Program Overview

PowerPoint Presentation on FITNESSGRAM/ACTIVITYGRAM 8.0

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Activity and fitness assessment and reporting tool and personal physical activity tracking-now more versatile than ever before

Created more than 20 years ago by The Cooper Institute, FITNESSGRAM is based on rock-solid research. It's the only health-related fitness assessment to use criterion-referenced standards, called Healthy Fitness Zones, to determine students' fitness levels based on what is optimal for good health. These standards are backed by the highly respected FITNESSGRAM Scientific Advisory Board.

FITNESSGRAM was developed by The Cooper Institute in an effort to provide physical educators with a tool that would facilitate communicating fitness testing results to students and to parents. The assessment measures three components of health-related physical fitness that have been identified as important to overall health and function:

FITNESSGRAM® helps you achieve your goals by applying easy-to-use technology to

ACTIVITYGRAM, introduced in 1999, is a behaviorally based physical activity assessment tool. It provides a three-day record of activities performed during each 30-minute period. The report provides information in the following areas:

FITNESSGRAM/ACTIVITYGRAM enables you to promote awareness about the importance of physical activity and fitness, assess the fitness and activity levels of children in grades K-12, and help them develop patterns of lifelong, health-promoting physical activity. (The program is also appropriate for use with young adults up to age 30.)

Teachers, students, and parents have been using FITNESSGRAM for more than two decades to understand, assess, and help meet students' fitness needs.

Assessments

FITNESSGRAM

FITNESSGRAM assesses three areas of health-related fitness listed previously. Many test items offer multiple options, so you can choose the method you prefer. Each score is evaluated against criterion-referenced standards that have been established to indicate levels of fitness corresponding with health. Standards have been set for boys and for girls based on age. The use of health-related criteria helps to minimize comparisons between children and to emphasize personal fitness for health rather than goals based solely on performance. Since only modest amounts of exercise are needed for obtaining health benefits, most students who participate in physical activity almost every day will be able to achieve a score that will place them in the Healthy Fitness Zone.

The assessment items are as follows:

Aerobic Capacity

Body Composition (may select one option)

Muscular Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility

ACTIVITYGRAM

The ACTIVITYGRAM assessment is conducted over two school days and one non-school day. Students record their activity for each 30 minutes between 7:00 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Each entry includes the time of day, the number of minutes in the activity, the intensity level of the activity, and the type of activity from the Activity Pyramid. Information is entered in the computer software and a summary analysis is provided.

Reports

FITNESSGRAM report

You can print out a FITNESSGRAM report for each student-and a special version for parents-that recommends physical activity program options to help students make it into the Healthy Fitness Zones for those areas where they need improvement. Plus, it explains in nontechnical terms why physical activity is important and how regular physical activity leads to improved health and fitness. The FITNESSGRAM report is a tangible reminder of what students learn in class and a great way to enlist parents' support in their children's physical activity programs.

ACTIVITYGRAM report

This report summarizes a student's activity data for the three-day period. Personalized messages provide suggestions of ways to increase or maintain physical activity. Recommendations are based on national guidelines developed by the Council for Physical Education for Children (COPEC), a division of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE).

New Software

Now, in its newest release, FITNESSGRAM/ACTIVITYGRAM 8.0 includes expanded features that make it more versatile and more convenient than ever before. With its centralized database, 8.0 is especially convenient for large schools or districts that need to track students and compare their test scores over time as those students move through the school system. Special discounts are available for bulk purchases. Contact your Human Kinetics K-12 sales representative for details.

Activity Tracking

A new Activity Log module has been added to FITNESSGRAM/ACTIVITYGRAM 8.0 so that students can more easily keep track of their physical activity. Students enter data on step counts from a pedometer or minutes of activity for any days they choose, set personal goals for the number of steps or minutes, and track progress by cumulative steps or minute totals or daily averages. Teachers can print summary reports that combine data for one or more teachers and one or more classes within a specified date range. Teachers also can print blank step count or minute log sheets for student to fill in at home and then enter the data for several days at once.

The most innovative and motivational feature of the Activity Log is that teachers or district administrators can create incentive challenges and issue these to classes within a school or, if using the networkable versions of the new software, to schools within a district. These challenges serve as motivation to the groups to see which ones can achieve the highest levels of physical activity and do the best job of achieving their goals.

For specific information about the features and functions of the current release of FITNESSGRAM/ACTIVITYGRAM 8.0, click here.