View PDF

2 0 1 2 – 1 3 C a l i f o r n i a P h y s i c a l F i t n e s s T e s t ( P F T )
Section 2. Program Overview
This section provides new and experienced PFT coordinators with essential
background information needed to prepare for, understand, and carry out the
activities associated with the PFT. The PFT Calendar, which is found on the PFT
Resources page of the California PFT Web site at http://www.pftdata.org/, provides
a timeline for scheduling all of the activities described throughout this manual.
Section 2 also addresses the different resources available to support the PFT
administration activities and includes important information for charter schools.
FITNESSGRAM
By law (California Education Code [EC] Section 60800), all LEAs in California are
required to administer the PFT annually, February 1 through May 31, to students in
grades five, seven, and nine unless the LEA has a State Board of Education (SBE)
waiver to administer the PFT outside the designated testing window. The SBE
designated the FITNESSGRAM as the PFT for students in California public schools.
The primary goal of the FITNESSGRAM is to assist students in establishing lifetime
habits of regular physical activity.
Students in grades five, seven, and nine are required to take the PFT, whether
or not they are enrolled in a physical education class or participate in a block
schedule. LEAs should also test all grades five, seven, and nine students in
alternate programs, including, but not limited to, continuation schools, independent
study, community day schools, county community schools, and nonpublic schools.
Students who are physically unable to take the entire test battery are to be given as
much of the test as conditions permit (California EC Section 60800 and California
Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 1041).
The FITNESSGRAM is composed of the following six fitness areas, with a number
of test options provided for most areas:
Aerobic Capacity
• One-Mile Run
• PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run)
• Walk Test (only for ages 13 or older)
Body Composition
• Skinfold Measurements
• Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Bioelectric Impedance Analyzer
PFT Coordinator Manual 13 California Department of Education • November 2012