| The ProblemTeachers, students, and parents at | | | | have decided to handle gym in this way, |
| Long Island schools have been struggling with | | | | hoping to please groups on both sides while |
| how to give credit for physical education | | | | addressing the needs of students.The |
| classes. On the one hand, many argue that | | | | ProcessMany of the changes were suggested by |
| counting gym like an academic class can badly | | | | parents who signed petitions to allow |
| affect the GPA of students who are strong | | | | physical education to be counted on GPAs |
| academically but do not do well in gym. On | | | | instead of as a pass / fail mark as it had |
| the other hand, others argue that when | | | | been in the past. The superintendent and the |
| students know that the gym class does not | | | | school boards of Long Island schools met to |
| affect their GPA they do not put the effort | | | | consider the proposals from parents to figure |
| and attention into the class in order to | | | | out how to make the physical education |
| improve their physical health.Long Island | | | | curriculum the most effective for students as |
| Schools have decided to strike a middle | | | | well as the most standardized in grading.In |
| ground and allow students to choose whether | | | | addition to parental concern, there was also |
| they want it to count or not. The decision | | | | intense scrutiny of the new New York State |
| only applies to current sixth through ninth | | | | Standards for Physical Education. The |
| graders so it will not affect current | | | | argument here is that the new standards have |
| graduating high school students. 24 of the | | | | clear aims and objectives that can be |
| 60 schools in the Suffolk County district | | | | measured and graded like an academic class. |