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Lynchburg City Schools reports major gains in student fitness after PE reforms
Summary
After standardizing assessments, reinstating dress-out requirements and increasing teacher collaboration, Lynchburg City Schools reported year-over-year gains on the state wellness-related fitness survey across most grade levels.
Lynchburg City Schools officials reported substantial year-over-year improvements in student fitness after a division-wide effort to standardize physical education instruction and assessments.
Dr. Wortaker, who presented the results at the June 17 board meeting, said the division used a common assessment schedule and a shared assessment guide for physical education that produced “dramatic changes” in performance: “We have made substantial gains in our physical fitness and the results our students are showing because of the really, really high quality instruction that's going on,” he said.
Wortaker told the board the wellness-related fitness survey — the state-comparison instrument the division reports — showed Lynchburg moved from being below the statewide average in nearly every category to meeting or exceeding the statewide pass rate in 12 of 15 measured areas. He said 14 of 15 areas showed measurable gains from the prior year.
The division identified several causes and remedies. After COVID-era practice reduced participation, Lynchburg reinstated a requirement that secondary students “dress out” for PE. Teachers developed a common warm-up routine and an exercise bank, standardized assessment protocols and an assessment calendar (pre-, mid- and end-of-year). Professional learning days in August and later in the year brought elementary and secondary PE teachers together to use a “backwards design” process to align instruction to standards and assessments.
Wortaker said the effort required little new funding because teachers led the work: “This is not a new program. We didn't spend any money to do any of this work. We just really relied on our teachers to come together to figure out how can we improve instruction as the professionals that they are.”
Board members asked several operational questions. Doctor Day pointed to one middle-school aerobic measure that declined; Wortaker attributed that to student engagement and said teachers would examine that grade band. Board members also asked about leadership and continuity; staff confirmed a posted coordinator position to oversee health, PE, arts and extracurriculars so the work would continue under new central-office leadership.
Planned next steps include teacher-led professional learning for 2025–26, a standard family-life curriculum at middle school (with elementary/high school work ongoing), and implementation of WellNet software to track assessment data more efficiently and by demographic groups.
Presenters said outcomes included more students engaged in PE, fewer behavioral incidents during class, improved teacher collaboration and substantial gains on the wellness-related fitness survey.
