Most O.C. Students Fail Physical Fitness Exams

Most Orange County students are out of shape and cannot meet even minimum standards on a five-part physical fitness exam, according to a California Department of Education study released Tuesday.

Those results, taken from the first annual California Assessment Program test to measure the physical fitness of the state’s youngsters, mirror statewide averages, which showed alarmingly low numbers in most physical fitness categories. National physical fitness experts said they are seeing similar trends across the country.

“Most students are not physically fit,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Bill Honig said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “The results substantiate what we’ve been saying for some time. Many youngsters begin school physically unfit, and though the picture brightens somewhat as students progress through the grades, the majority of students remain unfit.”

In Orange County, only 17% of fifth graders tested last spring were found to be physically fit; 22% of seventh graders also passed the fitness test, as did 28% of ninth graders. Statewide figures were 16% for fifth graders, 20% for seventh graders, and 26% for ninth graders.

While Orange County results were just slightly higher than state averages, Los Angeles County fell below the state marks, with only 13% of fifth graders, 17% of seventh graders and 21% of ninth graders passing four of the five fitness categories. In San Diego, 19% of third graders, 27% of seventh graders and 32% of ninth graders passed.

Statewide, girls tested slightly better than boys.

Educators cautioned against reading too much into the numbers because the results released Tuesday are the first batch of data ever collected by the CAP on physical fitness. Single-year results can often distort a school’s performance, they said, and a better measure can be derived from a two- or three-year sample.

Still, local educators agreed that neither Orange County schools nor their counterparts statewide fared particularly well on the first round of tests. Several placed at least part of the blame for California’s low numbers on Proposition 13, which passed in 1978. The tax-cutting initiative forced schools to pare back their physical education programs and left most with no physical education specialists on staff.

“Ever since Prop. 13, at the elementary level, many of the physical education specialists have been eliminated,” said William Habermehl, assistant superintendent at the Orange County Department of Education. “I’m sure that’s had an effect.”

But the reasons for the state’s low level of fitness among its young people are complex, and educators say schools are only partially able to deal with them.

At Melbourne A. Gauer Elementary School in Anaheim, for instance, fifth graders last year posted some of the county’s lowest scores. Only 9% of the 76 fifth graders tested received passing marks in four of the five physical fitness categories.

Although Principal Jack H. Dales said he is working with teachers to try to identify potential weaknesses in the school’s physical education program, other obstacles remain. Dales said the school is surrounded by relatively low-income rental housing, and that many of its students are children of parents who are both working. One result, Dales said, is that children get little exercise outside of school.

“There’s no question but that a lot of our kids are watching more television and are staying inside more,” he said.

Five tests, including an optional one to check a student’s body composition by measuring skin folds in arms and legs for flabbiness, make up the state’s test. Although falling below the minimum in any category indicates less than acceptable physical fitness, meeting the minimum requirement in four out of the five tests was considered passing because many schools and districts chose not to administer the optional skin fold test.

Children also were tested in a flexibility exercise called “sit and reach,” modified sit-ups, pull-ups and a one-mile run/walk. In addition to flexibility, the tests measure strength, aerobic capacity and other indicators of good health.

For some Orange County schools and districts, Tuesday’s numbers were confounding. Fifth graders in Newport-Mesa Unified School District, for instance, scored remarkably well, with 44% passing four of the five tests. But only 17% of the district’s seventh graders passed, and only 14% of the ninth graders tested scored above the minimum.

“Obviously, as we look at that, it appears that our emphasis at the elementary school level is paying off,” said Dale Woolley, the district’s director of research and student services. “Now we’re going to have to take a look at our other grades.”

The county’s Habermehl agreed, saying many schools will be able to use the scores to target improvements. “Hopefully, this is going to serve as a benchmark for us,” he said, adding that individual schools and school districts will need to work closely with the state to implement fitness and nutrition programs.

All Orange County school districts except Orange Unified School District were tested. Districts are legally required to administer the test, and state officials said they intend to take action against any district that does not administer it next year. Orange Unified officials were unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Declining physical fitness levels among young people have been decried nationally and come at a time of increasing fitness awareness by adults, a paradox that puzzles and frustrates some educators.

Phyllis Blatz, executive director of the California Assn. for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, said elementary schools were particularly lax in giving students physical education. But much of the problem starts at home, she added.

“Adults are being very attentive to their own physical fitness programs, but they are not transferring that concern to their children’s activities,” she said.

HOW FITNESS WAS MEASURED

A sample of what it takes to pass the California Assessment Program Physical and Health-Related Fitness Test (students must pass in at least four categories to be considered physically fit):

10-year-old girl must:

* Run/walk a mile in under 11 minutes. * Register 16 to 36 millimeters of skin folds on arms and legs combined. (optional) * Reach 25 centimeters in the sit and reach. * Do 30 sit-ups in one minute. * Do at least one pull-up.

10-year-old boy must:

* Run/walk a mile in under 9 minutes, 30 seconds. * Register 12 to 25 millimeters of skin folds on arms and legs combined. (optional) * Reach 25 centimeters in the sit and reach. * Do 34 sit-ups in one minute. * Do at least one pull-up.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION SCHOOL TEST SCORES

The California Assessment Program Physical and Health-Related Fitness Test tested students statewide last spring. Tests included run/walk a mile; the sit and reach; sit-ups; pull-ups and (optional) amount of skin folds on arms and legs combined. The standards varied with age and sex. Students must pass in at least four categories to be considered physically fit. Listed are the percentages of students meeting various levels of fitness in Orange County school districts.

% Meeting 4 or 5, 3, 2, 1 or 0 County Name or of 5 Fitness Standards District Name Grade 4 or 5 3 2 1 0 STATE AVERAGE 5 13 21 26 25 12 7 17 26 25 21 9 9 20 26 24 18 6 Los Angeles 5 13 20 26 27 14 County 7 17 23 26 24 10 9 21 24 25 22 8 Orange County 5 17 23 26 24 10 7 22 31 25 16 6 9 28 28 24 15 4 San Diego County 5 19 22 25 23 11 7 27 26 23 16 7 9 32 26 22 15 5 ORANGE COUNTY BY DISTRICT Anaheim City 5 11 21 28 28 12 Anaheim Union 7 15 26 29 22 8 High 9 19 27 27 22 6 Brea-Olinda 5 26 29 23 16 6 Unified 7 24 28 27 17 4 9 23 35 23 13 7 Buena Park 5 36 25 22 11 7 Elementary 7 0 100 0 0 0 Capistrano Unified 5 9 26 30 26 9 7 21 37 25 12 5 9 15 35 29 14 6 Centralia Elementary 5 10 16 30 31 13 Cypress Elementary 5 14 22 26 27 10 Fountain Valley 5 28 28 21 16 8 Elementary 7 37 30 19 10 4 Fullerton 5 14 22 28 25 11 Elementary 7 16 33 25 19 7 Fullerton Joint 9 21 27 27 19 6 Union High Garden Grove 5 11 22 30 28 10 Unified 7 18 31 26 19 6 9 23 30 27 15 5 Huntington Beach 5 15 21 26 29 9 City 7 23 34 25 14 4 Huntington Beach 9 43 27 18 9 3 Union High Irvine Unified 5 14 26 26 23 11 7 26 31 22 14 7 9 42 23 19 12 3 La Habra Elementary 5 13 21 23 31 12 7 20 28 26 21 5 Laguna Beach 5 53 22 14 5 6 Unified 7 24 35 18 22 1 9 36 46 16 3 0 Los Alamitos 5 30 30 23 11 6 Unified 7 15 34 30 14 6 9 17 27 32 17 8 Magnolia 5 13 21 30 24 12 Elementary Newport-Mesa 5 44 21 18 13 4 Unified 7 17 41 22 14 6 9 14 34 33 18 2 Ocean View 5 24 26 25 18 8 Elementary 7 30 33 20 13 4 Placentia Unified 5 23 24 25 21 8 7 22 29 26 18 6 9 42 23 21 11 2 Saddleback Valley 5 14 25 30 23 9 Unified 7 22 42 22 11 3 9 23 35 24 15 3 Santa Ana Unified 5 16 19 25 26 14 7 30 22 23 17 8 9 28 24 25 18 5 Savanna Elementary 5 17 21 20 30 13 Tustin Unified 5 15 26 29 19 10 7 13 25 31 21 9 9 12 22 28 30 7 Westminster 5 11 20 30 30 9 Elementary 7 31 39 21 7 3 Yorba Linda * 5 24 23 24 21 8 Elementary 7 12 33 27 24 5

* Became part of Placentia Unified for 1989-90 school year

Note: Test not conducted in Orange Unified district.

Source: State Department of Education