In Arlington County public Schools our goal is to close ...
Language Minority Students’ Achievement in Physical Education: Examining the Achievement gap in Physical Fitness Tests
Josh S. Merck
Gunston Middle School
Arlington County (VA) Public Schools
Submitted June 2002
Introduction
In Arlington County public Schools our goal is to close the achievement gap between minorities and non-minorities. As a Health and Physical Education Teacher, my goal is to close the achievement gap related to physical fitness. To measure physical fitness there are many scales. The scale I use is the Health and Wellness Scale (See Figure 1). In addition Arlington County Public Schools uses this scale to measure the physical fitness of its students. The Health and Wellness Scale measures physical fitness in four areas, upper-body, cardiovascular, flexibility, and abdominal strength. Each of these areas is measured by specific tests. A person’s upper body strength is measured by pull ups, flexed-arm hang, or right angle push-ups. Cardiovascular Strength is measured by either the pacer run or the mile run; flexibility is measured by the V-sit or the sit and reach test; abdominal strength is measured by how many curl-ups a person can complete in one minute. In order to discover if there is an achievement gap in physical fitness at Gunston Middle School, I recorded all of my students test scores and their race. I had five categories for race--Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Other. Based on this information I was able to determine if an achievement gap exists. The study is as follows:
Upper Body Strength
I measured the students upper body strength by offering each student the opportunity to pick one of three tests. They had the option of completing pull-ups, right angle push-ups, or the flexed arm hang (this is when a person holds their chin above the bar for as much time as possible). Males and Females and different age groups had different standards to meet. The standards are as follows:
Table 1
Student Standards for Upper Body Strength
|Grade |Male |Female |
|Grade 6 (41 students) |Push Ups: 8 |Push Ups: 7 |
| |Pull Ups: 1 |Pull Ups: 1 |
| |Flexed Arm Hang: 6 Seconds |Flexed Arm Hang: 6 Seconds |
|Grade 7 (68 students) |Push Ups: 10 |Push Ups: 7 |
| |Pull Ups: 1 |Pull Ups: 1 |
| |Flexed Arm Hang: 6 Seconds |Flexed Arm Hang: 7 Seconds |
|Grade 8 (29 students) |Push Ups: 12 |Push Ups: 7 |
| |Pull Ups: 1 |Pull Ups: 1 |
| |Flexed Arm Hang: 12 Seconds |Flexed Arm Hang: 8 Seconds |
Through my research, I discovered of the 6th graders tested 75% of Caucasians passed, 44% of Hispanics passed, 66% of African-Americans passed, and 60% of Asians passed. In the 7th grade 83.3% of Caucasians passed, 55% of Hispanics, 58.3% of African-Americans, and 83.3% of Asians passed the upper body strength test. In the 8th grade 62.5% of Caucasians passed, 38.5% of Hispanics passed, 83.3% of African Americans passed, and 50% percent of Asians passed the upper body strength test.
Cardiovascular Strength
I used the Pacer Run (a test where students must complete a designated distance in a set amount of time numerous times in a row) and the mile to measure the Cardiovascular strength of each student. Each student had the opportunity attempt either of the tests. Males and Females and different age groups had different standards to meet. The standards are as follows:
Table 2
Student Standards for Cardiovascular Strength
|Grade |Male |Female |
|Grade 6 (41 students) |Pacer: 23 pacers |Pacer: 15 pacers |
| |Mile: 11 minutes |Mile: 12 minutes |
|Grade 7 (68 students) |Pacer: 32 pacers |Pacer: 23 pacers |
| |Mile: 10 ½ minutes |Mile: 12 minutes |
|Grade 8 (29 Students) |Pacer: 41 pacers |Pacer: 23 pacers |
| |Mile: 10 minutes |Mile: 11 ½ minutes |
Through my research I discovered of the 6th graders tested 100% of Caucasians passed, 100% of Hispanics passed, 66.7% of African-Americans Passed, and 60% of Asians passed. In the 7th grade 90% of Caucasians, 90% of Hispanics, 75% of African-Americans, and 100% of Asians passed the cardiovascular strength test. In the 8th grade 100% of Caucasians passed, 100% of Hispanics passed, 33.3% of African Americans passed, and 100% percent of Asians passed the cardiovascular strength test.
Abdominal Strength
I used the Curl-Up Test (a test where students attempt to do as many curl-ups as they can in one minute) to measure abdominal strength. Students did not have an opportunity to choose any other tests to attempt. Males and Females and different age groups had different standards to meet. The standards are as follows:
Table 3
Student Standards for Abdominal Strength
|Grade |Male |Female |
|Grade 6 (41 Students) |Curl Ups:34 |Curl Ups:29 |
|Grade 7 (68 Students) |Curl Ups:37 |Curl Ups:31 |
|Grade 8 (29 Students) |Curl Ups:39 |Curl Ups:33 |
Through my research I discovered of the 6th graders tested 83.3% of Caucasians passed, 66.7% of Hispanics passed, 66.7% of African-Americans Passed, and 60% of Asians passed. In the 7th grade 73% of Caucasians, 45% of Hispanics, 58.3% of African-Americans, and 100% of Asians passed the abdominal strength test. In the 8th grade 75% of Caucasians passed, 46% of Hispanics passed, 100% of African Americans passed, and 50% percent of Asians passed the abdominal strength test.
Flexibility
I used the Sit and Reach Test (a test where students attempt to place there hands down a board as many centimeters as they can without bending their knees) to measure flexibility. Students did not have an opportunity to choose any other tests to attempt. Males and Females and different age groups had different standards to meet. The standards are as follows:
Table 4
Student Standards for Flexibility
|Grade |Male |Female |
|Grade 6 (41 Students) |Sit and Reach: 23 cent. |Sit and Reach: 26 |
|Grade 7 (68 Students) |Sit and Reach: 23 cent. |Sit and Reach: 27 |
|Grade 8 (29 Students) |Sit and Reach: 23 cent |Sit and Reach: 27 |
Through my research I discovered of the 6th graders tested 41.7% of Caucasians passed, 61.1% of Hispanics passed, 33.3% of African-Americans Passed, and 20% of Asians passed. In the 7th grade 76.6% of Caucasians, 80% of Hispanics, 100% of African-Americans, and 100% of Asians passed the flexibility test. In the 8th grade 75% of Caucasians passed, 61.5% of Hispanics passed, 100% of African Americans passed, and 100% percent of Asians passed the flexibility test.
Findings
The results of the Study indicate that there is an achievement gap. But not in every area tested and not at every grade level. The achievement gap is between different minority groups and at times Caucasians are the ones lagging behind in achievement with regards to physical fitness tests.
Out of the classroom there are many ways to close the achievement gap. One way is to encourage parent involvement. This can be done by making sure parents are aware of recreation programs within the local community—sports teams, recreation facilities, and summer programs. Another way to encourage students of minority groups to participate in school sports activities. An additional way to encourage students to increase physical activity is to have family physical fitness nights so it becomes a family program to achieve on the physical fitness tests.
In the classroom we can start programs where students gain more ownership of their physical fitness test achievement. One of these would be to have the students monitor their fitness progress over the year. The students can self-monitor by devising a plan to pass all of the physical fitness tests, and then executing the plan. Periodically the students can monitor their progress by testing themselves at pre-planned points in the year. Another option is to incorporate more activities into lessons that use the movements and muscles the physical fitness tests require. Finally, students can be assigned homework where they use digi-walkers (a pedometer that will measure how many steps a student takes) to record taking at least 2000 steps (2000 steps generally equals one mile) in the evening to ensure physical activity is continued after school.
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