Strategies for improving PACER scores
While the PACER test is not a perfect way to test overall fitness and health, it is a good indicator of cardiovascular endurance. In my district, the views on how physical education should be assessed every couple years, depending on who’s the head of the department. During my student teaching and first year teaching, we did not do any fitness testing. Last year, the district decided to put more of an emphasis on the PACER test specifically. The students have to be assessed four times a year, and tracked from 3rd grade to 5th grade using an online spreadsheet. This allows us and other schools to see our progress from quarter to quarter and year to year.
Our first couple times testing the students did not go as well as we hoped. Most of our students had never ran a PACER test. There was confusion on the process during the test itself, students struggled pacing themselves, and our students overall cardiovascular endurance was low. After our second quarter test, my co-teacher and I decided we needed to implement some strategies to boost our scores.
Strategy #1- PACER(ish) Warm-ups
During our 45 minute class, we always open with a 5-8 minute warm-up prior to our main activity. Our goal was to come up with new ways to practice for the PACER as our warm-up. Below are three PACER specific warm-ups that we use.
Standard PACER Practice
- Whole class runs together, 15 meter distance, side to side in gym
- Run a total of 20 laps
- If students don’t make the line, they keep jogging/walking until 20 they reach 20 laps
“Happy” PACER Practice
- Students run at 15 meter distance
- Play song “Happy” by Pharrell
- When the song begins, students perform jumping jacks
- During the chorus, students run across gym each time the song says “Because I’m Happy”
3 Person Run
- 15 meter distance
- Divide students into groups of three
- 2 students start on 1 side, 1 student on the other
- Students run in the order shown on the diagram. 1 runs and high-fives 2. 2 runs and high-fives 3. 3 runs and high-fives 1, and so on.
- Continue for 6-8 minutes. Challenge students to see how many high-fives they can get in the allotted time.
Test Improvements
Dynamic Movement
Prior to the test, we run our students through a 3 minute dynamic movement routine. This includes jogging, butterfly kicks, Frankenstein kicks, lunges, etc. Getting the students warmed up before strenuous activity is critical, and something that we had not done before.
Energizing Music
The standard PACER music is boring! I came across a post from Zack Kauffman on Twitter, promoting his Hip Hop PACER videos on YouTube. These are fantastic. Zack uses popular upbeat songs that the kids will recognize. Plus, the fact that music helps improve athletic performance has been scientifically supported.
Using these strategies, we have seen incredible gains in our average PACER scores over the last year and a half. I encourage you to employ some of these strategies in your class room, to see if you have similar results. Comment below with other PACER improvement strategies that you use, or hope to use in the future.
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