Monrovia Unified Students Improved Some in Overall Physical Fitness

Students in the Monrovia Unified School District saw some improvement for the in two areas used to measure overall fitness, according to the results of state tests released Wednesday.

A total of 1,348 Monrovia fifth, seventh, and ninth graders were tested in six areas of fitness.  Two of the key areas included aerobic capacity and body composition.

Of the 445 fifth grader tested for aerobic capacity, 70.1 percent scored in the "Healthy Fitness Zone," up from 65.7 percent in 2011-12, according to the data. The percentage of those marked "needs improvement" was 15.1 percent, down from 19.7 percent in 2012-13. The percentage of "high risk" students remained flat from last year at 14.6 percent.

In the area of body composition, 51 percent of fifth graders scored in the Healthy Fitness Zone, a slight increase from 48.5 percent in 2011-12. Those needing improvement again remained flat at 12.8 percent and 36.2 percent scored high risk, compared to 38.7 percent in 2011-12.

In the case of the district's 457 seventh graders tested, 61.5 percent scored in the Healthy Fitness Zone, down from 64.2 percent the previous year.  Those needing improvement dipped to 17.7 percent from 20.9 percent in 2011-12 and 20.8 percent scored high risk, up from 14.9 percent in 2011-12.

For body composition, 53.4 percent of seventh graders scored in the Healthy Fit Zone, almost identical to last year's 53.3 percent.  A total of 11.2 percent fell in the needs improvement category in 2012-13, compared to 13 percent in 2011-12.  Of those tested, 35.4 percent fell in the high risk category, a slight bump from he 33.7 percent in 2012-13.

A total of 446 ninth graders were tested, with 63.7 percent scoring in the Healthy Fitness Zone in 2012-13, up from 60.2 percent the previous year. The percentage of those listed as needs improvement was 18.2 percent, nearly identical to the 18.3 percent in 2011-12. The percentage of students scoring at high risk decreased to 18 from 21.5 the previous year.

As for body composition, 54.5 percent scored in the Healthy Fitness Zone, down slightly from 55.2 percent in 2011-12. Those needing improvement remained nearly the same, 12.8 percent in 2012-13 compared to 12.2 percent in 2011-12. Those listed at high risk fitness-wise also remained pretty flat at 32.7 percent compared 32.6 percent the previous year.

Around 1.34 million students across California took the fitness test.  Six categories are measured, including aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk strength, upper body strength, and flexibility.

"The simple fact is that healthy kids learn better," state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said in a news release. "I'm pleased to see the slow shift toward better health continue, but when only about a third of our students are physically fit, we are nowhere near the end of this effort. To help them succeed in school and in life, California's young people need more access to physical activity, fresh, fresh, healthy food and clean water."

Torlakson, a former high school cross country coach, launched the effort to get athletes, community leaders, public health advocates, parents, teachers, and students to help youth become more active and eat a better diet.