FitnessGram & Awards ZONE VS. STANDARD

In physical education in Shakopee, we've been in the transition of switching from Presidential Physical Fitness testing to the FitnessGram. One of the disappointments for our students for the FitnessGram is that they do not receive an award for achieving a specific standard as they used to for Presidential Fitness testing. I've contemplated printing certificates, buying some sort of award or creating our own Shakopee patch for the kids. Some students keep the patches and put them on their letter jacket or post them in their room as a keep-sake. It is something that they really look forward to and I believe it increases their over-all motivation and work ethic towards physical fitness testing. The FitnessGram outlines a "healthy fitness zone" for our students whereas the Presidential Physical Fitness testing provides a national standard for a specific age group that allows us to measure their overall physical fitness according to the standard.

I struggle with the concept of a "zone" vs. a "standard" because I think it can lower the expectations we should have for student physical fitness. Students are expected to reach specific standards within the classroom, why can't this be the same within the physical education setting? Every year we have to make A.Y.P and students are given awards to celebrate academic excellence, but the issue becomes much more sensitive when it is applied to the physical education setting because in physical education the term has been coined "everyone is a winner." The reality of life is EVERYONE IS NOT A WINNER. There will be times when you win, times when you lose. Times when you face set-backs or perform poorly when it matters most. Enabling our students to develop the "everyone is a winner" mentality does not make for active citizens in society that are resilient, self-motivating, optimistic, determined or confident. Having that mentality is not realistic or true. We need to teach our students how to handle set-backs and provide them the tools to handle the occasional bumps in the road. We must continue to set our expectations high through all subject levels and provide our students the tools to reach them.