| Author |
Message |
Matt McCusker (Cusker58)
New member
Username: Cusker58
Post Number: 1
Registered: 2-2010
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 7:42 am: |       |
Our district currently uses the following protocols for our fitness assessment: fitnessgram pacer, push-up, sit and reach, and the curl-up. The only one of these that I find a problem is the curl-up. I find that student reliability is low with this test. They all perform it in different ways. Some students that have low muscular endurance are able to do well because they shrug their shoulders which aids them in the completion of a rep. I feel that the Traditional sit up with a crossed arm modification would serve us better. Does any one have any thoughts on this? |
Matthew Bassett (Bassett1976)
Member
Username: Bassett1976
Post Number: 33
Registered: 1-2008
| | Posted on Monday, February 08, 2010 - 4:17 pm: | |
I find that the push up FitnessGram test is just as hard as the curl up test. As the teacher, you need to be constantly checking for the form and helping students to improve. I actually start teaching technique on these two tests at the beginning of the school year (typically week 1 or week 2). I try to have the students work in partners to hold themselves accountable but they do not. I have just started a rotation system where I work with a small group in class (about 8 kids at a time) on the technique while the rest work with a partner. I will rotate the group from one day to the next so that I can make it through the entire class in a two week period.
I believe that the curl up is used because the traditional sit up places a lot of lower back strain on the students. Remember, the curl up only needs to go up high enough so that the fingers cross the strip. If your students are going all the way up they are working a lot harder (and farther) than they need to. |
Jeff Overton (Obviousman)
Junior Member
Username: Obviousman
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, October 21, 2010 - 12:00 pm: | |
My class does the President's Fitness test and the curl-up is an option because of what Matthew said, anything past 45 degress switches the weight onto the lower back from the abdominals so it becomes an eccentic movement. No matter what the test standards, come up with the best standards yourself and make it the same for all the kids. My rule is the arms are crossed, the thumbs are tucked into the shirt collar, the hands grab the shirt, and when the sit up they extend their elbows out in front of them and they have to touch the middle of the thigh and no farther than that. I then go off of the test standards for scores. And because it is a minutes test, you have to do multiple students at once to save some time, just like running the mile, so student accuracy is a question. Spend a lot of time on the rules for counting the sit-ups, practice and demonstrate, so that the record keeping from the students is accurate. |
jeff leer (Leerjet)
Junior Member
Username: Leerjet
Post Number: 2
Registered: 7-2011
| | Posted on Thursday, July 21, 2011 - 3:10 pm: | |
The real problem is not how reliable the “abdominal test is” as I share your concern. But it is not the real issue we should be focusing on. Obesity and type 2 diabetes is where most of our efforts should be addressing and the two tests that highlight that problem for kids are the pacer and BMI. The pacer test relates to how healthy their hearts are which can kill them. Having six pack abs and dying of a heart attack does you no favor. The BMI measurement, if taught and used correctly with additional measures to address its limitations, is something that should be sent home with each child at least twice a year. Many states have adopted laws requiring this. Yes, it is a difficult subject to bring up and you will take some heat from some parents but type two diabetes is going to devastate our country and is PREVENTABLE. We need to do everything we can to take this on as health educators. Not addressing body fat in some measurable way (I realize BMI does not measure body fat but is a fairly reliable predictor in most people) because you don’t want to deal with the possible conflicts with parents is professional negligence in my humble opinion. |
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