Signature Assignment

Signature Assignment
Kaitlin Gagen and Sean Fowler
PPE 310
Dr. Lineberry
April 13, 2016

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Introduction

As American students weight continues to rise, their academic performance

continues to fall. There is a clear connection between physical activity and academic
performance that schools across the country need to start identifying. To combat failing
test scores, subjects such as social studies, science, and art, have taken a back seat in
order for reading, writing, and math, to be the primary focus during school. The United
States has changed its focus in the classroom in order to be more competitive globally,
due to low rankings in overall student achievement. Rather than looking to successful
countries tests scores in certain subjects, the United States should look at what else those
countries are doing. Specifically, the United States should look at the amount of physical
activity students in those countries are receiving, compared to here at home. According to
Choose My Plate, children should have 60 minutes or more of physical activity every day
(Choosemyplate, 2015). There is a biological explanation for why academic performance
and physical fitness are related. The time has come to change the amount of physical
activity our students are receiving on a daily basis, in order to improve test scores and
bring back essential subjects such as social studies, science, and art. This can start by
creating a fitness Health program in schools to pique student interest in health and fitness.
Literature Review
Because children and adolescents spend much of their time at school, the school
environment presents an excellent opportunity for youth to be physically active (Mahar,
2006). A study conducted in 2006 tested whether or not energizers helped students be
more on-task in the classroom. The study was executed during school hours on 243
students in third and fourth grade. The control group had 104 students who did not

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receive any energizers in the classroom and the other students received energizers in their
classroom daily. Researchers recorded these students on-task behavior throughout the
day to see if energizers really helped students stay on task. The results were telling when
comparing the two groups of students. The students who received the classroom-based
program (energizers) had on-task behavior that went up 8% between pre and post
energizer (Mahar, 2006). The study also found that the students who were least on-task
before the energizer went up by 20% after the energizer activity (Mahar, 2006). The
students who had this fitness program enacted into their classroom, also showed a
significant difference in the amount of steps they took at school when compared to the
control group who did not receive physical activity. The results were clear in stating that
students who received energizer breaks had higher rates of on-task behavior than those
who did not.
In another study done by Grissom, it was found that there is certainly a
connection between physical wellness and academic scores. Grissom had 884,715
students test their skill on the FITNESSGRAM test, which is a physical fitness test in
California (Grissom, 2005). Then he compared those scores to what the students received
on the Stanford Achievement Test. The Stanford Achievement Test is given to 5th, 7th, and
9th graders to see where they score on mathematics and reading (Grissom, 2005). The
results showed that students who scored higher on overall fitness also scored high in their
reading and math scores. This shows that physical fitness should be taught to the same
extent that reading and math is taught in schools. If you can raise the fitness scores of
students, you can raise academic scores as well. This study also showed that the positive
effects were seen higher in the female population than in the male one. It also showed

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that the positive effects were higher in students who were from a higher socio-economic
status than those students who were from a low socioeconomic status. That being said,
there was still a significant correlation with test scores and fitness scores in all socioeconomic groups.
In a similar study about academics and physical fitness, researchers studied public
school data from 2004-2005 to see if there was a correlation between academic success
and physical wellness. Academic achievement was based on how well students did on the
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System achievement tests in both math and
English. The physical wellness of students was based on the number of physical tests the
student could pass during the time period for PE. This included, an endurance
cardiovascular test, an abdominal strength test, a flexibility test, an upper body strength
test, and an agility test (Chomitz, 2009). The results revealed that the more fitness tests
that the students passed, the higher the odds were that those students would pass both the
English and Mathematics standardized tests. Although researchers are still trying to
understand why this result is happening, the fact remains that physical fitness does lead to
higher academic success.
A meta-analysis of 44 studies, both experimental and cross-sectional, found an
average effect size of 0.32, significantly greater than zero, for an enhancement of
cognition (Trudeau, 2009). This research study by Franois Trudeau and Roy Shephard,
reviewed the different studies conducted on the relationship between academic success
and school fitness. What they found was that there is positive result whenever physical
activity is introduced into the classroom. The positive effect seemed to be more profound
in elementary school students than those in the upper grades. Experimental studies

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believe that there are physiological influences that make academic success a likely
outcome (Trudeau, 2009). When students exercise, they increase their self-esteem and
feel more connected to their school in general (Trudeau, 2009).

Other experiments

studied the affect energizers had on classes when the academic subject time had to be
shortened in order to make time for physical activity. What the studies found were that
students who had less academic time had no decrease in their academic performance
despite the subject time being shortened (Trudeau, 2009). In other studies, it was found
that students who had less classroom time actually did better than those students who did
not get extra physical activity during the day. The studies overall conclusion was that
decreasing school curriculum time to provide time for physical activity resulted in
positive gains in learning.
The Childrens Sport Participation and Physical Activity study (CSPPA) was
conducted in 2009 by Dublin City University to see how active students are during their
school years. The study included 5,397 children, both primary and post-primary
participants, to research how physical education is met during the school years. The
primary students made up 24% of all the students studies while the remaining 76% were
post-primary. The information about students fitness was reported by having students
complete self-report surveys, qualitative interviews, and objective measures of physical
activity on 10-18 year olds by the researchers (Woods, 2009). What the study found was
that only 19% of children in the primary grades met the requirement of having a
minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity per day (Woods, 2009). For students who
were past the primary age group, it was discovered that only 12% of the students met the
60-minute minimum requirement of physical activity each day (Woods, 2009). The

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researchers then looked at these students attendance records to see if there was a
connection between the two. What the researchers found confirmed that physical activity
does affect a students learning capabilities to some degree. The study concluded that
students who are meeting the daily requirement of physical activity per day are more
likely to be in class and therefore receive more curriculum teaching. When students are
active and healthy, their body is better prepared to fight off illness and be in class more
days than those students who are inactive. Students who are active also have a lower
chance for overweight issues, which can result in higher self-confidence in and out of
school (Woods, 2009). This study also pointed out that girls are more likely to be
physically unfit than boys in both primary and post-primary grades. Considering that girls
are usually associated with self-confidence issues more often than males on social media,
it would benefit the female population greatly if girls were encouraged to reach the 60
minute minimum requirement per day where they can be physically active.
School Context
Shepherd Junior High is located in the Mesa school district and is open
enrollment for the public. Shepherd is a title 1 school in a suburban area that teaches 7th
and 8th grade students. The school has received an A rating and is currently in the process
of receiving an A+ rating by having the school inspected for the appropriate teaching
methods and environment. The state test scores for the AZ Merit were 42% proficiency in
mathematics and a 34% proficiency in English Language Arts.
The school does get some community involvement when they are recruiting new
students or showing off their current students at Show off Shepherd, which brings the
community together to see what the students have accomplished recently. The teachers

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are currently being challenged by the district to lose weight in order to inspire the
students to make healthier decisions along with their teachers.
The student body consists of 67% white, 23% Hispanic, and 3% African
American according to School Digger. As reported in School Digger, there is
approximately 42% of the student body on free or reduced lunch. The demographics of
the community are mostly white at 87% according to the United States Zip Codes
website.
Synthesis of Current Literature
Based off of the research, it is clear that there is a clear correlation between
physical activity and higher academic performance. Numbers do not lie, and all the
numbers show an increase in academic performance when the students are able to be
physically active for part of their class time. The research also proved that taking time
away from the content did not negatively impact the students academic performance.
This is a good sign for teachers at the junior high or high school levels.
There is a concern that time taken from the content, in order to incorporate a
physical activity, will hinder the teachers and students ability to give and retain the
information from the lesson. A teacher with this concern can be shown the research that
proves them to be wrong, and they can then experiment to see if indeed it does work in
their classroom. Students at the higher grades will not show the same results as those in
lower grades, but it is clear that physical activity can also be very helpful at the higher
grades.
Given that schools across the country are trying to determine how to raise test
scores, school officials should focus on the amount of physical activity first. There have

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been overwhelming changes to the way students learn over the past several years, due to
the poor ranking the United States is on a global scale. There is more of a focus on
reading, writing, and math, in order to combat the poor results our students are showing.
Instead of focusing much of the attention to those three areas, which takes away from
other subjects such as science, social studies, and art, the focus should be on physical
activity. If research proves that physical activity and academic achievement are related, it
is time to even the amount of focus for all classes, so that the United States will produce
well rounded students.
Practical Implications
In order for teachers to determine that physical activity improves their students
education, they will be shown the research that proves it. If for some reason they want the
research to be proven, teachers will have a plan for them to be able to notice a change in
their students. The teachers will be encouraged to keep a collaboration journal of their
students over the course of a week. The journal will allow the teachers to compare and
contrast the two weeks. During that first week, the teachers will not promote any type of
physical activity and they will monitor how their students are retaining information in
class with exit tickets. The following week, the teachers will incorporate physical
activities into their lessons and also give students exit tickets.
If the students show an improvement from one week to the next, it may convince
the teachers that incorporating physical activity does indeed work. The teachers who
experiment with physical activity may be able to convince other teachers in the school,
more so than student teachers. The most important person at the school to convince is the

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principal. If the principal can be shown the data collected, she may make it a school-wide
initiative.
To spread the word around the school, large posters along the walls would be a
great starting point. The posters would encourage the students to encourage their teachers
in every class to incorporate physical activity. If students start demanding time in class
for such activities, and if there is an improvement to the overall scores, there is no reason
for a teacher to be against this initiative. There are also tee shirts prepared to be
distributed to teachers who want to purchase. The shirts show a black and white picture
of a student sitting down, next to a picture of the same student, this time in a colored
picture, and the student at a standing desk. Above the pictures it says, Stand up for your
education. This shirt is meant to encourage the students to ask why standing at a desk is
important, and to also encourage the teachers to consider having standing desks in their
rooms. Of course purchasing standing desks is near to impossible, but it is not impossible
to encourage the students to give standing during class a try. If more and more students
start adopting some of the plans set for the school, it will become easier for the rest of the
student body and the teachers to get on board. Below is a series of topics that will further
promote physical activity in the classrooms.
Announcements:
During the week, the media department of the school produces video
announcements, which have students as the anchors. Video announcements are only made
on Tuesdays and Fridays, leaving the rest of the week for audio announcements. Teachers
will partner with the media department and have the students anchoring the news conduct
one specific exercise during their broadcast, which the students and teachers in class will

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need to follow. One day the students can do knee raises during the news and the next day
can do squats. If the teachers cannot or will not incorporate physical activity during their
lesson, then the students can get it out of the way at the beginning of class on Tuesdays
and Fridays.
Standup Mondays:
In order to emphasize the importance of standing up throughout the day, Mondays
will be designated as a standup day for the first period. Teachers will make it mandatory
for the students to stand up during the entire lesson during first period. To remind
students to encourage their teachers to be active, motivating posters will be hung around
the school as seen in Appendix B and D. This should encourage the students to stand up
more during their other classes. Teachers who purchased the standup shirts will be
encourage to wear them on Mondays.
Department Collaboration:
To promote academic achievement, it is important to incorporate physical fitness
into the classroom. At Shepherd Junior High, the student body consists of 7-8th graders.
The students are walking to class every hour of the school day and are therefore, getting
some exercise already. To make a bigger difference in the students physical activity
levels, the teachers are going to implement a subject specific collaboration time for
teachers. This collaboration time will be held every Tuesday before school to help
teachers talk to one another and gain ideas of how to incorporate physical activity into
every day content. For example, the science department teachers will talk to one another
and discuss what activity they can have the students do throughout the week to improve

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academic achievement scores. This means incorporating the required science standards
into the physical activity so that the students do not fall behind in their studies.
Late-Late Start Meeting:
Coming up, there is a scheduled late-late start where the faculty will meet in the
media center from 8:15-10:45. During this time, teachers will share their findings in their
collaboration journals, to determine how well the incorporation of physical activity is in
their classrooms. The goal of the meeting will be for the teachers who may have reserves
about incorporating physical activity, to hear from their colleagues how well the adoption
of our program has been. If there is a consensus amongst the teachers who are actively
participating that they notice a change in their classroom, the hold-outs may reconsider
their view of physical activity during lessons.
Assembly:
In the Heath program, there will be an assembly to conclude what students have
been learning about health and academic success. This assembly will be held in the gym
and all the students will be required to attend with their 5th period teachers. At this
assembly, there will be 10 students chosen from the crowd to participate in each event
hosted by the school faculty. Students will get the chance to compete in a two-legged
race, hula hooping contest, jump rope contest, and a relay race. The principal and
assistant principal will pick 10 different students for each race to compete in. The rest of
the students will be told to cheer for a specific color that represents a certain student.
Students who have disabilities will be allowed to participate by doing some sort of
physical activity that is equivalent to what the other students are doing. For example, if
the students are running and there is a child who is in a wheelchair, that student will go a

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slightly shorter distance in their wheelchair instead of the full race path. The crowd will
be in charge of cheering on their assigned person to win each contest. The students that
participate will get a physical activity shirt (Appendix C) to commemorate their
participation.
Newsletter:
An assigned teacher will start a club that will print out a newsletter on academic
fitness and why it is important for everyone to be active. This newsletter will have fun
facts and helpful tips for staying healthy for the students of the school. The students who
participate in the club will get a better understanding for the healthy content while
informing their peers at the same time. This newsletter will be given out every Friday
leading up to the academic assembly to every student on campus (reference Appendix A).
The newsletter will also ask questions related to health topics and encourage students to
send in their answers by offering a raffle to give away T-shirts (Appendix C) to two
random participants. This will encourage all students to participate in the schools Health
program, as well as get students excited for the upcoming assembly.

Conclusion
Studies show that students who are active daily tend to have higher academic scores
than those who are not. When students are physically fit, their test scores often reflect it.
In the Health program that was created, teachers will be incorporating health awareness
into everyday activities for students, both inside and outside the classroom. In order to get
students to achieve higher scores academically, the plan incorporates a fitness assembly
that will encourage students to get up and active while having fun. Posters will be hung

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around the school as positive encouragement for students to make the right decision when
it comes to exercising daily for 60 minutes. Teachers will wear their stand up shirts
weekly and incorporate physical activity into every lesson possible by collaborating with
their teaching peers. The change begins with the facultys enthusiasm for the topic that is
being taught: health.
Within a year, the Health program would have the faculty on board with the health
movement. Once the teachers believe in the cause, it is easy to transfer that passion to the
kids they teach. Shepherd Junior high will be the first school to implement this health
plan and it will hopefully become a change maker that influences other schools to follow
the same path within three years. If every school in Arizona incorporated a healthy, active
curriculum, then Arizona could boast the title of health teacher experts, instead of the
current title of, state with the lowest test scores. In five years time, this could become a
distinct possibility.

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References
How Much Physical Activity is Needed? (2015). Retrieved February 28, 2016,
from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/physical-activity-amount
Chomitz, V. R., Slining, M. M., McGowan, R. J., Mitchell, S. E., Dawson, G. F.,
& Hacker, K. A. (2009). Is there a relationship between physical fitness and academic
achievement? Positive results from public school children in the northeastern United
States. Journal of School Health, 79(1), 30-37.
Grissom, J. B. (2005). Physical fitness and academic achievement. Journal of
Exercise Physiology Online, 8(1), 11-25.
Mahar, M. T., Murphy, S. K., Rowe, D. A., Golden, J., Shields, A. T., & Raedeke,
T. D. (2006). Effects of a classroom-based program on physical activity and on-task
behavior. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 38(12), 2086.
SchoolDigger. (2016). Shepherd Junior high school. Retrieved from
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/AZ/schools/0497001376/school.aspx
Trudeau, F., & Shephard, R. J. (2009). Relationships of Physical Activity to Brain
Health and the Academic Performance of Schoolchildren. American Journal of Lifestyle
Medicine, 4(2), 138-150. Retrieved March 16, 2016, from
http://www.fmschools.org/webpages/twiniecki/files/Relationships of Physical Activity to
Brain Health and the Academic Performance of Schoolchildren.pdf
Woods, Catherine; Moyna, Niall; Quinlan, Aoileann; Tannehill, Deborah; Walsh,
Julia. (2009) The Childrens Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study (CSPPA
Study). Retrieved from

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http://www.getirelandactive.ie/Children/Resources/Research/Childrens%20Sport%20and
%20Physical%20Activity%20Study.pdf

Appendix A: Newsletter

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Assembly is on
5/24/16 Mark your
calendars

Activities Include:

jump rope Contest

Relay Races

NEWSLETTER
SHEPHERD
HEALTH 5/15

Hula Hoop Contest

It is a proven fact that physical activity helps students do

better in school. Eating breakfast is an important first step
in making sure you have the right amount of calories you
need to keep your brain firing throughout the day! The
cafeteria serves breakfast daily!

FREE T-SHIRT

And much more!

Did you know?

How many calories

should a teenager eat
a day?
Turn in your answer to

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Appendix B: Flier for Teachers

The More You Move,

The More You Learn!
Set aside at least 5 minutes a day for
physical activities. Research shows that
students learn more and score better on
their tests if they are more physically
active. Five minutes every period will go a
long way for their progress, and is a good
reflection of you as a teacher when scores
come out.
If you do not have enough time for this to
be done, we encourage you to take away
the chairs and turn the tables into
standing desks. Standing up while learning
keeps the blood flowing and will also allow
for more learning on the students end.
Keep an eye out for our posters around
school, encouraging students to ask
teachers for more time for physical
activities.
And ask about our Stand Up For Your
Education tee shirts. Available for $12

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Appendix C: T-Shirt for Teachers

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Appendix D: Bulleting Board for Students

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Signature Assignment Rubric

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Criteria
(5)
(4) Highly
with
Exemplary
Proficient
Professio (97 100%) (93 96%)
Signature
Assignment
nal
Standard
s
Referenc
ed
Outline
10 Points
Outline
Logical,
Brief outline
Turned
detailed
with at least
In(Alrea outline with 5 original
dy
at least 5
peer
submitte original peer reviewed
d for
reviewed
references
points)
references
written in
written in
APA format
APA format is submitted.
is submitted
with a
technology
choice
selected to
embed the
assignment.
5 x 2=10
points
Introduction
Introduct Introduction
ion to the is fully
topic and developed,
overview well
(In your
organized,
purpose
introduces
statemen all topics,
t also
created a
introduce plan for the
all
paper and
subtopics invites the
)
reader to
InTASC read further.
1c,k; 5k;
9f; 10h
5 x 2=10
NAEYC points
6b
NETS-T
3a,d; 4a,c
CEC
EC2S1;
CC7K1;
EC7K1;
CC9K4;
CC9S8
Literature Review
Adequac 1. Literature

10 Points
Introduction
is fully
developed
with all
topics
introduced.

15 Points
1. Literature

(3)
Proficient
(83 92%)

Brief outline
with some
references
but not 5
original peer
reviewed
references
written in
APA format
are
submitted.

(2)
(1)
Approaching Unsatisfactor
Proficient
y
(73 82%)
(72% 22
and below)

Brief outline
with one or
no
references
submitted.

No outline
was
submitted.

Introduction Introduction
is addressed is addressed
well,
adequately.
somewhat
organized
and created a
plan for the
paper.

Introduction
is omitted or
was
disorganized
and did not
create a plan
for the paper.

1. Literature

1. Literature

1. Literature

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