Physically fit students seem to perform better on state standardized exams, according to recently released results from a statewide fitness test of all Texas students grades three through 12.

Photo by Kevin M. Cox / GCDN

Physically fit students seem to perform better on state standardized exams, according to recently released results from a statewide fitness test of all Texas students grades three through 12.

“It proves what the medical literature says: Individuals who are healthy tend to perform at a better higher level, and that’s just because their brain functions better,” said Jeff Kloster, the associate commissioner of health and safety for the Texas Education Agency. “It proves what we expected going into this thing.”

The districts that performed the best on the TAKS test in 2006-07, including Friendswood public school district and Mainland Preparatory Academy in La Marque, tended to perform the best on the fitness test.

The districts where less than half of students passed the TAKS test in 2006-07, including La Marque public school district and Odyssey Academy in Galveston, had higher numbers of students who could not meet the fitness standards.

Hitchcock public school district bucked the trend, though. More than 99.6 percent of Hitchcock’s students met “Healthy Fitness Zone” standards on at least one fitness test, but 45 percent of students failed at least one TAKS exam in 2006-07.

‘Wellness Is A Lifestyle’

The Fitnessgram test, required by law, was administered to 2.6 million students in 8,000 public schools.

Students were considered to be in the “Healthy Fitness Zone” if they achieved certain levels based on age and gender. The tests include a one-mile run, curl ups, push-ups, trunk lift, shoulder stretches, a skin fold test measuring body fat and a weighing.

Of the 10 county school districts that turned in results, Mainland Preparatory Academy students seemed to be in the best shape.

All Mainland Preparatory Academy students, in grades three through six, achieved “Healthy Fitness Zone” standards on at least one test. Most students met standards in three or four tests.

Last year, 71 percent of all students at the La Marque charter school passed all TAKS exams. Principal Diane Merchant could not be reached for comment.

At Friendswood public school district, 99.4 percent of students achieved “Healthy Fitness Zone” standards on at least one test and 92 percent of students passed TAKS exams in 2006-07.

Superintendent Trish Hanks said in a prepared statement that the district has promoted fitness by forming junior high soccer teams that accept all students who try out, creating running clubs for elementary and intermediate students and building a natatorium.

“Wellness is a lifestyle,” she said.

Fitness Levels Drop In High School

Mainland Preparatory Academy perhaps performed better than other county districts because it serves students in kindergarten through sixth grades. Statewide results show fitness levels tended to drop drastically in high school, especially among girls.

Only 7.8 percent of Texas girls and 8.5 percent of boys in 12^th grade were fit enough to meet the “Healthy Fitness Zone” standards of the test, according to the state results.

The poor results seem to reflect decreased physical fitness requirements in high school, said Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott. While elementary students are required to have physical education every day, high school students need only a year and a half of physical education.

Girls at La Marque High School seemed to bring down that district’s results.

Of all students in the district, 5 percent didn’t meet any of the fitness tests’ standards.

However, 13 of the 53 girls in 12 ^th grade, or 25 percent, weren’t fit enough to meet any of the “Healthy Fitness Zone” standards.

The poor fitness results might have been because high school students didn’t take the test seriously because they weren’t getting a grade or because they weren’t enrolled in athletics and not physically active, said Peggy Montalbano, a middle school physical education teacher in the district.

She said all high school students should be required to take more physical education courses. She said it might be difficult to mandate because the state is requiring high school students to take more science and math classes, which reduces the amount of time they can spend in extracurricular activities like physical education.

Fitness And Income

The fitness results also seem to correlate with students’ income level. Districts with high populations of low-income students tended to perform worse than districts with more affluent students, excluding Mainland Preparatory Academy and Hitchcock public school district. Hitchcock’s coach who administered the Fitnessgram test could not be reached for comment.

At Odyssey Academy, where more than three-quarters of students are on free or reduced lunch, 6.6 percent of students couldn’t meet fitness standards on any of the tests.

Principal Jennifer Goodman said the school emphasizes fitness by offering daily physical education, outdoor activity time and a sports program.

The students perhaps performed poorly because it was the first time they had been formally evaluated for fitness, and they struggled with the specific exercises and forms required by the test.

Montalbano said low-income students migh be unfit because they don’t have as many opportunities for outdoor activities because their parents are often working two or more jobs, she said.

The Texas Education Agency will analyze the results by school district annually, comparing results to students’ grades, attendance, obesity, disciplinary problems and school meal programs. Those data are expected later this year.

Kloster said the agency will use the data to try to implement coordinated school health programs, which will push teachers and coaches to promote fitness, nutrition, smoking cessation, drug-and-alcohol free lifestyles and parental involvement.