School Kids to Get "Fitnessgrams"

It's not quite putting weights on report cards, but the Department of Education is going to try to prevent childhood obesity by issuing physical evaluations. The Daily News reports:

The evaluations, known as fitnessgrams, are based on an exam that will have kids stretching, jogging, counting situps and being weighed.

Instead of grades, students will receive a two-page printout with bar charts that show if they are in the "healthy fitness zone," and note any progress they have made on each exercise since the last evaluation.

Bar charts. Not only will kids (and their parents) learn about their fitness, they'll learn how to read bar charts (calling Edward Tufte)! About 400 elementary schools, which is about half of the elementary schools in the city, plus 20 middle and 20 high schools will be getting the fitnessgrams next year...no word on whether McDonald's will be giving them free Happy Meals if they do well.

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By Jen Chung in News on March 14, 2005 4:24 PM

Comments [rss]

tien

sarah, that was the shuttle run. personally, i loved that one.

i think others included push ups, sit ups, chin-ups, a 1600m run, a 50yd dash, and the standing long jump. there might have been another in there too.

Tim

I'm glad that most of us seem solidly opposed to a measure designed to mitigate, however slightly, a growing national health problem. When Medicare and Medicaid costs begin consuming the entirety of government budgets as we treat more and more people for obesity-related chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, leaving no money for, say, schools, I for one will be greatly relieved we didn't contribute to anyone's body-image problems.

Kojak

"Ok Jimmy, lets look at your grades for this term. Lets see... You got an A in Math, Chemistry, Social Studies and a B in Spanish...

Ohh but your a complete Lardass, sorry Jimmy, but I dont think you'll be able to get into Harvard with that mark on your record.”

Sarah

Yes, Sam! The Presidential Physical Fitness something something. We even had to do that thing where you do sprints and bend down to pick up a block, then run the other direction and drop it off, then run back and get another, etc.

Wow. I don't miss that.

Jen

Are you thinking of the President's Council on Fitness? Remember during Bush senior's term, Arnold Schwarzeneggar was a spokesman. Now there's Denise Austin, Nomar Garciaparra, Emmitt Smith, and Marion Jones.

sam

at my elementary school in the midwest we did this fitness thing every quarter (or maybe every year?) where you were tested on sit-ups, push-ups, running a mile, etc. It was a national program and you got an award or something when you could do certain numbers/ times. Does anyone remember this? Does it still exist?

sp

instead of desks, they should have little treadmills that would generate electricity to power the school, solving two problems in one: increasing fitness of the students while reducing the operational costs of the schools.