PACER Decision for a Student With Asthma
Ms. Chen’s 9th-grade PE class has 28 students. The district requires a fall fitness test including the PACER. One student, J., has asthma and a 504 plan allowing modified physical activity; J.’s BMI is above the 95th percentile, and J. reports being teased during fitness testing last year. J. asks to sit out the PACER. The gym has a sound system but no track; the PACER will run in a 20 m indoor space with a hard floor. Another student has a knee brace and is cleared for low-impact activity only. Ms. Chen has 35 minutes and two paraprofessionals for the class. The principal expects fitness scores submitted for all students by Friday. Ms. Chen wants J. to participate meaningfully without a medical excuse, and she wants the scores to be defensible.
1. Should Ms. Chen simply excuse J. from the PACER? Design the most appropriate assessment option and state what must be documented. Justify your decision using the 504 plan, test validity, and safety.
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A blanket excuse is not the best first step because the 504 plan calls for modification, not exclusion, and the district wants fitness data. A maximal PACER is a poor fit for J.: it is a symptom-limited maximal test that can trigger exercise-induced bronchospasm, and a score obtained during an asthma flare would not be a valid measure of aerobic fitness. Ms. Chen should use a modified protocol, such as a 10 m shuttle at a self-selected walk/jog pace for 3 minutes with a perceived exertion target of 5–6/10, or a 6-minute walk test. J.’s inhaler must be available, and J should report symptoms before, during, and after. The score should be submitted as “participated with modified protocol,” not as a norm-referenced PACER score. Documentation should include the 504 accommodation, the modification, symptoms, medication access, and the reason a standard score was not used. This protects safety and keeps the data honest.
2. Describe how Ms. Chen should administer the PACER to the rest of the class, including the student with the knee brace, so that scores are as valid as possible within 35 minutes.
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Set two 20 m lines with cones, run the audio through the gym system, and practice one minute of turning so students learn to pivot rather than stop. Test in groups of 6–8, not all 28 at once; this reduces collisions and lets paraprofessionals monitor form and distress. Each group has a lane, and students stop when they cannot reach the line on the beep; record the last completed stage, not just total shuttles. For the student with the knee brace, use the clearance to choose a low-impact alternative such as a step test or arm ergometer; if the PACER is used, permit a self-paced shuttle and stop at any pain. Validity depends on maximal effort and standardized pacing, but safety and the medical restriction override a perfect standardization. Have a paraprofessional check the sound cue at the far line, keep water available, and stop any student showing dizziness or wheezing.
3. Explain two specific strategies to reduce teasing and improve motivational climate during fitness testing, and explain why each is likely to improve both J.’s participation and the quality of the class data.
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First, make scores private: students record on individual cards and compare only with their own previous scores, not with classmates. This removes the public audience that fueled last year’s teasing and lowers evaluation anxiety. Second, teach and enforce a mastery-focused norm: before testing, rehearse comments such as “nice pace” and “keep going,” and immediately address any teasing with a brief private consequence and a restorative conversation. Publicly praise effort and improvement, not high scores. These strategies matter because teasing can cause avoidance and poor effort, which produce invalid fitness data; a mastery climate increases willingness to try and makes scores more representative of actual capacity. Ms. Chen should also give J. a choice of modified test and a private testing area if J prefers, while still including J in the class warm-up. The goal is a safe, defensible estimate of fitness, not a public competition.