Students in Merced County not making state physical fitness grade

By DANIELLE E. GAINES
dgaines@mercedsun-star.com

Get down and give me 20!

That might be the mantra of county teachers after the latest P.E. test results.

Merced County students are more likely to fail California's school-based physical fitness exams than other youngsters in the state, according to new statistics released by the California Department of Education on Monday.

California Yearly Physical Fitness Exam
Percentage of students who had a healthy fitness zone score for all six areas of the test
District, Fifth grade, Seventh grade, Ninth grade
Atwater Elementary, 27.8, 28.8, N/A
Ballico-Cressey, 23.8*, 10.8*, N/A
Delhi Unified, 25.7, 23.9, 28.3
Dos Palos Oro Loma, 19.9, 38.5, 27.5
El Nido, 5.9*, 30.8*, N/A
Gustine, 35.9, 29.1, 33.1
Hilmar, 9.8, 37.9, 54
Le Grand Elementary, 11.9*, 18.7*, N/A
Le Grand Union High, N/A, N/A, 42.3
Livingston, 11.3, 38.3, N/A
Los Banos, 21.6, 25, 10.9
McSwain, 45.9, 54.4, N/A
Merced City, 17.9, 29.5, N/A
Merced Union High, N/A, N/A, 29.4
Merced River Union, 27.8*, 40*, N/A
Plainsburg, 37.5*, **, N/A
Planada, 3.9, 10.4, N/A
Snelling-Merced Falls, 30*, **, N/A
Weaver Union, 34.2, 32.4, N/A
Winton Elementary, 6.5, 17.3, N/A
* Fewer than 50 students were tested.
** Fewer than 10 students were tested, so results aren't available to protect student privacy.
Source: California Department of Education

The tests were given last school year to nearly 1.4 million children in fifth, seventh and ninth grades. It explores student fitness in six areas: aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extension, upper body strength and flexibility.

Merced County students were most likely to perform poorly on the aerobic capacity portion of the exam. Some 1,800 high school freshmen, or 43.8 percent of those tested, didn't meet healthy fitness standards in that category. The numbers were similar for younger students, with 45.3 percent of fifth-graders and 30.5 percent of seventh-graders also failing on that measure.

The goal of California's physical fitness test is to facilitate learning about physical activity and physical fitness concepts to increase the likelihood students will adopt lifetime patterns of physical activity, according to the department of education.

The 2009 test scores show that statewide 29.1 percent of the students in grade five, 34.1 percent in grade seven and 37.9 percent in grade nine achieved in the healthy fitness zone for all six areas of the test.

In Merced County, 20.9 percent of fifth-graders, 28.9 percent of seventh-graders and 27.6 percent of high school freshmen received the perfect distinction.

In fifth grade, Plainsburg Union Elementary School District had the highest percentage of fifth-graders pass each of the six sections, at 37.5 percent.

In seventh grade, McSwain Union Elementary School District had the highest percentage of students passing all six measures, at 54.4 percent.

Planada Elementary School District had the lowest percentage of perfect scores for both grades, coming in at 3.9 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively.

In high school, Le Grand Union High had the healthiest freshmen, with 54 percent passing all six portions of the exam. Los Banos Unified had the lowest percentage in the county with 10.9 percent.

In fifth and seventh grade, Latino students in Merced County were least likely to meet all six of the fitness criteria. In ninth grade, black students were least likely to meet the marks.

All public schools in California are required to report results of physical fitness testing each year. Schools are also required to provide students with their individual results, but no individual student data are reported on the Internet.

Reporter Danielle E. Gaines can be reached at (209) 385-2407 or dgaines@mercedsun-star.com.

Commenting is closed for this story