Texas just added a new exam to its curriculum—a fitness test for
all students in grades 3-12. The Dallas Morning News reported
that starting next year, students will be measured on aerobic
endurance, body fat, flexibility, and muscle strength. To pass,
students must score better than seven out of 10 peers in their
age and sex group. Students who fail, however, will not be
penalized. Texas education officials say the test results will
help guide state research into possible links among physical
health and student achievement, school attendance, and
discipline problems. In many schools across the country, PE has
taken a back seat to such academic subjects as reading, math,
and science. But as more and more children nationwide are
identified as overweight or obese, Texas will bring PE more to
the forefront and will become the first state to comprehensively
gauge students’ physical health. The first round of tests will
be next spring. We’ll have to wait and see what the final score
is, and whether other states wi