Statewide Testing.

Fitness and Dance are performance-based activities that I feel schools have incorporated into their daily curriculum to expose young learners to activities that build skill and tap into parts of their learning and interests in a way that traditional subject do not. The difference between core subjects and electives are statewide testing. The Glossary of Education.org defines statewide testing as:

  

• ·         A high-stakes test is any test used to make important decisions about students, educators, schools, or districts, most commonly for the purpose of accountability—i.e., the attempt by federal, state, or local government agencies and school administrators to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and ...Aug 18, 2014, edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/

Other than the Fitness Gram which is a mandated district program physical education teachers in my district use to test students on cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength and flexibility we have no other way to assess our student's fitness level honestly. PE and Dance do have State-wide standards and assessments to help guide teachers on what the State feels each student should know and master before finishing a semester or year of the class, but no high stakes tests are given. Besides standards-aligned lessons and tests created by teachers at the primary and secondary level, no other academic establishment will be using student PE grades to determine their acceptance into college or work placement. Would making my students take a physical education test that could potentially determine to fund for my school or whether or not I should keep my job apart of their learning? NO!

I work in a school where most of my students don’t know how they are going to pay for necessitates let alone participating in activities outside of school that promote fitness and healthy eating. Truthfully most of my students look at PE as high school recess. Physical education is not taken seriously by most and for some leave, them feeling defeated. Besides my students, their families also lack the knowledge about healthy eating, reading food labels or the amount of exercise their children or themselves need to be lifelong fitness participants. I realize it I my job to expose them to this information and remind them of the pros and cons of living a healthy lifestyle. The same way students who come from families who read to them every night, sat with them to play math games beyond what homework required or took them to educational events that promoted fun and brain stimulation are better prepared for academic success and for that reason are more likely to be high achieving in school. These are the same kids on youth sports teams dedicated to creating the next pro athlete. Can my students compete with this? No, and neither can my school whose budget for the arts and fitness are fleeting. My thoughts are not me ranting on my frustration for not having enough money to give my student the dance and fitness experience I want. This blog is more of a moment to process that though the arts have and fitness is important and can lead to various opportunities or health benefits, a student’s health or ability to run for an extended period shouldn’t determine their whole future or the future of others.