Each fall, schools throughout Connecticut take part in the Connecticut Physical Fitness Assessment Test. This test includes muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and cardiorespiratory strength and endurance tests. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, the students in our school and throughout the state typically perform poorly on the mile run.

To help encourage our students to perform a bit better on this test, the physical education department at our school has incorporated an interdisciplinary approach on mile run day.

Our entire middle school is set up in teams. Teams are bused (space is limited at our school) to the high school track to participate in the mile run portion of the state test. The run is conducted in the morning before all academic classes begin. Times are recorded and given to each academic teacher within the team (one team participates each day). Only physical education teachers see the names and times of each student's performance. The results given to the math, science, reading and social studies teachers are not named. These teachers only see gender, grade, and times.

The science class records resting pulse rate the day before the mile run to use later in their assignment. The rest of the academic teachers get the results without names when the students return from the track. When students go to english class, the teacher has the students write a descriptive essay, describing how their hearts and lungs felt during the test.

The math teacher charts and graphs the data from the mile run. They may plot the data using various graphs, etc. The science teacher investigates the relationship between resting heart rate taken the day before, versus mile time performances. In this case students must remember or be given their actually times.

The social studies teacher presents a lesson on the history of the marathon. The reading teacher engages students in a reading lesson on physical fitness and the Surgeon General's Physical Activity Report.

The day is promoted during the week leading up to the mile run section of the test. Music is played at the beginning and during the running. So far we have seen this program as a success.

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