There are some concerning statistics regarding the physical fitness of Connecticut public school students.
According to recent data, only 45% of students passed the state physical fitness assessment. Experts say a number of issues are at play, including the prolonged shutdown during the pandemic.
Now, the question is how to reverse that.
To assess the overall physical fitness of students in each district, the state's public schools administer a series of tests.
“This is a snapshot of specific components of physiological fitness,” said Joe Velardi, state health and physical education coordinator.
Velardi will help oversee the four-part evaluation. It measures students' running endurance (miles), strength (curl-ups and push-ups), and flexibility (sitting and reaching), and experts say they've seen declines in all of these areas since the pandemic. There is.
Velardi said some of the decline can be attributed to limited physical education programs, some of which were cut in various school budgets.
“[PE class] It’s a place where kids can be active,” Velardi said. “For many children, especially in our cities, physical education is their only opportunity to learn about activities and how to be active.”
This appears to be due to the slowdown in activity due to the pandemic. In 2018-2019, 52.9% of state students passed the exam. However, this figure dropped to 45.8% in 2021-22. It was difficult to recover from that.
“Kids are sitting a lot more,” said Tracy Avicoli, director of arts and health for Hartford Public Schools. “It's hard to get students interested and motivated.”
Although Hartford Public Schools' passing rate remains lower than before the pandemic, the district saw a 7% improvement over last year. Avicoli said he has been working hard to increase his motivation.
“We brought in community partners like Yard Goats and Hartford Athletic to encourage students to give their best,” she said.
Among the schools that outperformed the state average was Cheshire College, which had a 58% pass rate. Still, there has been some decline since the pandemic.
To reverse this trend, they added extracurricular activities and formed partnerships.
“The YMCA has the Y Cup and the Y Cup Challenge, where elementary schools compete against each other,” Cheshire High School Athletic Director John Pelosino said.
Another way to reverse this trend, experts say, is for parents to create a culture of physical activity for their children.
“Going for a walk together after dinner or taking your kids outside to play together and spend quality time together are ways to get them active,” Pelosino said.
“Even if you're in a mall, see how many times you can walk around it,” Avicoli says.
Still, there are obstacles. One of the biggest problems is mobile phones.
“Kids are losing their motivation to go outside and play,” Pelosino said.
But if you can beat them, join them. Pelosino recommends parents find and use fitness apps that motivate their kids to be active.
