Fitness Skills

Some people have less-than-fond memories of fitness testing because of inappropriate practices. Negative physical education experiences may have turned some people off physical activity. The role of physical education is to help children and youth develop skills, to inspire them to act and to build a sense of competence that can be applied to other areas of life. For these reasons, the ABC (Aerobic, Balance, Core) Fit assessment structure is designed to foster a positive and challenging environment that inspires children and youth to be aware of and interested in their fitness levels while taking steps to engage in a lifetime of play, activity, and exercise.

ABC Fit in Passport for Life consists of the following components and assessments:

Please follow the Printable Guides tab at the top of this page for a downloadable and printable PDF version of the assessment instructions.

Custom Recording Forms pre-populated with your students' names can be downloaded and printed by selecting Recording Forms in the class section of the Teacher Dashboard.

Instructional Guidelines  

• The educational goal of fitness assessment is to provide useful, motivating and confidential information to each student about his or her fitness status and how it relates to various indicators of health and well-being (like physical activity habits). 
• Emphasize that the assessments are tools to affirm student‘s awareness of personal achievement, progress and potential areas of their fitness that might need more attention (improvement). 
• Wherever possible, minimize social (peer) comparisons and student anxiety. 
• Be student-centred and developmentally appropriate.
• Promote learning and a positive attitude toward being physically active.
• Create a positive and meaningful experience.
• Implement protocols that ensure the physical and emotional safety of all students.
•  Ensure that your students are wearing appropriate footwear and attire.
• Ensure a safe environment (e.g., remove clutter, stray balls and other potentially unsafe environmental features).
• Ideally, conduct these activities in a flat open space, such as a gymnasium or multi-purpose room. It is also possible to do these activities outside. 
• ABC Fit is designed to be done with three observers. Each observer assesses one-third of the class so that the entire class can perform the assessment concurrently. In this way, ABC Fit can be completed within 30 minutes. If three teachers are not available, older students or parents may be used as observers. Or, if this is not possible, ABC Fit could be done by one observer, but it will take more time.
• Once the class is in the gymnasium, remind students of the purpose of the assessment, then give a quick demonstration of the three activities beginning with the Plank, followed by the Lateral Bound and finally the Four-Station Circuit. Discuss the indicators of fatigue for each assessment with your class.
• Each of the skills to be assessed must be performed by each student individually. Therefore, while you conduct the assessments, it is recommended that you have the other students in the class engaged in other appropriate physical activity. Depending on your class, it may be necessary to get supervision help from other staff or a responsible volunteer to ensure safety.
• Try to make sure that the student being assessed is not watched by the other students. Being watched tends to increase social comparisons and anxiety in the participants.
• Interpret scores accurately and sensitively.
• Base success criteria on Assessment Rubrics.
• Provide individualized scores and feedback for improvement.

Video Demonstrations

The video clips and descriptions of the Fitness Skills assessments will help ensure proper set-up of each task. Click on the different videos to view short demonstrations of each of the three assessments. 

Balance/Dynamic Stability

Core Strength

Cardiovascular Endurance