November 25, 2005

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

Fitness levels a mixed bag at local schools

by Alexandria Rocha

Despite faring better than their peers throughout the state on last year's physical-fitness tests, only half of Palo Alto's school children are considered fit, according to results released this week by the state Department of Education.

The Palo Alto Unified School District's 17 schools are a mixed bag of fitness levels, with some campus' scores rising and others plummeting.

El Carmelo Elementary School saw the largest gain, with 45 percent of fifth-graders qualifying as fit last year, up from 26 percent in 2003-04. Walter Hays Elementary School saw the most significant decline in the number of fit students. In 2003-04, 47 percent of the site's students who were tested made all the benchmarks. But last year, only 19.5 percent did.

The state Department of Education requires school districts to annually administer a physical fitness test to all fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-graders. The test, called the FITNESSGRAM, assesses students in six major fitness areas: aerobic capacity, percentage of body fat, abdominal strength and endurance, trunk strength and flexibility, upper body strength and endurance, and overall flexibility. Those translate into running or walking a mile, measuring weight to height, and doing sit-ups, push-ups, and sit-and-reach toe touches.

It is straightforward whether a student meets requirements in each area -- they are either fit or not. The definition of fit, according to the test, says a student must "represent a level of fitness that offers some degree of protection against diseases that result from sedentary living."

In Palo Alto, only half, or 47 percent, of the 2,430 students tested were fit in all six areas. In the prior two school years, 2002 to 2004, it was about the same. Fifth-graders performed the best in sit-ups and push-ups and had the hardest time with touching their toes. Seventh- and ninth-graders had more abdominal strength, but also had the most trouble with overall flexibility.

School-board member-elect Dana Tom, who has two children in district schools, considered Palo Alto's results as good, compared with the county and state.

"Being the same (fitness ranking as last year) is OK if it's at a very, very high level. But if there is significant room for improvement, that's different," he said.

Last year in Santa Clara County, 31 percent of the 55,430 students tested were considered fit in the six categories. Statewide, about 1.3 million students tested and only 27 percent met the benchmarks.

Nine of Palo Alto's schools increased the number of students who tested fit in six areas last year. But, that still means eight had declining scores.

At El Carmelo, an increased focus on physical fitness in the last year could explain the higher results. A new program, called the 10-Mile Club, encourages students to exercise by running laps around the field during lunchtime. More than 100 students participated.

"Anything that encourages kids and gets them moving around is a great idea," said fourth-grade teacher and club advisor Kevin Danie earlier this year.

Parents have noticed the difference.

"There seems to be a wider offering of athletic activities during recess time. The YMCA, they are actively present two days a week. Someone started a hip-hop dance class once a week," said Liz Cowie, a parent of two El Carmelo students.

State Superintendent Jack O'Connell had sharp words for the state of fitness among California school kids.

"There are still far too many students failing to reach even minimal levels of physical fitness," he said earlier this week. "A silent epidemic of obesity and poor nutrition is endangering our children's health and their ability to learn."

Some of the top medical and health institutions agree. About 30 percent of children age 6 to 11 are overweight and 15 percent are obese. For adolescents age 12 to 19, 30 percent are overweight and 16 percent are obese, according to the American Obesity Association.

Today's youth are considered the most inactive generation in history -- caused in part by a reduction in school physical education programs, according to the association, which also blames a lack of safe community recreational facilities.

Unlike academic subjects, California mandates only the amount of time students are required to spend in physical-education programs, not how the time is spent.

Linda Hildreth, the physical education supervisor at Palo Alto High School, said the amount of physical education students receive has dropped dramatically in the last 30 years. Before 1975, for example, high-school students were required to complete four years of P.E. Now, they only need two years to graduate.

The type and amount of physical education Palo Alto students receive is acutely geared toward grade level and what is appropriate for children, adolescents and teenagers to focus on.

At the elementary level, the district employs a team of eight traveling specialists. The team visits with first- through third-graders 30 minutes a week to work on movement exploration, cooperative games and fitness routines, and with fourth- and fifth-graders for 70 minutes a week, mostly engaging them in group games.

Nancy Coffey, who has worked with the team since 1993, said classroom teachers take their students out for extra P.E. time whenever possible, taking tips from the specialists for what to do.

Once a student gets to middle school, they no longer have a recess, and P.E. is a regular 50-minute class period. Cindi Pappas, physical education supervisor at JLS Middle School, said skill development is big in sixth-grade. In seventh-grade they develop team-work skills and in eighth they go back to individualized attention.

The hope is that students will be prepared for the two years of fitness classes they have to take in high school, which most students finish their freshman and sophomore years.

In an intensive freshman year, students complete units in swimming; track and field; self-defense; wrestling; personal fitness; wheels, such as bicycling or roller skating; and finally, team games. The idea is that students who are not already involved in sports will find a game they like.

For more information and results from last year's FITNESSGRAM, visit www.cde.ca.gov.

Staff Writer Alexandria Rocha can be reached at arocha@paweekly.com.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.