A Rigorous Evaluation of the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Education Outcomes

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Physical Activity
• Interventions: Behavioral: Intervention Arm

• Registration Number: NCT03765047
• Lead Sponsor: Emory University

Brief Summary

The study is a prospective study to examine the impact of a school-based physical activity intervention on fourth and fifth grade elementary students' academic achievement, as measured by standardized test scores.

Detailed Description

Serving more than 95% of US children ages 5-17, the school environment is a valuable setting to engage students in Physical Activity (PA) through the day, but is limited when physical education programs have insufficient curricular, time, financial and staffing allocations. A growing body of research supports the premise that interventions focused on increasing physical activity in schools may be more successful if supported by evidence that increased PA improves academic achievement, that is the clear priority for limited school time and resources.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a school-based physical activity intervention on fourth and fifth grade elementary students' academic achievement, as measured by standardized test scores. Baseline information about current physical activity practices will be collected. Schools will receive ongoing in-person and virtual training, and schools will be provided physical activity equipment, resources, and teaching aids. Student accelerometer data will allow for monitoring of physical activity levels. This study seeks to address gaps in the literature by studying the efficacy of a well-established intervention that has been shown to impact school physical activities practices, and shows promise of efficacy for improving student education outcomes.

Basic Information
|
Recruitment & Eligibility
|
Study & Design
|
Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2018-08-06
• Study First Submitted: 2018-12-03
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-12-04
• Study First Posted: 2018-12-05
• Primary Completion: 2020-06-19
• Study Completion: 2020-06-19
• Status Verified: 2020-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-07-10
• Last Update Posted: 2020-07-14

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 4968

Inclusion Criteria

• 4th grade students from the elementary schools in the Gwinnett County district

Read More

Exclusion Criteria

• None

Read More

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Intervention Arm	Intervention Arm	This study arm includes the schools where the School Team (school teachers, coordinator) receives the physical activity intervention. The intervention consists of four parts: 1. School Engagement and Assessment 2. Training 3. Physical Activity Equipment and Resources 4. Ongoing Assessment and Technical Assistance

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in the Georgia Milestones standardized test scores in math	Up to 2 years	The Georgia Milestones comprehensive summative assessment is administered annually in the spring for students in grades 3 to 8. The test was first used in Spring 2015 and is the best objective universal indicator of students' academic performance in Georgia. Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The tests are scored with four achievement levels. Level 1: Beginning Learner, Level 2: Developing Learner, Level 3: Proficient Learner, and Level 4: Distinguished Learner. For grade 3 the scores for the different levels of math are 290-474, 475-524, 525-579, and 580-705; for grade 4, 270-474, 475-524, 525-584, and 580-715; for grade 5, 265-474, 475-524, 525-579, and 580-725, respectively. The scores from the 3rd grade (pre-intervention) are compared to scores at the end of 4th and 5th grades.
Change in the Georgia Milestones standardized test scores in reading	Up to 2 years	The Georgia Milestones comprehensive summative assessment is administered annually in the spring for students in grades 3 to 8. The test was first used in Spring 2015 and is the best objective universal indicator of students' academic performance in Georgia. Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.The tests are scored with 4 achievement levels. Level 1: Beginning Learner, Level 2: Developing Learner, Level 3: Proficient Learner, and Level 4: Distinguished Learner. For grade 3 the scores for the different levels for reading are 180-474, 475-524, 525-580, and 581-830; for grade 4, 210-474, 475-524, 525-573, and 574-775; for grade 5, 210-474, 475-524, 525-586, and 587-760, respectively. The scores from the 3rd grade assessment (pre-intervention) are compared to scores at the end of 4th and 5th grades.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in the Lexile/reading level for language arts	Up to 2 years	Lexile Level is a popular method used by schools to measure a student reader's ability. It serves two unique functions: it is a measure of how difficult a text is, and a measurement of a student's reading ability level. A student receives his or her Lexile measure by taking a school-administered Scholastic Reading Inventory test, which is specifically designed to measure Lexile or reading ability, or by taking a standardized reading test which converts the reader's results to a Lexile measure. The normal Scholastic Guided Reading Lexile ranges for 3rd grade are 100-1120, 180-1280 for 4th grade, and 330-1280 for 5th grade.
Change in the class grades for reading	Up to 2 years	Class grades are calculated from the reading tests administered during the school year. The class grades for reading from 3rd grade are compared to 4th and 5th grades, and class reading grades are also compared between the students in the intervention arm and control arm.
Change in the class grades for math	Up to 2 years	Class grades are calculated from the math tests administered during the school year. The class math grades from 3rd grade are compared to 4th and 5th grades, and math grades are also compared between the students in the intervention arm and control arm.
Number of Disciplinary Referrals	Up to 2 years	Disciplinary referrals collected by teachers (including information regarding incident date, incident type, action taken, rule number broken, and discipline code) will be compared between grade levels and also compared between the students in the intervention arm and control arm.
Number of days of absence	Up to 2 years	The number of days that students were absent from school during the academic year will be collected from school records and compared between grade levels and also compared between the students in the intervention arm and control arm.
Number of days a student was tardy to the school	Up to 2 years	The number of days that students were tardy to school during the academic year will be collected from school records and compared between grade levels and also compared between the students in the intervention arm and control arm.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Gwinnett County Elementary Schools; 🇺🇸 Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States