Re: phys ed testing in TX

[aburke5054@aol.com]

If public education is buying tests from somebody, sure as Texas has 
cattle somebody is going to say that the only purpose is to privatize 
public education or to throw money to friends and supporters of George 
Bush.  What else could we expect from someone who reacts to a fitness 
initiative by claiming she is heading for the recliner and high-fat 
foods?  More reasonable people might conclude that Texas may be on to 
something here that could help kids a lot - the article quotes an 
official from a national fitness group who says that what Texas is 
doing could turn out to be a great thing if it gets kids off the couch 
and gets them to take ownership for their fitness.

Got to love the metaphor from the TEA official who says they're 
"treading new water" with the running and flexibility tests.  Muist be 
the Newtons and the high calorie milk.

Art

-----Original Message-----
From: kceh@airmail.net
To: arn-l@interversity.org
Sent: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 6:20 am
Subject: Re: [arn-l] phys ed testing in TX


Comments from Susan Ohanian's website. It's yet another case of follow 
the
money.
Kinda makes me want to park my fat lard in the recliner with a box of 
Fig
Newtons
and a glass of whole milk, as long as it's not from James Leininger's 
(sp?)
dairy.

Carol

=============

Physically Fit Students Perform Better on Tests, Texas Lawmakers Say 
Stephen
Krashen's comments are, as always, vital. he has done what reporters 
rarely do
on
education stories--followed the money. Stephen Krashen Comment: Texas 
plans to
test all children, starting at grade 3, on pushups, sit-ups, a mile 
run, and
measure flexibility and body fat (“PE not just fun, games anymore,” 
July
11).
Everything is wrong with this. The passing mark is scoring in the top 
20% of all
children. Thus, no matter how well the children do, 80% will fail the 
test and
be
declared unfit. To get children to pass, PE will focus on sit-ups, 
pushups, and
running. Gone is the idea that a major goal of PE is to introduce 
children to a
variety of sports to encourage them to become fit for life in enjoyable 
ways. We
are told that the reason for the test is to see if there is a 
relationship
between fitness and academic performance. The way to do studies is with 
small
groups, not entire populations. Not mentioned by the Morning News is 
that the
developer of the tool to be used to measure fitness (which includes 
software),
Kenneth Cooper, has served as personal physician to President Bush, and 
is known
as “Bush’s exercise guru.” Cooper donated $12,000 to the 
campaigns of Gov.
Perry and State Senator Nelson, the author of the fitness legislation.



On Thu Jul 12 15:10 , 'Monty Neill' <monty@fairtest.org> sent:

  This is a fairly long article, so I am including only first section 
and the
 URL.

  It is good they are focusing some on physical fitness, bad it is a 
reaction
 to problem of their own making (high stakes test), good that it is a
  performance task (hope no kids die running a mile), and bad in that 
they set
  the bar at the 80th percentile and then say they expect poor 
performance.
  Well, duh! The same great minds that bring us high stakes 
standardized tests
  in which all will be very far above average if only we set the bar 
high
 enough.

  
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-fitnesstest_11met.ART.State.Edition2.435fb67.html


 PE not just fun, games anymore

 State to test students, tally results by school, district


 12:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, July 11, 2007

 By STACI HUPP / The Dallas Morning News
 shupp@dallasnews.com

  The newest standardized test in Texas will make millions of children 
sweat
 next year. It also will make them run a mile and touch their toes.



  Texas will be the first state to comprehensively gauge students' 
physical
  health as part of a new fitness-focused law that targets growing 
waistlines.

  "We're treading new water here," said Jeff Kloster, an associate 
commissioner
  at the Texas Education Agency, which will oversee a state fitness 
test for
 children in grades three through 12.

  The test will measure aerobic endurance, body fat, flexibility and 
muscle
 strength, Mr. Kloster said.

  TEA officials expect to spend $2.5 million to equip schools with 
Fitnessgram,
  a testing tool developed by Dallas physician Kenneth Cooper, founder 
of
 aerobics. The tool includes computer software to train teachers how to
 conduct the test.

  To pass, students must score in the 80th percentile, or better than 
seven out
  of 10 peers, for their age and sex. Students with disabilities or a 
doctor's
 note don't have to take the test.

 Students who fail will not be penalized.

 TEA officials say the test results will help guide state research into
 possible links among physical health and student achievement, school
 attendance and discipline problems.

 "What Texas is doing, which could be a really great thing, is they're
 creating accountability" for student health, said Charlene Burgeson,
 executive director of the National Association for Sport and Physical
  Education. "It's a really important part of giving the student 
ownership of
 their own health, too. They need to understand what those different
 components of fitness are and how they're doing on them."

  TEA officials will tally test results by grade level, campus and 
school
  district. Parents who want to know their child's score need only call 
the
 school, which will keep files for every student.

  "It is not a competition to the extent that if you don't achieve a 
certain
  number, you don't get rewarded," Mr. Kloster said. "This is about 
identifying
 where we are."

  State officials say they have low expectations for the first round of 
tests
 next spring.

  About one-third of Texas' 4 million public school children are 
considered
  overweight, health data show, putting the state above the national 
average.

  Only two-thirds of the state's students were enrolled in PE classes 
in 2005,
 according to TEA data.

 Monty Neill, Ed.D.
 Co-Executive Director
 FairTest
 342 Broadway
 Cambridge, MA 02139
 617-864-4810 fax 617-497-2224
 monty@fairtest.org
 http://www.fairtest.org
 Donate:
  
https://secure.entango.com/servlet/donate/MnrXjT8MQqk-----------------------------------------------
 Report list problems to listmom@interversity.net


---- Msg sent via Internet America Webmail - 
http://www.internetamerica.com/






________________________________________________________________________
AOL now offers free email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free 
from AOL at AOL.com.
=0