Athletics & Fitness
Public Schools Athletic League
The mission of the Public Schools Athletic League is to provide opportunities for educating students in physical fitness, character development and socialization skills through an athletic program that fosters teamwork, discipline and sportsmanship.
C.H.A.M.P.S. Middle School Sports & Fitness
The goal of the C.H.A.M.P.S. Middle School Sports & Fitness program is to improve student fitness levels and overall health by increasing opportunities for children to engage in physical activity, regardless of athletic ability. The program promotes health-related fitness through a mix of several after-school and before-school activities including traditional sports, non-traditional sports, and fitness activities. The ultimate goal is for students to grow to be C.H.A.M.P.S. — Cooperative, Healthy, Active, Motivated, Positive Students — for life.
Fitness & Physical Education

Welcome to the Office of Fitness and Physical Education! We are committed to supporting our students’ physical health and academic success by providing a wide range of opportunities for students to be physically active and to learn about health-related fitness.

Our vision is for all of our young people to be C.H.A.M.P.S.: Cooperative, Healthy, Active, Motivated, Positive Students – for life! Our initiatives mark the system-wide renaissance of physical education instruction, K-12, focusing on the implementation of a health-related fitness education curriculum; integration of a standardized fitness assessment tool (drawn from decades of research and designed specifically for New York City public school students); and development of a co-curricular physical activity program for adolescents, the C.H.A.M.P.S. Middle School Sports and Fitness League.

A 2003 study by the New York City Department of Education and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed that New York City is not immune to a dangerous, national trend: nearly half of all of our public elementary school students are overweight or obese, and one in five kindergarten students enters our school system already clinically obese. Regular physical activity, combined with healthy eating, is among the best strategies for preventing and combating childhood obesity, diabetes, and other obesity-related illness. Furthermore, a 2001 study from the California Department of Education identified a direct correlation between students’ performance on literacy and math tests, and their performance on measures of physical fitness.

The Office of Fitness and Physical Education aspires to support all students in developing the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors to enjoy a lifetime of physical activity. Our goal is to help students to make the connection between good health, physical activity, personal achievement, and quality of life; we also hope to encourage students to take action to support their own lifelong mental, emotional, and social wellness, and that of their friends and families.

Lori Rose Benson, Director
Department of Fitness and Physical Education







  • Fitness Gram
    NYC FITNESSGRAM Assessment

    Originally developed by the Cooper Institute of Aerobic Research, FITNESSGRAM supports students in learning about and measuring components of health-related fitness: aerobic endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition. The FITNESSGRAM assessment, which produces reports for students and for parents, is designed specifically to work in conjunction with the Physical Best curriculum.

    In 2005, the New York City Department of Education licensed the formulas and messages that were used to develop FITNESSGRAM from the Cooper Institute and Human Kinetics, publishers of the Physical Best curriculum. Via ongoing focus groups with New York City teachers, parents, medical providers, students, and physical education professionals, the Office of Fitness and Physical Education and the Division of Informational and Instructional Technology (DIIT) have developed NYC FITNESSGRAM, a new, web-based version of the FITNESSGRAM software designed specifically to meet the needs of New York City public school students and teachers. The new NYC FITNESSGRAM software was piloted in select schools during the 2005-2006 school year, and resulted in individual health-related fitness reports for over 235,000 students and their families in those schools.

    The NYC FITNESSGRAM test report summarizes each student's performance on fitness assessments and suggests ways to help them to reach the "Healthy Fitness Zone" (optimal performance for better health based on their age and gender). Unlike many traditional fitness assessments, students who participate in NYC FITNESSGRAM are measured based on individual performance and personal improvement, and are not judged against each other or a standardized norm. NYC FITNESSGRAM supports teachers and students in effectively setting and managing personal and collective fitness goals.

    Additional information about the original FITNESSGRAM can be found on the Cooper Institute website at: http://www.cooperinst.org/ftgrefintro.asp