9-18181 WA2-2003 Fitness Gr8 ADP 5-1-03 i
Fitness Performance
Assessment
A Classroom-Based Assessment
for Washington Students
High School
A Component of the
Washington State Assessment Program
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 ii
Copyright © 2003 by Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. All
rights reserved. Educational institutions within the State of Washington have
permission to reproduce this document. All other individuals wishing to reproduce this
document must contact OSPI.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Body Composition Conversion Charts for Girls and Boys from
Fitnessgram: Test
Administration Manual
. Reprinted with permission of The Cooper Institute, Dallas,
TX. FITNESSGRAM® is a registered trademark of The Cooper Institute for Aerobic
Research.
CDC Growth Charts; United States Boys and Girls 2 to 20 years. Developed by the
National Center for Health Statistics in collaboration with the National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion;
<http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/mor-info.htm>;
(accessed: 22 July 2002).
Health Fitness Award chart adapted from
The President’s Challenge Physical
Activity and Fitness Awards Program
booklet. Reprinted by permission.
Standards for Healthy Fitness Zone Charts from
Fitnessgram: Test Administration
Manual
. Reprinted with permission of The Cooper Institute, Dallas, TX.
FITNESSGRAM® is a registered trademark of The Cooper Institute for Aerobic
Research.
1
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 1
A Model for Conducting Fitness Performance Assessments
Introduction
Fitness assessments encompass a variety of measures designed to provide
individualized feedback regarding one’s overall fitness status and/or
physiological responses to physical effort. Fitness assessments can and should
be developmentally appropriate.
Fitness assessments may include “traditional” assessments such as those of
VO
2
max with the one-mile walking test, or more simplistic assessments of
basic physiological responses such as heart rate during moderate physical
activity. The purpose of fitness assessments is not solely to rate an individual’s
fitness. In fact, an education assessment might provide physiological feedback
regarding a process that can then be used to explain and illustrate
fundamental fitness principles. A simple measure of resting heart rate, followed
by a determination of heart rate during exercise, followed by an assessment of
recovery heart rate can constitute a broad interpretation of what fitness
assessments represent in an educational setting. Such an assessment:
• provides physiological feedback for the student, and
• can be used to illustrate important concepts regarding how heart rate
responses vary dependent upon cardiovascular fitness level.
Although fitness assessments provide some “concrete” information, they are not
without flaws and concerns. Fitness assessments should not be used without
careful consideration of the benefits and ramifications they might bring to a
learning environment. The following is a short list of what fitness assessments
can do and a list of what they cannot do.
Fitness assessments should be used in the curriculum to:
• provide an opportunity to teach and reinforce essential concepts related
to the benefits and importance of choosing to live a healthy lifestyle now
and in the future
• provide an opportunity to teach students how to self-assess their own
health-related fitness throughout their lives
• provide students with confidential baseline information from which
accurate and reasonable short-term and long-term fitness and activity
goals can be established
• provide a forum for teaching students the theory, rationale, accuracy
and appropriate use of fitness assessments throughout their lives, and
2
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 2
• provide an opportunity to critically reflect on how individual differences,
including genetic and maturity levels and/or goal setting and personal
programming accuracies or errors, might have impacted perceived or
expected fitness progress.
Fitness assessments should not be used in the curriculum to:
• evaluate the effectiveness of a curriculum in physical education, health,
or fitness
• evaluate the effectiveness of teaching
• determine to any degree student grades in physical education, health, or
fitness
• make blind assumptions regarding student physical activity levels
• prove student health status, or
• provide a basis for punishment or rewards.
Specific Issues and Special Concerns in Conducting Fitness
Assessments of Children and Youth
Developmental and Physiological Considerations—A Brief Synopsis
Issues in Cardiorespiratory Functioning
Aerobic function expressed as a relative measure of oxygen consumption
(VO
2
peak in ml/kg/min) is similar between children, adolescents, and adults.
However, the biomechanical efficiency of movement is considerably
compromised in younger children and pre-adolescents. This biomechanical
disadvantage makes locomotor skills utilized in most fitness assessments of
VO
2
peak more costly in children compared to adults. As such, VO
2
peak
represents the physiological functioning of the cardiorespiratory system in
children and youth but fails to be a strong reflection of cardiorespiratory
endurance. In other words, children and youth might be unduly fatigued due to
biomechanical disadvantages in movement patterns. As children grow, the
movement patterns become more efficient and allow for an “artificial”
improvement of VO
2
peak to be achieved (or for VO
2
peak to remain unchanged
despite actual reductions in the physiological capacity of the aerobic system).
The implication of this is that the tracking of VO
2
measures over time is likely
to be positively influenced by naturally occurring improvements in
biomechanical movement patterns.
3
Maximum heart rate is higher in children and adolescents than in adults.
Children and adolescents have lower stroke volume, which is partially
compensated for by an increase in heart rate. However, total cardiac output
remains lower than that of adults until the late teenage years. The implication
of this is that predictions of maximum heart rate (such as 220 – age) are less
useful for children or early adolescents. This is a critical issue as most field
tests of cardiorespiratory endurance use an estimate of maximum heart rate as
a fundamental point to which submaximal responses are extrapolated (such
extrapolations are the basis for most prediction equations).
Because changes pertaining to the cardiorespiratory system will be dependent
upon maturational timing (rather than chronological age), attempting to adjust
for changes based solely on chronological age becomes problematic. Early- or
late-maturing adolescents will be adversely affected by such adjustments.
Finally, to further complicate the above issues, differences exist between boys
and girls with regard to the pattern of change seen over time. For boys, relative
measures of VO
2
peak remain largely unchanged between the ages of 8 and 16
before beginning a gradual decline into adulthood. However, girls show a rather
constant decline in relative measures of VO
2
peak beginning sometime between
the ages of 10 and 12. These changes are due in part to maturational factors
including, but not limited to, changes in body composition. The implication of
this is that the tracking of relative fitness measures over time might
inadvertently benefit boys over girls, even when activity levels between both
groups are similar.
Issues in Muscular Fitness
Muscle fiber number and type is fixed within the first year of life. As a result,
there is a large genetic and uncontrolled factor governing musculoskeletal
performance of humans. However, most health-related thresholds are
reasonable and can be accomplished by the vast majority of individuals with
training. Nerve development, motor unit activation, muscle fiber size, and
testosterone are all lower in the child/prepubertal adolescent than in adults.
As a result, they exhibit less strength, power, and muscular endurance per unit
of weight than adults. Due to musculoskeletal immaturity, maximum strength
testing should be avoided in children and young adolescents.
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There are minimal differences in strength measures between boys and girls
before puberty. However, during and after puberty, boys increase muscle mass
and girls increase fat mass under the influence of testosterone and estrogen,
respectively.
1
The gap in maximal strength measures widens between the sexes
as maturity progresses, becoming more evident in upper body versus lower
body locations.
The practical implication of these differences suggests that muscular strength
and endurance assessments will naturally improve for boys, even without
physical activity or effort, and will naturally tend to decrease in girls, even
with regular physical activity. As such, assessments of these components must
account for these changes.
Poor flexibility is typically not an issue for children and adolescents. However,
despite popular conceptions, children are not always more flexible than adults,
and girls are not always more flexible than boys. Some patterns that have been
established with regard to particular muscle groups/joints include:
• Anterior lumbar flexibility decreases during adolescence in both boys and
girls, but regains earlier levels of flexibility during adulthood.
• Lateral spinal flexibility increases during adolescence and then declines
throughout adulthood.
• Hamstring flexibility (as measured by the Sit-and-Reach) improves
consistently in girls ages 5–18, but exhibits a “U-shaped progression” in
boys, and the values for girls are generally higher than for boys.
During periods of rapid growth, the musculoskeletal structures become tighter
across joints, potentially temporarily impacting performance (and increasing
injury risk) on flexibility measures. The practical implications suggest that
flexibility as tested by common measures may be somewhat subject to
individual differences in maturation and growth rates.
Issues in Body Composition
Body composition is a complex and controversial topic, even without adding in
the considerable developmental issues.
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Body composition testing in schools should take the following into
consideration:
1. There are significant methodological concerns with body composition
testing in general, and the most commonly used techniques in schools
are fraught with the most potential for error.
2. Interpretation of results is not clear-cut or agreed upon, especially
when dealing with the results of children and adolescents.
3. Fatness as an independent risk factor for disease is not without
considerable legitimate argument (such as the well-established
overriding effects of regular physical activity in attenuating disease
risk).
4. Results of tests, accurate or not, can inadvertently reinforce cultural
prejudices and may serve to further accentuate obsessions with
thinness, feelings of fatness, and related negative health behaviors.
When body composition is conducted in schools,
comprehensive
and
accurate
education about body composition (including genetic
influences/individual differences, fat distribution patterning issues, assessment
limitations, how to interpret results responsibly and in a greater context of
health/fitness, how physical activity and exercise can help to maintain the best
body composition for each individual but not the same composition for all
individuals, etc.) should be provided and
supplemented
with optional body
composition testing. If testing is done, testing procedures and results should be
kept confidential.
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Common Questions and Answers Regarding Fitness Assessments
What are criterion-referenced standards?
Criterion-referenced standards are predetermined standards of performance
tied to specified domains of behavior. Health-related criterion-referenced
standards attempt to establish the minimal threshold of a fitness measure that
is necessary for the attenuation of disease risk. Criterion-referenced standards
are different from norm-referenced standards. Norm-referenced standards
compare student performance on a test to the scores of other students having
common characteristics. Such standards offer no comparison to any meaningful
health criterion, and often serve to dissuade or discourage children who rank in
the lower percentages.
Despite the advantages of using criterion-referenced standards (primarily
including the potential for all to succeed and the apparent connection to
meaningful health information), it must be noted that most criterion-referenced
standards set for children and youth are based on normative scores, empirical
evidence, and judgment, not on scientific studies.
2,3
This is understandable,
given that children and youth do not generally suffer from chronic illness or die
from lifestyle-related diseases. Thus, it is impossible to truly establish
threshold levels that are scientifically meaningful. Nonetheless, criterion-
referenced standards are deemed more appropriate for use in the
interpretation of fitness assessments than are norm-referenced standards.
How do fitness assessments, if they aren’t good, correlate to health
or activity in youth?
Fitness assessments are valuable learning tools and can be used to personalize
and reinforce important concepts. They also allow for meaningful and relevant
fitness and activity goals to be set that follow the principles of overload and
progression. As long as students understand their inherent limitations and use
them in the context of comprehensive fitness education, fitness assessments
are meaningful and valuable.
Should I grade students based on their scores?
Since fitness assessments are greatly influenced by maturational timing,
genetics, gender, body type, body size, and body mechanics, and are less
influenced by time or effort spent in physical activity, it is inappropriate to tie
fitness assessment scores to student grades.
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Is it okay to grade students based on their improvement from the beginning of
the semester to the end?
Due to maturation, most students will post improvements in fitness
assessments without any effort up through puberty. Following puberty, it is
unlikely that time spent in physical education will result in significant gains
in fitness for all students. Furthermore, students who are engaged in
extracurricular activities will have an advantage over students who are not
engaged in extracurricular activities.
Although some might view this as acceptable (or even desirable), it creates
unethical and unintentional discrimination against those students who are
unable to be active outside of school due to socioeconomical, cultural, or other
barriers beyond their personal control. Furthermore, error in the accuracy of
prediction equations (the basis for most assessments) can hide or exaggerate
true change in unpredictable ways. Finally, students may try to “beat the
system” by intentionally performing below their ability on the pretest, in order
to assure improvement on the posttest.
4
Therefore, it is probably not wise to
use improvement scores as a required component of a student’s grade.
How do I make time to do all of these fitness assessments?
Testing students in a “pull out” is time-consuming and compromises overall
supervision of activities. Having students self-assess or peer-assess fitness can
be a viable and defensible way to save time and achieve learning objectives.
Conducting mass testing, establishing a testing circuit, or using partners for
testing are recognized strategies. However, if peer assessments are used, it is
critical that students be permitted to self-select their partners. Potential
inaccuracies from the lack of testing experience must be clearly acknowledged
when peer- or self-assessment strategies are employed.
Won’t allowing students to self-assess their fitness create even more error?
Yes. Again, what is the purpose of the testing and what is the philosophy and
goal of the educational program? Rarely is “accurately assessing the fitness
levels of students” a high priority objective within a quality educational
program.
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Why isn’t student improvement a reflection of the curriculum or my teaching?
Student improvement in fitness measures is more closely related to
maturational timing, genetics, gender, body type, body size, and body mechanics
than to effort or time spent in physical activity. Regardless, excellent teaching
implies that learning has occurred. Measures of physical fitness have no
established correlation to knowledge or understanding of fitness concepts. On
the other hand, assessments that demonstrate a student’s ability to apply
fitness concepts and principles to real-life situations can be used to evaluate
program effectiveness.
Introductory comments prepared by Karen E. McConnell, Ph.D, CHES, and
reviewed by Pam Tollefsen, R.N., M.Ed, Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction.
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Cited References:
1. Plowman, S. S. “Children Aren’t Miniature Adults: Similarities and
Differences in Physiological Responses to Exercise.”
ACSM’s Health and Fitness
Journal
5 (2001): 5–6.
2. Corbin, C. B. “Physical Activity for Everyone: What Every Educator Should
Know About Promoting Lifelong Physical Activity.”
JTPE
21, no. 2 (January
2002).
3. Corbin, C. B. “Physical Fitness in the K–12 Curriculum: Some Defensible
Solutions to Perennial Problems.”
JOPERD
58, no. 7 (1987): 49–57.
4. Strand, B. N., Scantling, E., and Johnson, M.
Fitness Education: Teaching
Concepts Based Fitness in the Schools.
Scottsdale, Arizona: Gorsuch Scarisbrick
Publishers, 1997.
Additional References:
Allsbrook, L. “Fitness Should Fit Children.”
JOPERD
, (August 1992): 47–49.
Bouchard, C. “Heredity and Health-related Fitness.”
Physical Activity and
Fitness Research Digest
1, no. 4 (1987): 1–8.
Bouchard, C., Shephard, R.J. and Stephens, T., eds.
Physical Activity, Fitness
and Health: International Proceedings and Consensus Statement.
Champaign,
Illinois: Human Kinetics, 1994.
Brynteson, P., and Adams, T. M. “The Effects of Conceptually Based Physical
Education Programs on Attitudes and Exercise Habits of College Alumni After
2 to 11 Years of Follow-up.”
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport.
64, no. 2
(1993): 208–212.
Cureton, K. J. and Warren, G. L. “Criterion-referenced Standards for Youth
Health-related Fitness Tests: A Tutorial.”
Research Quarterly for Exercise and
Sport
61, no. 1 (1990): 7–19.
Pangrazi, R. P., and Corbin, C. B. “Physical Activity for Children and Youth.”
JOPERD
67, no. 4 (1996): 38–43.
Pangrazi, R. P. and Corbin, C. B. “Physical Fitness: Questions Teachers Ask.”
JOPERD
64, no. 7 (1993): 14–19.
Pangrazi, R. P., Corbin, C. B., and Welk, G. “Physical Activity for Children and
Youth.”
JOPERD
67, no. 4 (April 1996).
Park, R. J. “Measurement of Physical Fitness: A Historical Perspective.”
ODPHP Monograph Series
(1991): 1–37.
Slava, S., et al. “Long Term Effects of a Conceptual Physical Education
Program.”
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
55, no. 2 (1984): 161–168.
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Assessment Administration Considerations
This model fitness assessment is provided to assist schools not currently using
one of the most commonly available fitness assessments (such as the
Fitnessgram
and the
President’s Challenge
) to provide items that can be used
in conjunction with instruction for students in grades 5, 8, and high school. It is
not intended to replace fitness assessments already in use. It is hoped that a
fitness assessment will be used to assist students in learning how they can
self-assess and monitor their own fitness levels throughout their lives, analyze
their results, set goals, and create a plan to maintain or improve their
measurements.
A suggested student record form and a fitness planning log/journal are
provided to assist in connecting the performance of fitness assessments to
understanding how they apply to the health and fitness essential academic
learning requirements.
More than one option of measurement is provided for each component of
fitness. For some options, additional instructions are provided to assist in
preparing to conduct a fitness assessment for your students.
Cardiorespiratory—options
One-Mile Run
—Grades 5, 8, and High School
Students who have not experienced running this distance should be provided an
opportunity at least several days prior to the assessment date to run/walk this
distance. This will allow them to experience the length of the course and to
realize how pacing will help them to do their best.
The Pacer
—Grade 5
Teachers may obtain a copy of a tape or CD for this assessment from the
Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research or from Human Kinetics.
Step Test
—Grade 8 and High School
This assessment requires students to step to a 4-beat cadence. This can be
provided through a tape or CD created by the teacher or by use of a
metronome. The pace calls for 96 beats per minute for a stepping rate
of 24 completed steps per minute. The YMCA protocol provides for a 12-inch
bench height. A prerecorded tape is available from
Fitnessgram
, Human
Kinetics.
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Time in the Target Heart Rate (THR) Zone
—Grade 10 and High School
Walk Test
—Grade 10 and High School
Muscular Fitness—options
Flexed-Arm Hang
—Grades 5, 8, and High School
Pull-Ups
—Grades 5, 8, and High School
Modified Pull-Ups
—Grades 5, 8, and High School
Push-Ups
—Grades 5, 8, and High School
Note: An additional option to this assessment would be a modified push-up in which
the student leaves both the feet and knees on the floor.
Curl-Ups
—Grades 5, 8, and High School
Flexibility—options
Sit-and-Reach
—Grades 5, 8, and High School
This option requires a modified box approximately twelve inches high with a
yardstick secured on the top. The yardstick extends over the top of the box with
the nine-inch mark at the edge of the box nearest the student.
Trunk Lift (Prone Arm Lift)
—Grades 5, 8, and High School
V Sit-and-Reach
—Grades 5, 8, and High School
Body
Composition—options
The concept of body composition is important for students to understand. Body
composition is complex in its implications to many students. In terms of its
relationship to overall fitness, levels of physical activity may be a better
measure than body composition. Actual assessment of this component of fitness
is provided as an option at the high-school level. Only one of the options
included in this model, the skin caliper measurement, actually provides a
measure for percentage of lean body mass or percentage of body fat. The body
mass index measures the ratio of body weight to body height. It cannot actually
determine the percentage of body fat and lean body mass.
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Many schools use a variety of other resources to measure body fat percentages.
Reliability for most of them is subject to variables including hydration, time of
day, and medications a student may be taking.
Body composition measurements should be offered only as an
option
for
students and in a private setting. Prior to conducting body composition
measurements, students should receive instruction about the positive and
negative elements of body fat, the importance of balance in eating patterns,
and physical activity and the normal genetic variations in body structure, as
well as differences between males and females.
Skin Caliper
—High School
Body Mass Index
—High School
Norms and Standards—options
Norms and standards are available from several sources for each of the
assessments provided. Those most commonly used in schools include:
The President’s Challenge Physical Fitness Program
400 East 7
th
Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-3085
www.indiana.edu/~preschal
FITNESSGRAM,
Human Kinetics
P.O. Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61825-5076
www.americanfitness.net
Norms and standards are included in the Appendix.
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Student Name ________________________________________
Fitness
Name of Test
Practice Score(s)
Best Score
Date
Component
STUDENT FITNESS ASSESSMENT RECORD
Student Name ________________________________________
Fitness
Name of Test
Practice Score(s)
Best Score
Date
Component
STUDENT FITNESS ASSESSMENT RECORD
Fitness Planning Log
High School: ________________
Name: ____________________________
Date: ______________________
Write a goal to improve or maintain your level of fitness for each
component of fitness.
Fitness
Name of Test
Results
Previous
Comments
Component
Score
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Write a plan to achieve your goals.
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Describe how this plan might need to change or how it will be
affected in 5 years, in 10 years, and in 30 years. Include how
changes in your life will present barriers and opportunities to
achieve your goals.
Identify physical activity opportunities at home and in your
community that will assist you in maintaining your level of
fitness.
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Assessment Activity: One-Mile Run
Fitness Category: Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Testing Procedure:
The teacher will select a one-mile flat course, free of obstacles or safety
concerns.
The teacher will use a stopwatch to measure the time it takes a student to
complete a one-mile run.
The student will:
• warm up
• start to run on the teacher’s call
• pace him- or herself by finding a comfortable pace that is maintainable
for the entire mile
• be permitted to walk if he or she can no longer run; however, when
walking the student should try to walk at a fast pace instead of strolling.
The teacher will inform the student of his or her time as he or she crosses the
finish line.
The student will record his or her time on the individual record form. Norms
can be used to help students assess their measurements. Norms and standards
have been included in the Appendix.
Performance Norms:
Fitness Program:
Age 15
Age 16
Age 17
BOYS
7:00–9:00 minutes
7:00–8:30 minutes
7:00–8:30 minutes
GIRLS
8:00–10:30 minutes
8:00–10:00 minutes
8:00–10:00 minutes
Presidential Physical Fitness Award:
Age 15
Age 16
Age 17
BOYS
6:20 minutes
6:08 minutes
6:06 minutes
GIRLS
8:08 minutes
8:23 minutes
8:15 minutes
Activities to Improve Results:
Your fitness program should include
activities that use the cardiorespiratory system for 20 or more minutes, three
to four times per week. Recommended heart rate levels during the activities
should be between 60% and 80% of your maximum heart rate for improvement
to occur.
An aerobic warm up should be included in all daily activities. Perform
activities including, but not limited to, the following: running, walking,
swimming, cross-country skiing, and sports. Aerobic dance activities are highly
recommended. Include circuit training as a regular part of your program to
promote improvement.
Performance Tasks
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Assessment Activity: Step Test
Fitness Category: Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Testing Procedure:
The teacher will select a step height that is age appropriate. A 12-inch step is
recommended. The teacher should check to make sure it does not place an
excessive strain on the knee. Before the students begin the assessment, the
teacher should demonstrate alternating stepping cadence or set metronome.
The student will:
• begin the test when the CD, tape, or video starts
• begin a 4-beat cadence on the signal, starting with the right foot (up
right, up left, down right, down left)
• continue the test for 3 minutes
• stop at the end of the 3-minute exercise and immediately (within 5
seconds) sit down and begin taking their pulse for 1 full minute.
During the assessment the teacher should monitor the students to ensure they
can complete the test without extreme fatigue. If students are self-testing, they
should work in pairs to promote safety.
Performance Tasks
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The student will record his or her time on the individual record form. Norms
can be used to help students assess their measurements. Norms and standards
have been included in the Appendix.
Activities to Improve Results:
Your fitness program should include
activities that use the cardiorespiratory system for 20 or more minutes, three
to four times per week. Recommended heart rate levels during the activities
should be between 60% and 80% of your maximum heart rate for improvement
to occur.
An aerobic warm up should be included in all daily activities. Perform
activities including, but not limited to, the following: running, walking,
swimming, cross-country skiing, and sports. Aerobic dance activities are highly
recommended. Include circuit training as a regular part of your program to
promote improvement.
Performance Tasks
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Assessment Activity: Time in the Target Heart Rate (THR) Zone
Fitness Category: Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Testing Procedure:
The student will:
• calculate his or her THR by determining 60% to 80% of his or her
maximum heart rate
• do an aerobic activity for a certain amount of time and try to elevate his
or her heart rate to stay in the THR zone
An example of this would be to run for 15 minutes. The distance the students
are to cover is not important; their goal is to elevate their heart rate to the
THR zone and keep it there as long as they are able until the test is over.
Maximum heart rate and THR are determined by the following formulas:
220
?
age = Max. HR
?
.60
?
220
?
age = Max. HR
?
.80
?
The student will record his or her time at the THR zone on the individual
record form. Norms can be used to help students assess their measurements.
Norms and standards have been included in the Appendix.
Activities to Improve Results:
A fitness program that includes activities
that use the cardiorespiratory system for 20 or more minutes, three to four
times per week. Recommended heart rate levels during the activities should be
between 60% and 80% of your maximum heart rate for improvement to occur.
An aerobic warm up should be included in all daily activities. Perform activities
including, but not limited to, the following: running, walking, swimming, cross-
country skiing, and sports. Aerobic dance activities are highly recommended.
Include circuit training as a regular part of your program to promote
improvement.
Performance Tasks
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>
THR range of 60–80% of MHR
21
Assessment Activity: Walk Test
Fitness Category: Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Testing Procedure:
The student will:
• walk one mile as quickly as he or she can, but at a pace that can be
maintained
• cross the finish line and be given his or her time
• take a 15-second heart rate and multiply by 4 to determine 1-minute
pulse rate.
The student’s time and heart rate will be entered into a computer that will
compute the VO
2
max. The VO
2
max can also be calculated using a special
equation.
Estimated VO
2
max (ml/kg/min) ? 132.853
? (0.0769 ? body weight [in pounds])
? (0.3877 ? age [years])
? (6.3150 ? gender [female ? 0; male ? 1])
? (3.2649 ? 1-mile walk time [in minutes and seconds])
? (0.1565 ? 1-minute heart rate at end of mile [beats per
minute])
For example, consider a 25-year-old male who weighs 185 pounds, walked a
mile in 15:26, and had a heart rate of 175 beats per minute after the walking
test.
Estimated VO
2
max (ml/kg/min) ? 132.853
? (0.0769 ? 185)
?14.23
? (0.3877 ? 25)
?9.69
? (6.3150 ? 1)
?6.3150
?
(3.2649 ? 15 ?
?
2
6
6
0
?
)
?49.40
? (0.1565 ? 175)
?27.39
The answer after this calculation is: ? 39.458 ml/kg/min
or go to www.exrx.net/calculators/Rockport.html This site will conduct
calculations for you.
The student will record his or her VO
2
max number on the individual record
form. Norms can be used to help students assess their measurements. Norms
and standards have been included in the Appendix.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 21
22
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 22
22
Activities to Improve Results:
Your fitness program should include
activities that use the cardiorespiratory system for 20 or more minutes, three
to four times per week. Recommended heart rate levels during the activities
should be between 60% and 80% of your maximum heart rate for improvement
to occur.
An aerobic warm up should be included in all daily activities. Perform activities
including, but not limited to, the following: running, walking, swimming, cross-
country skiing, and sports. Aerobic dance activities are highly recommended.
Include circuit training as a regular part of your program to promote
improvement.
23
Assessment Activity: Flexed-Arm Hang
Fitness Category: Muscular Endurance
Testing Procedure:
The student will:
• grab the horizontal bar with an overhand grip, palms facing forward
• be assisted so that his or her arms are flexed, chin is above the bar, and
body hangs straight down.
A spotter may hold a rigid arm against the student’s legs to prevent the
student from swinging. As soon as this position is reached, the teacher will
start a stopwatch. Time is stopped when the student’s chin touches, or goes
below the bar, or the head tilts back.
The student will record his or her time on the individual record form. Norms
can be used to help students assess their measurements. Norms and standards
have been included in the Appendix.
Activities to Improve Results:
Perform the flexed-arm hang two or three
times a week and do sets of regular pull-ups two to three times a week.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 23
24
Assessment Activity: Pull-Ups
Fitness Category: Muscular Endurance
Testing Procedure:
The student will:
• grasp a horizontal bar above the head with palms facing forward and
arms fully extended
• raise his or her body until the chin is above the bar
• lower him- or herself until the arms are fully extended.
If the student fails to either get the chin above the bar or to fully extend the
arms when lowering the body, or if he or she swings or bends the legs to aid the
motion, it is a correction. The test ends when the student receives two
corrections.
The student will record his or her number completed on the individual record
form. Norms can be used to help students assess their measurements. Norms
and standards have been included in the Appendix.
Activities to Improve Results:
Perform sets of pull-ups and sets of
partner-assisted pull-ups and practice the flexed-arm hang two to three
times a week.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 24
24
25
Assessment Activity: Modified Pull-Ups
Fitness Category: Muscular Endurance
Testing Procedure:
The teacher will provide a modified pull-up bar with a parallel elastic band
stretched 7 to 8 inches below the bar.
The student will:
• lie facing up under the modified pull-up bar
• be assisted in grabbing the bar with the palms facing toward the feet
• begin with straight arms and only the heels touching the floor
• pull his or her straight body toward the bar until the chin is above the
elastic band (an alternate method is to require the student to raise the
chin as high as the bar).
If the student stops to rest or fails to keep the body straight, it is a correction.
The test ends after the second correction, and the partner will tell the student
how many pull-ups were completed.
The student will record his or her number completed on the individual record
form. Norms can be used to help students assess their measurements. Norms
and standards have been included in the Appendix.
Activities to Improve Results:
Perform sets of modified pull-ups two to three
times a week.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 25
25
26
Assessment Activity: Push-Ups
Fitness Category: Muscular Endurance
Testing Procedure:
The student will:
• lie face-down on a mat with the hands beneath the shoulders and the
palms down and elbows up; the legs will be straight and slightly apart,
and the toes will be bent forward
• raise the body until the arms are fully extended, and then lower the body
until the upper and lower arms form a right angle (the body should be
held in a straight line, from head to heels, during each repetition)
• complete one push-up approximately every three seconds.
The partner will count the number completed. If the student slows to rest, fails
to fully extend the arms, or neglects to lower him- or herself until the 90-degree
angle is formed, it is a correction. The test ends when the student receives two
corrections, and the partner will tell the student how many push-ups were
completed.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 26
26
27
The student will record his or her number completed on the individual record
form. Norms can be used to help students assess their measurements. Norms
and standards have been included in the Appendix.
Activities to Improve Results:
Perform sets of push-ups or modified
push-ups (instead of being on the toes, rest on the knees and perform push-ups)
two to three times a week.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 27
28
Assessment Activity: Curl-Ups
Fitness Category: Muscular Endurance
Testing Procedure:
The student will:
• lie on his or her back on a gym mat with both feet flat on the floor and
the knees bent (a partner will hold the head and count how many
curl-ups are completed)
• have both arms crossed, with the hands on the opposite shoulders; hands
and arms remain in contact with the body; the objective is to isolate the
abdominals
• pull his or her belly button toward the spine and flatten the lower back
against the floor
• slowly contract his or her abdominals, bringing the shoulder blades one
to two inches off the floor
• exhale as he or she comes up, keeping the neck straight and chin up
• return to the starting position.
This is performed for one timed minute.
The student will record his or her number completed on the individual record
form. Norms can be used to help students assess their measurements. Norms
and standards have been included in the Appendix.
Activities to Improve Results:
Perform sets of curl-ups throughout the
week.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 28
29
Assessment Activity: Sit-and-Reach
Fitness Category: Flexibility
Testing Procedure:
Prior to participating in flexibility measurements, students should engage in
mild cardiorespiratory activities such as brisk walking or slow jogging to warm
up muscle groups.
The student will:
• remove shoes, sit on the floor, and place the bottom of one foot against the
interior wall of a modified box (the other leg will be bent such that the
foot is on the ground a few inches from the inside of the first knee)
• place one hand on top of the other, palms facing down, and slowly lean
forward until he or she feels slight discomfort
• repeat this four times and hold the last one for one second so that the
partner can measure and record the reach.
The student will repeat the exercise for the other leg. The leg being measured
must remain straight, and the hands must move forward evenly. The hips must
also remain square to the box.
The student will record his or her distances on the individual record form.
Norms can be used to help students assess their measurements. Norms and
standards have been included in the Appendix.
Activities to Improve Results:
Stretch on a daily basis, before and after
exercising. Develop a stretching routine that will work all the muscles in
the body.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 29
30
Assessment Activity: Trunk Lift (Prone Arm Lift)
Fitness Category: Flexibility
Testing Procedure:
The student will:
• lie face-down holding a ruler or a stick in both hands; fists should be
tight and facing down
• raise his or her arms and the stick as high as possible; forehead should
remain on the floor and the arms should remain straight
• remain still while a spotter measures the height of the stick with a ruler
• return to resting position.
The spotter will tell the student the distance between the ground and ruler.
The student will record the height on the individual record form. Norms can be
used to help students assess their measurement. Norms and standards have
been included in the Appendix.
Activities to Improve Results:
To increase your lower-back strength,
perform toe-touching exercises, while using a straight back and bringing the
trunk up to a standing position.
Performance Tasks
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31
Assessment Activity: V Sit-and-Reach
Fitness Category: Flexibility
Testing Procedure:
The teacher will mark two lines on the floor forming a capital “T.” The top line
of the “T” should measure two feet long. The leg of the “T” is the measuring line
and should have inch increments numbered on it, totaling four feet.
The student will:
• remove both shoes
• sit centered on the leg side of the “T”
• overlap his or her hands, so the ends of the fingers are the same, with the
palms facing down
• hold the legs eight to twelve inches apart, with both feet immediately
behind the top line of the “T”
• lock both knees and reach as far forward as possible.
On the third attempt, the student is told to hold the stretch. The third attempt
will be recorded.
The student will record his or her measurement on the individual record form.
Norms can be used to help students assess their measurements. Norms and
standards have been included in the Appendix.
Activities to Improve Results:
Stretch on a daily basis, before and after
exercising. Develop a stretching routine that will work all the muscles in
the body.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 31
32
Assessment Activity: Skin Caliper
Fitness Category: Body Composition
Testing Procedure:
The procedure requires a skin-fold caliper. The caliper measures a double layer
of fat and skin. The skin fold is measured in three sites:
• on the back of the arm, over the triceps muscle, midway between the
elbow and scapula
• in the abdominal area, approximately 1.5 inches on either side of the
umbilicus
• on the inside of the calf, at maximum calf girth.
The selected site should be vertical. The teacher grasps the skin and firmly but
gently lifts it away from the body tissue.
• Measurements with the caliper are taken one half inch below the
pinch site.
• Place the caliper in the middle of the fold and record measurement.
• Each site is measured three times, with the median value recorded.
• Median results from the three skin-fold measurements are to be added,
and the body-fat percentage determined by the Body Composition
Conversion Chart available from Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research,
Fitnessgram,
or from Corbin & Lindsey’s
Fitness for Life
, Fourth Edition.
Both are available from Human Kinetics.
Performance Tasks
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33
The skin caliper measurement does not take into account lean muscle mass.
Professional athletes and persons with a more athletic or muscular build may
score slightly higher and still have a healthy body-fat percentage.
Activities to Improve Results:
Eat a balanced diet that provides appropriate
amounts of nutrients based on the food guide pyramid. The percentage of lean
body mass can be increased through physical activities including muscle
strength and endurance exercises.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 33
34
Assessment Activity: Body Mass Index (BMI)
Fitness Category: Body Composition
Testing Procedure:
The student will:
• calculate Body Mass Index using his or her weight and height
• convert the weight and height into metric units
• use the following formula to calculate the Body Mass Index:
Weight (kg) / Height (m)
2
The BMI measurement does not take into account lean muscle mass.
Professional athletes and persons with a more athletic or muscular build may
score slightly higher and still have a healthy body-fat percentage.
Activities to Improve Results:
Eat a balanced diet that provides appropriate
amounts of nutrients based on the food guide pyramid. The percentage of lean
body mass can be increased through physical activities including muscle
strength and endurance exercises.
Performance Tasks
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 34
Appendix
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 35
36
Partial Curl-Ups and V Sit-and-Reach Norms
Age
Partial
V Sit-and-
V Sit-and-
Curl-Ups
Reach in
Reach in
Inches
Inches
(Girls)
(Boys)
9
15
2
1
10
20
2
1
11
20
2
1
12
20
2
1
13
25
3
1
14
25
3
1
15
30
3
1
16
30
3
1
17
30
3
1
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 36
Appendix
37
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 37
Appendix
Maximum and Target Heart Rates by Age
Age
Maximum Heart
Target Heart Rate
Rate *
Range **
9
211
127–169
10
210
126–168
11
209
125–167
12
208
125–166
13
207
124–166
14
206
124–165
15
205
123–164
16
204
122–163
17
203
122–162
* The Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) is calculated by using the following formula:
MHR
?
220
?
age
** The Target Heart Rate Range (THR) is calculated by using the following formula:
THR zone
?
.60
?
MHR to .80
?
MHR
Appendix
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 38
Appendix
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 39
9-18188 WA2-2002 Fitness CD Gr10 ADP 7-28-03 40
9-18188
