Development of Criterion-Referenced Standards for Musculoskeletal Fitness in Youth: Considerations and Approaches by the FitnessGram Scientific Advisory Board

The FitnessGram program has prioritized the use of evidence-based, criterion-referenced standards to advance health-related fitness assessments in physical education. The Institute of Medicine (IOM)¹ highlighted the importance of strength and power for youth fitness assessment and surveillance. The report specifically recommended the use of handgrip and long-jump, but a barrier to adoption was the lack of criterion-referenced standards to categorize and evaluate performance. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of a multi-faceted research initiative focused on advancing research on musculoskeletal fitness assessments in youth. The report chronicles the concepts, approaches, and considerations that shaped the plans for this large-scale research effort aimed at developing robust criterion-referenced fitness standards for these assessments.