Maximizing the benefits of data collection and analysis with Fitnessgram

Fitnessgram software provides you with powerful tools for collecting and analyzing fitness assessment data. But it's important to keep in mind the educational objectives of Fitnessgram. The following checklist, based on information found on pages 10-11 of the Fitnessgram/Activitygram Test Administration Manual, Fourth Edition, identifies ways that Fitnessgram assessments should and should not be used.

Appropriate uses of Fitnessgram

• Goal setting
• Fitness education
• Providing feedback to students and parents via the reports
• Helping students track fitness results over time
• Documenting that assessments are being administered
• Institutional testing allowing teachers to view group data for curriculum development

Inappropriate uses of Fitnessgram

• Using student scores to evaluate or grade students—either the raw score or as a percentage of improvement
• Posting students' individual Fitnessgram scores (in keeping with the HELP philosophy, these are considered personal and should not be made public)
• Student scores should not be used to evaluate teacher effectiveness
• Student scores should not be used as a sole measure to evaluate overall physical education quality

Fitnessgram software provides the means to collect fitness data for classes, schools, districts, and even statewide data. But the data is only as valuable as you make it through carefully planning based on the following criteria.

Data collection factors to consider 

1. What are your objectives for collecting the data?
2. What happens once the data is collected?
3. How will the data be interpreted and used?
   1. Motivating and training teachers?
   2. Motivating students?
   3. Comparing fitness data to other student data, such as absenteeism or academic performance?
   4. Teacher or school accountability—see "Inappropriate uses" above!
4. Who will use the data?
   1. Teachers
   2. PE dept heads/district coordinators
   3. Administrators
   4. State level stakeholders
5. What do administrators see in their school or district data?
6. How can teachers use the data to improve instruction?
7. How can teachers help students to self-test, set goals, be physically active, and reach the Healthy Fitness Zone standards?
8. What are the ongoing plans for using the data beyond the first year?

Effective planning with regard to the use of Fitnessgram test data also depends on having a good understanding of the capabilities of the software, which are summarized below.

Fitnessgram software data analysis and reporting capabilities

1. From the software , you can create statistical reports for teacher, school, and district levels
2. From the software, a new export provides Healthy Fitness Zone data for raw scores and by fitness component
3. New web-based Fitnessgram 9, state/large metro version makes wide-scale data collection and analysis much easier
4. It's possible to compare data to existing student information collected at the local and state levels:
   1. Academic achievement (the most requested)
   2. Student discipline
   3. Student absenteeism
   4. Ethnicity
   5. Student health profiles