PHYSICAL FITNESS LAGS AT LAUSD.

Byline: Jennifer Radcliffe Staff Writer

Few students in Los Angeles Unified get adequate physical education instruction, and more than half of high school freshmen didn't even take a state-mandated fitness test, says the first-ever audit of the district's P.E. program.

The nation's second-largest school district failed to meet seven of the eight requirements in a recent California Department of Education Coordinated Compliance Review released Thursday by the district.

And the only standard it met was for making state Fitnessgram results available to the public.

``It's pretty dismal, but it shouldn't be a surprise,'' said Chad Fenwick, the district's physical education adviser.

With the number of obese and diabetic children at record levels, district leaders said they need to make physical education a priority. They see that as part of an eight-year, $50 million plan to reduce class size, train teachers and improve facilities.

That plan, written in 2002, will be the backbone of the response that LAUSD must submit to the state by April 4 to resolve issues of noncompliance.

Educators said a renewed emphasis on physical fitness would be welcomed. Physically fit students have higher test scores, fewer discipline problems and stronger attendance records, according to national studies.

``Teachers are hungry for resources, materials, supplies and professional development on how to do P.E.,'' said Judith Perez, a representative with United Teachers Los Angeles, the teachers' union. ``It's not being taught very much, as the report indicates.''

Los Angeles Unified already has taken effort to combat students' health problems, adopting progressive nutritional policies that ban soda and junk food from being sold on campus.

A recent University of North Carolina study indicates that the lack of exercise is to blame for the 10 percent jump in obesity among teens from 1980 to 2000. During that span, calories eaten increased just 1 percent, but physical activity dropped 13 percent, the study says.

Los Angeles school board member Marlene Canter said she hopes these audit results serve as a wake-up call.

``I'm glad it was included,'' she said. ``I look at it as an opportunity for the district and the superintendent to relook at P.E. and the impact P.E. has ... on our students' achievement.''

For their report, state auditors studied district records and six LAUSD schools, including Birmingham High School, Holmes Middle School and Langdon Elementary, in February.

Educators said one of the most worrisome findings was that 24,000 of LAUSD's 44,000 freshmen weren't given the California physical fitness test - required annually of every fifth-, seventh- and ninth-grader in the state.

The low-participation rate is inexcusable, Fenwick said, since the district has a four-month window to administer the test.

``We shouldn't miss anybody. Physical education should be looked at as just as important as the Stanford 9. If a child misses that test, we hunt them down,'' he said.

The Coordinated Compliance Review said that very few elementary students were getting the 200 minutes every 10 school days of physical education instruction that the law requires. Most secondary schools are also failing to provide the 400 minutes of instruction required every 10 days.

LAUSD is also failing to provide high school students who have completed their two years of physical education with active electives, such as dance, soccer or tennis. They also too frequently substitute classes like marching band or ROTC for required P.E, the state study showed.

Jennifer Radcliffe, [phone]

jennifer.radcliffe(at)dailynews.com