
millions of children sweat next year. It also will
make them run a mile and touch their toes.

Texas will be the first state to comprehensively gauge
students' physical health as part of a new
fitness-focused law that targets growing waistlines.
"We're treading new water here," said Jeff Kloster, an
associate commissioner at the Texas Education Agency,
which will oversee a state fitness test for children
in grades three through 12.
The test will measure aerobic endurance, body fat,
flexibility and muscle strength, Mr. Kloster said.
TEA officials expect to spend $2.5 million to equip
schools with Fitnessgram, a testing tool developed by
Dallas physician Kenneth Cooper, founder of aerobics.
The tool includes computer software to train teachers
how to conduct the test.
To pass, students must score in the 80th percentile,
or better than seven out of 10 peers, for their age
and sex. Students with disabilities or a doctor's note
don't have to take the test.
Students who fail will not be penalized.
TEA officials say the test results will help guide
state research into possible links among physical
health and student achievement, school attendance and
discipline problems.
"What Texas is doing, which could be a really great
thing, is they're creating accountability" for student
health, said Charlene Burgeson, executive director of
the National Association for Sport and Physical
Education. "It's a really important part of giving the
student ownership of their own health, too. They need
to understand what those different components of
fitness are and how they're doing on them."
TEA officials will tally test results by grade level,
campus and school district. Parents who want to know
their child's score need only call the school, which
will keep files for every student.
"It is not a competition to the extent that if you
don't achieve a certain number, you don't get
rewarded," Mr. Kloster said. "This is about
identifying where we are."
State officials say they have low expectations for the
first round of tests next spring.
About one-third of Texas' 4 million public school
children are considered overweight, health data show,
putting the state above the national average.
Only two-thirds of the state's students were enrolled
in PE classes in 2005, according to TEA data.

More PE

PE supporters hope that will change under the new
state law, which also attempts to add teeth to
physical education requirements.
Critics say PE has taken a back seat to classes that
give students a jump-start on high school credits or
that boost students' chances of passing standardized
tests.
"With the emphasis on TAKS tests, you've got a lot of
people who are cutting physical education back," said
Michele Rusnak, physical education coordinator for the
Austin school district. "At least now this will say,
'Hey, you can't cut anymore.' "
The new law defines the required level of physical
activity in schools as "moderate or vigorous."
For elementary students, the law sets the minimum time
in PE at 30 minutes a day, 135 minutes a week or 225
minutes over two weeks.
The new rules require middle-schoolers to take PE four
out of six semesters starting in the fall of 2008.
PE requirements for high school students won't change.
They still need 1 ½ years of PE to graduate.

Connection to learning

Attempts to restore physical education have mounted
nationwide as worries escalate about childhood obesity
and the costs to treat related illnesses.
State education officials like the renewed focus on PE
because some research shows healthy children focus
better in the classroom.
Austin ISD, which has tracked student fitness tests
for three years, found that fifth- and seventh-graders
who scored highest on fitness tests also fared better
on the math and reading portions of the Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
The district's tests include sit-ups and push-ups, a
timed one-mile run and body-mass index – a combination
of a student's height and weight.
"It's not a cause and effect, but it's definitely a
correlation," said Ms. Rusnak, the PE coordinator.
"Healthy kids are going to learn better."
Parents like Erin Hanagriff appreciate Austin's
testing effort because it reinforces the lessons she
tries to teach her two teenage daughters.
"Fitness isn't just how big are your muscles, it's how
healthy is your heart?" said Mrs. Hanagriff, a
physical therapist assistant. "Tangible results are
very helpful."

National leader

Fitness tests have been around for decades, but their
use in schools has been spotty.
California tests children in grades five, seven and
nine every year, for example.
But Texas is the only state to require
across-the-board fitness tests, Mr. Kloster said.
Supporters argue that the tests are the most critical
piece of the PE legislation because it forces wary
educators to take PE and health seriously.
"There hasn't been a strong arm saying, 'You need to
do this,' " Ms. Rusnak said.
Children's poor health "has been the elephant in the
room for a long time," she said, "and it's time that
we do something differently.

— Staci Hupp with comment by Stephen Krashen
Dallas Morning News
2007-07-11


---

INDEX OF OUTRAGES

Pages: 380   
[1] 2 3 4 5 6  Next >>    Last >>