Of 1 million students tested, just 23% were deemed physically fit. Officials say schools lack an emphasis on PE instruction. Health educators say too many students eat junk food and spend excessive amounts of time in front of the television, computers or video games. The lax habits come at a time when schools are retreating from physical fitness as they concentrate on teaching basic skills and raising test scores.
The size of PE classes in California reaches 60 students or more on some campuses and in elementary schools, classroom teachers with minimal experience often teach the subject.
The fitness results are drawn from more than a million students statewide who took physical tests last spring-running a mile, doing push-ups and pull-ups among other things. Individual schools conducted the study, using fitness standards developed by the nonprofit Cooper Institute for Aerobics research in Dallas . The fitness results were collected for fifth, seventh and ninth graders. To be deemed fit, the students had to meet minimum levels in six categories, including aerobic capacity, flexibility and upper body strength. Students also had their body fat measured. Overall, the study paints a troubling picture of the health of California 's schoolchildren. Among the findings:
Just 23% of all the tested students were physically fit.
Whites and Asians were leaner and fitter than Latinos and African Americans.
The gap mirrors economic and academic gulfs between the groups. Leading health experts believe the results bear directly on academic achievement. To improve scores in reading, writing and math, minority students must improve their physical fitness and diets with help from parents and schools.
WOW! This is really sad. Out of 1000 students only 230 of them are physically fit. I think they need some Personal Training.
For fitness results for schools, districts, counties and state are available at California Department of Education web site, http://www.cde.ca.gov/satetests/pe/pe.html.
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