By the numbers, most Southwest County students are proving they can do enough sit-ups and pull-ups to meet the state's criteria for being "physically fit," according to data released Thursday by the California Department of Education.

Many local districts also bested their results from last year, too. The Lake Elsinore and Menifee school districts posted moderate gains on their fitness results. The Temecula school district showed significant increases on its scores. Only the Murrieta school district saw its results decrease compared to last year.

"They are not as good as they were last year, but still, on average, they are as good as they have been over the past three years," said Guy Romero, Murrieta Valley Unified School District's assistant superintendent of education. "There is always room for improvement."

The annual physical fitness test is given to all fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-graders. It assesses six major areas: aerobic capacity, percentage of body fat, abdominal strength, trunk strength, upper body strength and overall flexibility. The results released Thursday covered the 2006-07 school year. Although the same students are not tested every year -- only the same grades -- the state compares the results on an annual basis.

Statewide averages showed a 1.5 percent increase in fifth-grade students' scores, a 1.3 increase in seventh-grade students' scores, and a 2.7 percent gain in ninth-grade students' scores compared to last year's results, according to state officials.

In Southwest County, most school districts posted similar or better improvement. Lake Elsinore Unified School District's fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders earned better scores than last year in all assessment areas except two. The district saw very minor drops in its aerobic scores for seventh- and ninth-graders.

Overall, Lake Elsinore's students boosted their assessment scores by as little as 1 percent to as much as 10 percent compared to last year.

"We are very pleased with our results," said Alain Guevara, the district's director of assessment and accountability. "In a time of accountability with academics, it would be very easy to let physical education slide, but our P.E. teachers have taken the state's P.E. standards to heart."

The Menifee Union School District made gains in all but three categories: seventh-grade body composition, aerobics andflexibility. The rest of the assessments showed various gains of 1 percent to 9 percent compared to last year's results.

"Physical education is a priority," said Karen Valdes, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the kindergarten-through-eighth-grade district. "We are not just about academics and tests."

Valdes said research suggests that students who are physically fit and feel good about themselves perform better in life.

State officials say the test facilitates learning about physical activity and fitness concepts to increase the likelihood students will adopt lifelong patterns of physical activity.

The Temecula Valley Unified School District, which was criticized by some for instituting a strict nutritional policy last year -- in part to establish healthy eatinghabits among students -- posted huge gains, often by double-digits, in all 18 fitness categories. District spokeswoman Melanie Norton said officials are very pleased with the results.

"We attribute the improvements partially to the curtailing of unhealthy food and drinks offered on campus, but also to the amount of work our teachers are putting into teaching the physical education standards," she said. "It's really a combination of good nutrition and physical training that allows our students to continue making these great strides."

As for the Murrieta school district, which improved on five of its assessments but decreased its scores in all other categories, Romero saidofficials aretargeting schools that need improvement. ButRomero said that when officials compare results over longer stretches of time, and not just year by year, they find that the same percentage of students is posting similar scores as those in prior years.

Romero said many of the district's schools, especially the ones with running clubs, posted very high results on their aerobic assessments, considered the most important assessment by state officials.

Stats

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

The California Department of Education on Thursday announced the results of the annual physical fitness tests given to all fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-graders. A score in the HFZ, or Healthy Fitness Zone, reflects reasonable levels of fitness. A year-to-year comparison of the same students is unavailable.

TEMECULA VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

5th % in HFZ 7th % in HFZ 9th % in HFZ

06-07 v. 05-06 06-07 v. 05-06 06-07 v. 05-06

Aerobic: 84.2% - 68.9% (+15.3%) 73.4% - 69.0% (+4.4%) 77.1% - 64.5% (+12.6%)

Body comp: 78.5% - 72.9% (+5.6%) 78.7% - 76.8% (+1.9%) 78.1% - 74.0% (+4.1%)

Abs: 93.5% - 82.2% (+11.3%) 90.7% - 89.7% (+1.0%) 94.2% - 90.8% (+3.4%)

Trunk: 96.9% - 92.0% (+4.9%) 97.4% - 92.8% (+4.6%) 96.6% - 89.8% (+6.8%)

Upper Body: 82.3% - 68.8% (+13.5%) 85.8% - 79.0% (+6.8%) 90.4% - 78.6% (+11.8%)

Flexibility: 77.4% - 74.7% (+2.7%) 81.6% - 78.1% (+3.5%) 82.5% - 74.4% (+8.1%)

MURRIETA VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

5th % in HFZ 7th % in HFZ 9th % in HFZ

06-07 v. 05-06 06-07 v. 05-06 06-07 v. 05-06

Aerobic: 78.3% - 79.4% (-1.1%) 73.8% - 77.4% (-3.6%) 71.2% - 69.5% (+1.7%)

Body comp: 73.8% - 77.5% (-3.7%) 75.0% - 76.3% (-1.3%) 70.8% - 73.4% (-2.6%)

Abs: 85.2% - 90.9% (-5.7%) 91.2% - 91.1% (+0.1%) 89.0% - 94.2% (-5.2%)

Trunk: 79.3% - 84.6% (-5.3%) 96.4% - 96.2% (+0.2%) 86.0% - 94.4% (-8.4%)

Upper Body: 84.1% - 75.9% (+8.2%) 88.1% - 92.0% (-3.9%) 78.1% - 82.1% (-4.0%)

Flexibility: 75.1% - 60.9% (+14.2%) 81.3% - 82.7% (-1.4%) 75.1% - 76.7% (-1.6%)

LAKE ELSINORE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

5th % in HFZ 7th % in HFZ 9th % in HFZ

06-07 v. 05-06 06-07 v. 05-06 06-07 v. 05-06

Aerobic: 59.1% - 56.0% (+3.1%) 58.3% - 59.5% (-1.2%) 48.2% - 48.9% (-0.7%)

Body comp: 70.2% - 68.9% (+1.3%) 70.2% - 65.5% (+4.7%) 69.5% - 63.3% (+6.2%)

Abs: 83.1% - 82.9% (+0.2%) 88.5% - 86.3% (+2.2%) 83.8% - 82.8% (+1.0%)

Trunk: 91.0% - 88.9% (+2.1%) 95.8% - 93.3% (+2.5%) 91.8% - 82.4% (+9.4%)

Upper Body: 70.4% - 66.6% (+3.8%) 77.4% - 76.3% (+1.1%) 77.3% - 70.9% (+6.4%)

Flexibility: 70.4% - 60.4% (+10%) 81.1% - 79.3% (+1.8%) 88.9% - 75.9% (+13%)

MENIFEE UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT

5th % in HFZ 7th % in HFZ

06-07 v. 05-06 06-07 v. 05-06

Aerobic: 68.9% - 67.8% (+1.1%) 81.3% - 82.7% (-1.4%)

Body comp: 72.9% - 69.9% (+3.0%) 75.3% - 79.9% (-4.6%)

Abs: not available not available

Trunk: 90.0% - 87.9% (+2.1%) 98.3% - 94.2% (+4.1%)

Upper Body: 79.4% - 74.0% (+5.4%) 82.6% - 81.1% (+1.5%)

Flexibility: 78.7% - 69.2% (+9.5%) 83.2% - 84.2% (-1.0%)

Physical Fitness Tasks:

Aerobic capacity: One Mile Walk/Run. The objective is to walk and/or run a mile at the fastest pace possible.

Body composition: Body composition results provide an estimate of the percent of a studentís weight that is fat in contrast to the "fat-free" body mass made up of muscles, bones and organs.

Abdominal strength and endurance: Curl-up Test. The objective of this test is to complete as many curl-ups as possible, up to a maximum of 75, at a specified pace.

Trunk extensor and flexibility: Trunk Lift. The objective of this test is to lift the upper body 12 inches off the floor using the muscles of the back and to hold the position to allow for the measurement.

Upper body strength and endurance: Push-up. The objective of this test is to complete as many push-ups as possible. Pull-up. The objective of this test is to correctly complete as many pull-ups as possible. Flexed Arm Hang. The objective of this test is to hang with the chin above a bar as long as possible.

Overall flexibility: Back Saver Sit and Reach. The student should be able to reach a specified distance while sitting at a sit-and-reach box. Both the right and left side of the body are measured. Shoulder Stretch. The student should be able to touch the fingertips together behind the back by reaching over the shoulder and under the elbow.

SOURCE: California Department of Education