Official Letter
Official Letter
Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:
California Physical Fitness Test
The California Department of Education (CDE) is providing local educational agencies (LEAs) information regarding the Physical Fitness Test (PFT).
2022–23 PFT Administration
There have been no changes from the 2021–22 PFT administration. LEAs must administer the PFT for school year 2022–23 between February 1 through May 31, 2023.For this testing period, the CDE readoption of emergency regulations can be found in Item 06 of the California State Board of Education Agenda for May 2022 web page and requires LEAs to administer the PFT to eligible students using only the five components (tests) listed below:
- Aerobic Capacity
- Abdominal Strength and Endurance
- Upper Body Strength and Endurance
- Trunk Extensor Strength and Flexibility
- Flexibility
Suspensions and Senate Bill 820
Executive Order N-56-20 suspended PFT testing for only school year 2019–20 to the novel coronavirus 2019 pandemic and associated school closures. Section 68, of Senate Bill 820 (Chapter 110, 2020), continued the suspension of the PFT for only school year 2020–21 and required the CDE to consult with experts and other interest holders, including, but not limited to, individuals with expertise in fitness, adapted physical education, gender identity, body image, and pupils with disabilities, in order to provide recommendations regarding the equitability and accessibility of the PFT. The full text of the bill is available on the California Legislative Information
web page.
The CDE is currently consulting with experts and other interest holders in order to provide recommendations regarding the purpose and administration of the PFT. Those recommendations will be included in the report submitted by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, the Department of Finance, and the California State Board of Education by November 1, 2022, as required by statute.
Body Composition
The Body Composition component and the Body Composition Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) will not be a part of the PFT for school year 2021–22. By eliminating the Body Composition component (including the collection of date of birth, sex, gender, height, weight, and/or body mass index), the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during exercise, or VO2 Max, cannot be calculated to estimate aerobic capacity. Therefore, the tests that measure aerobic capacity will be limited to the following:
- Time needed to complete the One-Mile Walk
- Time needed to complete the One-Mile Run
- Number of 20-meter laps completed using the PACER
2022–23 Reporting of Results
LEAs will not be required to report raw scores and HFZs for each component of the PFT to the CDE in 2022–23. Instead, LEAs will be required to submit participation results (by component and grade) as part of their annual School Accountability Report Card.
Physical Education Exemptions
Because HFZs will not be calculated, the two-year exemption (California Education Code Section51421[b][1]) is not available in 2022–23. However, the remaining physical education exemptions are available. Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about exemptions can be found on the Physical Education FAQ page.
Confidentiality
Before PFT administration for 2022–23 begins, LEAs and school sites should establish a process to maintain confidentiality and student data privacy. The following document is the latest resource, provided by the CDE, for maintaining confidentiality and student data privacy and can be found on the CDE California Physical Fitness Test – Appropriate Uses and Data Privacy web page.
If you have any questions regarding the PFT, please contact the CDE Physical Fitness Testing Office by phone at 916-445-2766 or by email at pft@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
/s/
Dr. Mao J. Vang, Director
Assessment Development and Administration Division
MV:si
cc: Local Educational Agency Physical Fitness Test Coordinators