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