6 Ways to Make Fitness Testing Matter
Focus on the student, not the score.
Fitness testing has always been an important part of fitness education within a physical education curriculum Students may not consider fitness testing the most exciting part of PE, but it holds a lot of value in teaching them about living a healthy and active lifestyle
Here are some ways to transform fitness testing into a positive learning experience, while keeping your students at the center.
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Frame it as a tool, not a judgment.
Fitness testing is one part of fitness education Help students understand that it’s a tool to learn about their own fitness levels and support their fitness journey Emphasize what happens after the test and how you’ll use results to help them set personal goals and measure progress toward those goals throughout the year
This is about them their scores are their scores, and any progress forward is good To set meaningful goals, you need to know where to start
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Give students a heads up.
Students need advance notice when fitness tests are going to happen (no pop quizzes!), but don’t just let them know two weeks in advance Spend time reviewing protocols and allow students to practice the tests so they’re comfortable and can perform at their best
Offer choices.
Allowing students to have choices helps them feel ownership over their learning and belonging in class This applies to fitness testing too Let your students select ways to assess health-related components of fitness For example, this might be a mile walk/run or the beep test for cardiovascular endurance
When possible, offer criterion-referenced fitness test options. If you can’t offer different test types, give students choice over when and which component they assess. Having a fitness testing week where all tests are available daily lets students pick their day and component. This takes more planning but pays off in positive experiences for your students.
Build in time for reflection.
Give students an opportunity to reflect on their physical activity experiences and fitness testing.Acknowledge to students that fitness testing may not be the most fun part of PE, but reflection helps them find meaning in the activities they’re doing and offers another way to learn about themselves. Here are some prompts to consider:
What are you proud of from today’s class?
Rate your effort today
Did you like today’s activity? Why or why not?
How can you use something you learned today outside of class?
These prompts help students discover their own reasons for why being active and healthy is important to them.
Consider what motivates your students.
Every student is different For some, doing their best is motivation enough For others, you may need additional motivators or rewards to acknowledge their effort Avoid comparing scores publicly and keep this about doing their best, not rankings Some students like competition and some don’t Ask your students what motivates them, then offer rewards that are truly what they want For example, they might want to choose the next PE unit or activity, or maybe they want to see you wear your clothes inside out for a day.The key is making it inclusive and meaningful to them.
Handle with care.
Physical education is where students can build positive experiences with movement and discover that physical activity can be both enjoyable and beneficial The experiences you create in PE class can have a long-term effect on students’perceptions of physical activity, including whether they see themselves as movers
That is why it’s so important to handle your students with care Put them first by talking with them Consider their experiences and backgrounds Students need to see value in fitness and movement today, not decades from now They need to explore why it matters to them personally This is probably the most important tip to consider when implementing fitness testing, because it’s a reminder to keep the focus on the student, not the score
When fitness testing is approached with empathy, purpose, and care, it becomes a meaningful learning experience that helps students better understand themselves and their relationship with physical activity.
Learn more about SHAPEAmerica’s Physical Best fitness education program