Scores Are Flabby in Physical Fitness : Education: Only 21% of the county’s fifth-, seventh- and ninth-grade students reached or exceeded minimum levels in the state examination.

Like their schoolmates statewide, the majority of Ventura County students who were evaluated in a state physical fitness test are out of shape and unable to meet the minimum standards, according to a report released today by the state Department of Education.

Only 21% of the county’s fifth-, seventh- and ninth-grade students reached or exceeded minimum levels of fitness as measured in the five-part California Physical and Health-Related Fitness Test, given last spring.

Intended to measure cardiovascular endurance, strength and general fitness, the test included sit-ups, pull-ups, a mile-long walk or run and an exercise called sit-and-reach, which gauges flexibility. The test is part of the California Assessment Program.

Many county districts opted not to do the fifth portion of the examination, in which a caliper measured loose skin on the arm and calf to determine the percentage of body fat.

Some district officials said they did not have personnel who were trained to use calipers properly. In addition, some teachers did not want to do the skin-fold test, because it required touching students’ bodies and raised the possibility of being accused of sexual impropriety, officials said.

The skin-fold test was optional and did not count in the final results, state education officials said.

Of the 23,375 Ventura County students who took the test, Moorpark Unified, Oxnard Union High and Ojai Unified had the highest percentages of students who passed the four physical-exercise sections.

County fifth-graders and seventh-graders scored below the state average, but ninth-graders were slightly above average.

Ninth-grade students tended to perform better than younger students, although the test took age and sex into account by requiring less of fifth-graders than of seventh- or ninth-graders. It also set lower standards for girls than for boys.

For example, ninth-grade boys were required to run or walk a mile in 7 minutes and 45 seconds or less, while fifth-grade boys were given 9 minutes and 30 seconds.

And while ninth-grade boys were required to do four to five pull-ups on a chinning bar, girls of all ages had to do only one pull-up to meet minimum requirements for upper-body strength.

At Matilija Junior High School in Ojai, several girls who took the test said they were unable to complete even one pull-up.

“Doing pull-ups was hard,” said Shyle Ruder, 13, who passed the other three fitness requirements. “I couldn’t do one.”

Dee Bennett, girls’ gym teacher at Matilija, said her students do sit-ups as part of a daily warm-up routine and run an average of a half-mile each day. Girls also do gymnastics regularly for upper-body strengthening, she said.

“This test is definitely in our minds” on a daily basis, Bennett said. “However, we feel that sit-ups and push-ups are always good.”

Statewide, girls outpaced boys in the sit-and-reach exercise and in running, while boys beat girls in pull-ups, state officials said.

County and state education officials said the overall poor showing is part of a nationwide trend of declining fitness among America’s youth.

“I think it is generally accepted that a lot of students are not as physically fit as they used to be,” said Gina McMillan, curriculum coordinator of the Pleasant Valley Elementary School District. “A lot of students play soccer, dance and do other physical activity after school, but a lot of them go home and watch television.”

Students in the Oxnard Elementary School District had the lowest performance in the county. Only 8% of students who took the test passed, compared with 21% for both the state and the county. Sixteen percent of Oxnard elementary students did not complete even one of the four components.

Oxnard Supt. Norman Brekke said he had not seen the report, but said the district was continuing efforts to review how physical education is taught based on low scores from the 1988-89 school year, the first year the test was given.

“There have been efforts made to strengthen the program,” Brekke said. “There’s a continuing need to monitor what we’re doing against what the state tests are showing.”

Although a relatively high number of students in the Oxnard Union High School District passed the test, the district showed a slight decline from the previous year in every area, said Bert Pearlman, director of curriculum and assessment.

“This does concern us,” Pearlman said. “We are presently redesigning our physical fitness program to ensure that students are getting proper training that will help them with their attitudes toward physical fitness, as well as develop the body strength they should be enjoying in their youth.”

The importance of diet and exercise, already covered in health courses, will receive greater emphasis in gym classes, Pearlman said.

In Moorpark, scores were above state averages as well as up from the previous year, particularly for seventh-grade students. A revamping of the physical education program two years ago is beginning to pay dividends, said Assistant Supt. Charles Smith.

The revised programs emphasize more calisthenics and aerobic exercises beginning in elementary school, Smith said.

“We have not checked the staff for flab lately, however,” Smith joked.

This is only the second year for the physical fitness test, and it is too soon to tell whether regular testing will eventually improve fitness among schoolchildren, officials said.

“We can’t see any trend yet,” said Susan Sundell, a state education programs assistant in Sacramento. “We need three to five years to show improvement.”

Because of budget cuts to the California Assessment Program, it is uncertain whether the test will be administered next spring, state officials said. Some districts said they may continue testing students on their own even if a statewide comparison is not available.

“It’s sad,” said Robert Isenberg, director of special programs and testing in the Simi Valley Unified School District. “To have it stopped now I think does a disservice.”

VENTURA COUNTY STUDENTS MEETING STATE PHYSICAL FITNESS STANDARDS

School % Meeting 4+ % Meeting 2 % Meeting 0 District Standards Standards Standards Conejo Valley Unified 14 27 9 Fillmore Unified 26 22 7 Moorpark Unified 40 20 4 Ojai Unified 37 17 6 Oxnard Elementary 8 26 16 Oxnard Union High 37 20 3 Pleasant Valley Unified 20 25 9 Simi Valley Unified 16 27 8 Ventura Unified 22 25 7 Countywide Totals 21 25 8 Statewide Totals 21 25 9