Fitnessgram is the Vermont Physical Education Assessment used to measure the fitness level of our students.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to develop a State Accountability Plan that employs a variety of school quality indicators. Vermont’s ESSA State Plan includes Physical Education as one of four academic content areas to be assessed. Additionally, in the Education Quality Standards, Vermont has articulated a commitment to education and evaluation that supports the whole child, knowing that healthier students perform better in every other aspect of school. The Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) has adopted the Vermont Physical Education Assessment (VTPEA) to collect data on students’ health related fitness. The VTPEA assesses the fitness levels of all VT students to inform and provide feedback for local programs thereby creating instructional opportunities to develop lifelong and life enhancing healthy fitness habits. The VTPEA expects that all students be provided access, membership, and inclusion in their community and embraces the unique contributions of each student. The VTPEA includes a number of assessment tools to provide access to all students in Vermont: FitnessGram, the Brockport Physical Fitness Test, and Individualized Fitness Assessments (IFA). The assessment will collect data in four domains of health-related fitness: aerobic capacity, upper body muscular strength and endurance, abdominal muscular strength and endurance and flexibility. This data will be used for state and federal accountability purposes starting in 2019.

VTPEA - AOE                         Fitnessgram - The Cooper Institute

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Encouraging our youth to be physically active is more important than ever before. Increasing a child’s level of physical activity is not only important for improving their health, but recent studies also indicate that physical fitness levels are associated with academic performance, school attendance, and discipline. As a part of your child’s Physical Education program, their class will be participating in the FitnessGram® assessment which measures health-related fitness for youth. The FitnessGram health-related fitness assessment offers multiple tests to measure aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition. We ask that you encourage your child to participate with his/her best effort and to the best of their ability. The FitnessGram assessment provides a measure of good health as opposed to athletic ability. Students may be assessed using options from the following test items:  PACER, One-Mile Run, Walk Test  Push-Up, Modified Pull-Up, Flexed Arm Hang  Height and Weight, Percent Body Fat  Curl-Up  Back-Saver Sit and Reach, Shoulder Stretch  Trunk Lift A confidential FitnessGram report will be provided for each student to take home. This report will include your child’s scores and information about whether or not they achieved the FitnessGram Healthy Fitness Zone® . The Healthy Fitness Zone represents the level of fitness needed for good health. The information on this private report will not be displayed or made public. For more information regarding the FitnessGram assessment, please refer to www.FitnessGram.net. If you have other questions, please contact your child’s physical education teacher. Thank you for your support, The Cooper Institute®

Components of fitness, fitnessgram, and healthy fitness zones:

Aerobic capacity (VO2max) reflects the maximum rate that oxygen can be taken up and utilized by the body during exercise. The more laps you can complete on the pacer test, the higher your aerobic capacity.  Aerobic capacity is an important component of physical fitness because it reflects the overall capacity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and the ability to carry out prolonged strenuous exercise.  From a health perspective, good aerobic capacity has been shown to reduce all-cause mortality and the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, obesity, diabetes, some forms of cancer, and other health problems.

Proper functioning of the musculoskeletal system requires that muscles be able to exert force or torque (measured as strength), resist fatigue (measured as muscular endurance), and move freely through a full range of motion (measured as flexibility). Activities that lengthen and stretch muscles can help you prevent injuries, back pain, and balance problems.  A well-stretched muscle more easily achieves its full range of motion.  The benefits of musculoskeletal fitness have long been acknowledged in terms of sport performance by individuals of all ages and for activities of daily living, maintenance of independent functionality, and prevention of falls in the elderly.  There is now increasing evidence for children/adolescents and adults that enhanced musculoskeletal fitness is associated with an improvement in overall health status and, conversely, a reduction of risk for chronic disease, disability, and mortality.  High levels of muscular strength and muscular endurance and/or resistance training improvements positively impact or predict long term changes in body composition, some cardiovascular risk factors and bone health.

The BMI is based on weight relative to height and essentially indicates if the weight is appropriate for the height. BMI cannot measure fat directly, but it can help assess health risks related to a body weight that is too great or too little for height. FitnessGram® BMI standards for youth take into account age and gender. FitnessGram® believes it is important to educate youth and parents about appropriate levels of body composition. Overweight youth are at a higher risk for becoming overweight adults. Therefore, by maintaining a healthy weight a child can potentially reduce their future risk of health problems; including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Very low levels of body fat may also indicate future health risks. Remember, some fat is necessary for good health. Body composition can be influenced by many factors, including age, gender, and heredity.  (We do not measure BMI in PHE at MUHS)

*HFZ = Healthy fitness zone.  The number represents the beginning of what is considered a healthy fitness level.  The HFZ on the fitnessgram assessment is set by the Cooper Institute and based on their research of people’s fitness levels at the different ages.

HFZ (Healthy Fitness Zone) Tables