FITNESSGRAM

During the 80th Legislative Session, Senate Bill 530 was passed, which requires fitness assessment for all students in grades 3 to 12 starting in the 2007-2008 school year. The Texas Education Agency identified FITNESSGRAM as an assessment tool for Texas schools and GREGORY-PORTLAND ISD has initiated the program on its campuses. To access a list of frequently asked questions on the FITNESSGRAM web site, please click here.

More Information:

“ Obesity is an epidemic among Texas children. If we do not act now, a generation of young people will face diabetes and cardiovascular disease in their 20s and 30s, and that will be a public health disaster for Texas." - Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., MPH, Texas Commissioner of Health

Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, Senate Bill 530 requires the FITNESSGRAM physical fitness assessment be administered to all students in 3rd through 12th grades. FITNESSGRAM is a health-related fitness assessment developed by The Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research and is a research-based criterion referenced test.

GPISD considers FitnessGram a quality assessment for three reasons:

1. FITNESSGRAM establishes a baseline of a healthy fitness zone from which students can set goals and check their progress (non-competitive) to plan for lifelong physical activity and to maintain and improve their fitness level. Health-related fitness assessment measures a student’s aerobic capacity, muscular strength/endurance, flexibility and body composition.

2. FITNESSGRAM provides recommended program options that will help students reach healthy fitness zones in those areas where they need to improve.

3. FITNESSGRAM does not place an emphasis on skill or sport-related fitness such as speed measured by an individual’s 40 yard dash time. It does not compare students to other students.

FITNESSGRAM tests all students regardless of age, gender, or ability. Students are encouraged to be self-aware of health-related fitness and take responsibility by setting personal fitness goals. When students focus on the process of doing their personal best, a more positive lifelong impact is achieved.

If you have any questions about FITNESSGRAM assessment refer to www.FITNESSGRAM.net/texas/.

Coach Rachel Hudson is the expert on FitnessGram at GPHS and conducts all the tests for every student.

FITNESSGRAM
Testing Components

5 Components of Physical Fitness:
• Cardiovascular endurance
• Muscular strength
• Muscular endurance
• Muscular flexibility
• Body composition

MILE RUN
• Measures cardiovascular endurance.
• Objective: Pace yourself to run as fast as you can for a mile.

CURL-UP
• Measures muscular strength and endurance.
• Objective: Complete as many curl-ups as possible up to a maximum of 75 at a specified pace.

PUSH-UP
• Measures muscular strength and endurance.
• Objective: Complete as many push-ups as possible at a rhythmic pace.

TRUNK LIFT
• Measures trunk extensor strength and flexibility.
• Objective: Lift the upper body off the floor using the muscles of the back and hold the position to allow for measurement.

BACK SAVER SIT AND REACH TEST
• Measures flexibility.
• Objective: Reach as far as you can while keeping your hands together and your leg straight.

BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)
• Measures body composition.
• Objective: Provides an indication of the appropriateness of a child’s weight relative to height. Students heights and weights will be recorded into the FITNESSGRAM software to determine BMI