| Author |
Message |
Scott (Middleschoolpe)
New member
Username: Middleschoolpe
Post Number: 1
Registered: 11-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2007 - 2:38 pm: |       |
For those of you who use the FitnessGram, do you grade based on improvement from the beginning to the end of the semester? What do you think of that concept? |
Matthew Bassett (Bassett1976)
Junior Member
Username: Bassett1976
Post Number: 2
Registered: 1-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 11:04 pm: | |
I give my students particpation points for their fitness tests. I'm starting to think about giving grades during the second semester based on their scores. A friend of mine made up a grade (1-10 points) for her eighth grade class based on the FitnessGram HFZ. I've adapted the scores for my sixth and fifth graders but have not used them yet. I'm not sure if giving them a grade will help motivate some of the students to do better or not. |
Dennis G. (Dennis)
Junior Member
Username: Dennis
Post Number: 12
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 3:23 pm: | |
I have to wonder why grading is even considered when fitness testing?
What is the purpose of the fitness testing to begin with?
I feel we test our students to let them know if they are in the HFZ or not. It is not for me. It is for them.
My job is not to make them all get into the HFZ.
My job is to teach them how to get in and stay in the HFZ through many strategies.
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Cheri Scott (Bear)
New member
Username: Bear
Post Number: 1
Registered: 7-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 - 10:27 am: | |
The best thing to keep when using FITNESSGRAM is the mission of program - promoting "lifelong physical activity among youth" (see pg. 3 of the Test Administration Manual). FITNESSGRAM is an important tool in helping educate children about not only their fitness scores but also the relationship between activity and health-related physical fitness.
The Cooper Institute (developers of FITNESSGRAM) recommends a variety of appropriate uses for the program - personal testing to help students evaluate their level of health-related fitness, teaching them about criterion-referenced health standards and the type of activity needed to reach those standards, etc. Pages 10-11 of the Test Administration Manual discuss this in detail. Assigning a grade is not recommended as it may lead students to resent the testing and, therefore, discourage them from trying to improve their level of health-related fitness. |
James Adams (Peteacher32)
New member
Username: Peteacher32
Post Number: 1
Registered: 7-2008
| | Posted on Friday, July 25, 2008 - 3:14 pm: | |
I have mixed feelings about testing based on improvement but am not against it. For some it will motivate them to improve, providing they are taught how to improve and are given the opportunity to work on their fitness in class each week. Make sure they write goals down and re-visit those goals. I don't have a problem with grading based on improvement in these areas as long as it doesn't have the power to hurt their grade by more than one letter grade. It might put some pressure on the students, but it should be emphasized that the grade is based on improvement and not necessarily being the best or even being in the healthy fitness zone since not everyone will have time to make it there. Keep in mind that the kids who would struggle would actually be the most fit kids since they would have the hardest time improving. |
Lauren DeCeia (Deceia9)
Junior Member
Username: Deceia9
Post Number: 3
Registered: 9-2009
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 08, 2009 - 8:53 am: | |
I think grading based on improvement is a great way to grade the fitness gram test. It allows students to see their own results. An even better idea is to keep their results on file and see their improvement year-to-year. |
Joe Herzog (Bigfish344)
Advanced Member
Username: Bigfish344
Post Number: 53
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 08, 2009 - 8:13 pm: | |
To begin with I think we all know that a grade should never be a representation of a specific time or score on a physical test. Assessment should be knowledge based. The main problem with basing a grade on improvement is that it does not take kids long to figure out that if you "hang back" on the pre-test, you can show great improvement at the finish; and I dare you to tell me that you can tell every kid that is not putting out 100%! How about doing your pre-testing and then having kids keep a fitness portfolio, set goals and explain why/how they did or didn't meet their goals and what they can/will do in the future to catch up.
Read what Cheri said about the Cooper Institutes recommendation and let's use an appropriate assessment tool to measure kids progress, attitudes and cognitive development |
Martin Dattilo (Marty_dattilo)
New member
Username: Marty_dattilo
Post Number: 1
Registered: 2-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 9:01 am: | |
I believe that fitness testing grades should be given on effort, improvement over the semester as well as the student's overall understanding of each individual test and its purpose. |
Eileen Anderson (Kwits)
New member
Username: Kwits
Post Number: 1
Registered: 9-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 7:35 pm: | |
I believe that a student should not be graded on their performance of the fitness test at all, whether it be Fitnessgram, Presidential or some other... I certainly understand that a student's performance in class on graded activities may or may not be a result of the student's fitness level, but (in my humble opinion) grading a fitness test is like grading the student on his or her IQ or performance on a standardized state test (like the ACT or something). If you really need to assign grades related to fitness testing, how about a rubric related to goal setting, or the student's ability to track their scores on a chart, or the creation of a fitness plan as a result or their scores on fitness tests, as examples.
Many thanks to those of you who believe that our job is to teach students how to maintain, enhance, or improve their physical fitness. I do not believe that our goal should be to push students to obtain some established standard while in class, but to enjoy activity, set personal goals for fitness and work toward those goals. |
Andrew Smykowski (Asmy6)
Junior Member
Username: Asmy6
Post Number: 4
Registered: 9-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2010 - 6:11 pm: | |
I do not believe that grading a fitness test should count towards your grade in PE. I think it should be just for the students information to know if they are in healthy shape or not. Sure your going to get the students that don't care about PE and slack off so you should give participation points. Use Heart-Rate Monitors to make sure they are in the HRZ and give points based off of that. |
Michael Morales (Michaelmorales)
Junior Member
Username: Michaelmorales
Post Number: 2
Registered: 4-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, April 28, 2011 - 7:47 pm: | |
As a student looking to become a PE teacher, I do believe that fitness testing will play a part of my grading system. Success will not be strictly based on performance against the suggested benchmarks for certain age groups. I hope to have a program in which students are excited to give their full effort. After reading the book "Right Fielders Are People Too", I see that this is key to get students into physical education. So when doing fitness testing in my class, I want my students to strive to beat the own personal best. If I'm able to get them to put forth the effort throughout the year, I along with my students will see progress in their performance. Therefore my grading will more based on effort rather than meeting benchmarks. If my students can go from doing 0 push ups to 4 push ups after participating in my class, I will consider them successful. The effort on their fitness testing is what will determine their grade. |
steve acree (Stephenpe)
Senior Member
Username: Stephenpe
Post Number: 144
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Friday, April 29, 2011 - 5:05 am: | |
And they will be successful if they do what you are promoting. But you better make it fun because you are going up against video games, apathy and peers that think anything adults want you to do must
not be cool.
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