Tarleton professor, Stephenville ISD teachers speak at state fitness conference
Feb. 18, 2009
STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS—A Tarleton State University professor and two Stephenville Independent School District (SISD) physical education instructors recently spoke about a collaborative fitness effort at a convention in Austin.
Dr. Joe Gillespie, Jill Heupel and Wade Whitehead were invited to speak about FITNESSGRAM, a partnership between Stephenville ISD and Tarleton, at the Texas Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Convention in Austin on Feb. 9.
The fitness collaboration began during the 1980s with Gillespie taking his Tests and Measurements class to Gilbert Intermediate School to assist the public schools with health-related fitness testing.
Senate Bill 530 was passed in 2008 and mandated that all public schools in the state assess the health-related fitness of students in grades three through 12. SISD and Tarleton have been the leaders in the state with the implementation of the law, and many surrounding school districts have looked to the collaboration for assistance.
Heupel, Whitehead, Mary Pack, Emma Jimenez, D’Anna Green and Mike Carroll from SISD have worked with Tarleton students to implement the program.
For many years, students in Dr. Gillespie’s class have administered the FITNESSGRAM to all students in grades four through six. Now, the collaboration involves second through 12th grade.
Following testing of students, a fitness report card is issued for each public school student.
Developed by the Cooper Institute in Dallas, the FITNESSGRAM test measures three areas of fitness: aerobic capacity, body composition, muscle strength, endurance and flexibility. The test results help parents and physical education teachers identify students whose poor fitness may compromise their heath and education.
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Originally posted 2009-04-18 20:51:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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