Policy and Implementation:Fitness Assessments, Transgender Laws, Wellness

Policies, and BMI Policy

Chad Fenwick, LAUSDBrett Fuller, MPS

PE Coordinators Mini-Conference

AAHPERD“Physical Education Coordinators Mini Conference”

Developing And Implementing Policies That Make A Difference

Importance Of Policy

• Guides And Protects Practice• Ensures Funding Opportunities• Focuses Effort• Guidelines For Productivity In States And

Districts• Therefore Validates Importance

Thoughtful Policies

• Reassure Families, Students, And School Staff• Provide Legal Protection For Schools• Support And Direct Individuals Actions

Throughout The School System• Improving Schools Quality

Education Policy

• ..Is Always Political!

• And Politically Important!!!!!

Policies Are

• Statutes • Regulations• Resolutions/Board

Policy• Standards• Guidelines

Policy Levels

• National• State• County• Local School District• Within Each School

National Policy of Vital Importance

• Guides Educational Decisions• No Child Left Behind (NCLB)• Including Physical Education In

Reauthorization Of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Important Example

Support For These Policies

• February 2011 Field Poll On Obesity• Respondents Favor Physical Education As

Single Most Important Policy For Obesity Prevention.

• Across Most Party And Socioeconomic Lines

Include Physical Ed In ESEA Reauthorization

Additional Support

• Overwhelming Support In CA• 89% Support 4 Year High School Physical

Education Requirement• 88% Favor School Facilities Open For physical

Activity When School Is Not In Session• Support Policies To Make It Easier For Children

To Be More Physically Active• Physical Education “Provides The ‘Core’”

Policy As Value And Leadership

• National Policy Statements and Legislation• States Use As Guidelines For Policy

Development• Districts Motivated To Implement• In Local Schools For Children’s Benefit

Addressing Federal Policies

• No Child Left Behind Act (ESEA)– Unintended Consequences Of NCLB

• Being Left Out Had Major Negative Consequences For Our Students

– The Reauthorization Of ESEA Is Not A Secret– It Is Also Not A Secret That We Believe,

• Language That Would Include Requirements For Physical Education To Be On A ‘Core Subject’ Status With All Of The Expectations And Requirements Would Have Real And Positive Consequences For Our Students

• State Legislators Will Follow

Policy• Fitness Assessments• BMI Policy• Transgender Laws• Wellness Policy

Fitness Assessments

• MPS – Fitness Assessments: Fitnessgram– Adopted in July 2012 as part of

Textbook/Resource Adoption Process– No written policy in board policy– Part of the physical education curriculum

California Statute

• State mandate 5, 7, 9• Student exemption SB 601• Passing requirement SB 602• Student exemption

BMI

• As part of the Carol M. White PEP grant MPS had to create a BMI policy– MPS has chosen to add it to the Student

Wellness Policy– Worked with the Medical College of Wisconsin

• Researched BMI policy best practices• Implemented Focus Groups with parents & Teachers• Provided recommendations for policy

– Policy going to MPS Board in July 2014

BMI – ResearchParental Opinion

Most parents are comfortable with and support BMI screening in schools.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

78% believed it was important for schools to assess student’s height/weight annually and wanted to receive height, weight, and BMI information yearly.7

Parents want assurance that student privacy and respect will be maintained during measurement and that BMI results would be provided to parents in a neutral manner.8

From: BMI PEP Presentation 2014Roohi Kharofa, MDPrimary Care Research FellowMedical College of Wisconsin

Transgender Statute

• History• Definition of • Implementation• Monitoring• Examples online

Student Wellness Policy

• MPS – Adopted CDC Coordinated School Health Model– 3 annual goals• Physical Activity• Nutrition• One other CSH goal

Physical Education Is A Priority

In 2008 Los Angeles Unified School District passed a board motion that made physical education a priority.The motion was created to ensure quality physical education for all children.The motion was needed due to the absence of monitoring.This sent a message to principals, that physical education education codes were to be followed.

Why we at LAUSD feel physical education is important.

• Physical education teaches the students the skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors to be physically active the rest of their lives.

• Physically active children are healthier.

• Healthy students, learn better, behave better and miss school less.

How does this happen?

• Quality physical education instruction teaches the students the fundamental motor skills to successfully participate in a variety of physical activities.

• If students are successful in their participation they are more likely to enjoy that experience.

• Movement skills are not innate, they are learned.

Relationship Between Fundamental Movement Skills

and Organized Physical Activity

Fundamental movement skills are significantly associated with adolescents’ participation in organized physical activity.

Okely, A. , Booth, M., and Patterson, J.(2001). Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., 33 (11), 1899-1904.

Relationship Between Fundamental Movement Skills and Body Composition

Fundamental movement skills (FMS) proficiency is inversely associated with body composition.

These findings suggest that mastery of FMS may be an important factor in preventing unhealthy weight gain among children and youth.

LAUSD Board Motion

• A small team of advocates met with two board members that had the same interests in providing a healthier environment for students.

• The advocates grew, connecting with United Teachers Los Angeles, City Project LA attorney Robert Garcia, other Community based organizations, parents, and students that to were interested in the health of students.

• The heart and sole of this motion was about students learning the skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors that they will need to be physically active everyday.

Why did we need district policy?

• With all the education codes• With all the CA. Code of Regulations• The real question is why did we need a board

resolution?

The Board Motion Reassured

• Credentialed teacher (Ed Code)• Elementary minute requirement (Ed Code)• Secondary minute requirement (Ed Code)• Fitnessgram assessment and reporting (Ed Code)• Gender equity (Ed Code)• Electives in high school (Ed Code)• Additionally class size, MVPA, and monitoring

(District Policy)

Content Areas

• Aquatics• Individual and dual

activities• Dance• Team activities• (CCR)

• Combatives • Gymnastics and

tumbling• Mechanics of

movement• Effects of movement on

dynamic health

State Supporting Policy• The state statutes provided the framework

for our local policy.• Some of these laws had been in place

since 1914 but they were taken with little regard due to the lack of monitoring and other factors.

• If nobody is watching, then weeds will grow.

• This silence was deafening the message was clear do what you wish in Los Angeles.

CCR/CPM/FPM

• State monitoring (CCR, CPM and now FPM)• State law requires that 10% of all schools be

monitored to ensure that state and federal laws are being followed.

• In 2005 a statute enacted that include physical education into monitoring process.

• This had a tremendous positive effect on physical education programs in California.

Following the leaders

• Before the inclusion of physical education in the state monitoring, physical education was less valued.

“I never knew anyone cared about the Fitnessgram scores” and physical education.

An LAUSD high school physical education teacher

Periodic Assessment

• Each LEA is monitored once every four years by knowledgeable state staff. California Education Code Section 64001 permits the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to differentiate monitoring reviews based on student academic achievement, the Academic Performance Index, and on the status of compliance with state and federal categorical programs.

Improvement in BMI for Grade 9

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201052

54

56

58

60

62

64

9th Grade Healthy BMI

9th

Year

Perc

enta

ge In

HFZ

Physical Education added to the CCR/CPM/FPM

Improvement in BMI Grade 7

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201057

58

59

60

61

62

63

Improvement In BMI 7th Grade

7th

Year

Perc

enta

ge

Physical Education added to the CCR/CPM/FPM

Improvement In BMI for 5th Grade

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201058

58.5

59

59.5

60

60.5

61

61.5

62

5th

5th

Physical education added to the CCR/CPM/FPM

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201010

20

30

40

50

60

70

Grade 9 Fit Students

LAUSD

Year

Perc

enta

ge

We can look to Title IX as a model for inclusive educational

policy and monitoring.

Federal Policy - Title IX

• No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Myth’s

• MYTH: Title IX has done its job and is no longer needed. FACT: In the past five years, the gap between male and female athletic participation at the high school level has grown.

Good Law

• General enough to encompass all states and

be educationally sound.• Specific enough to be ethically honest and

educationally focused.

Why do districts need HR S. 394 & H.R. 2160 ?

• We are not there yet, there are many students who still are not getting the quality physical education they need.

• We need to provide professional development to continue to move physical education teachers toward quality physical education instruction.

• Professional Development is the best use of the money to make this change.

• The need to re-tool, curriculum, equipment and supplies and facilities.

The Connection

• The tasks and pressures at the local district level are extraordinary.

• Good policy helps us focus and prioritize our efforts and resources.

• Good policy provides consistency among changes in decision makers at the district levels.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!

Thank You!

• Brett Fuller – fullerba@milwaukee.k12.wi.us• Chad Fenwick – chad.fenwick@lausd.net

REFERENCES1. Raczynski, J. M., Thompson, J. W., Phillips, M. M., Ryan, K. W., & Cleveland, H. W. (2009). Arkansas Act 1220 of

2003 to Reduce Childhood Obesity: Its Implementation and Impact on Child and Adolescent Body Mass Index. Journal of Public Health Policy, 30(S1), S124–S140.

2. Nihiser, A. J., Lee, S. M., Wechsler, H., McKenna, M., Odom, E., Reinold, C., … Grummer-Strawn, L. (2009). BMI Measurement in Schools. PEDIATRICS, 124(Supplement), S89–S97.

3. Nihiser, Allison J., Lee, S. M., Wechsler, H., McKenna, M., Odom, E., Reinold, C., Grummer-Strawn, L. (2007). Body mass index measurement in schools*. Journal of School Health, 77(10), 651–671.

4. Johnson, S. B., Pilkington, L. L., Lamp, C., He, J., & Deeb, L. C. (2009). Parent Reactions to a School-Based Body Mass Index Screening Program. Journal of School Health, 79(5), 216–223.

5. Stalter, A. M., Kaylor, M., Steinke, J. D., & Barker, R. M. (2010). Parental Perceptions of the Rural School’s Role in Addressing Childhood Obesity. The Journal of School Nursing, 27(1), 70–81.

6. Murphy, M., & Polivka, B. (2007). Parental perceptions of the schools’ role in addressing childhood obesity. The Journal of School Nursing, 23(1), 40–46.

7. Kubik, Martha Y., Fulkerson, J. A., Story, M., & Rieland, G. (2006). Parents of elementary school students weigh in on height, weight, and body mass index screening at school. Journal of school health, 76(10), 496–501.

8. Kubik, M. Y., Story, M., & Rieland, G. (2006). Developing School-Based BMI Screening and Parent Notification Programs: Findings From Focus Groups With Parents of Elementary School Students. Health Education & Behavior, 34(4), 622–633.