Alabama's public school students are taking part in a new physical fitness assessment this year, replacing a series of tests that had not been updated since their parents were in school.
Citing a need to refocus on the fitness of the state's children, the new Alabama Physical Fitness Assessment rolled out this fall in public schools. The tests are required for all students in grades 2 through 12 and replace the old President's Challenge Fitness Test, which was adopted in 1984.
The assessment has been in the works since 2010, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded grant money to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.