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UCLA SPARC Users Guide 1

What is the UCLA School Physical Activity Opportunities Report Card (SPARC)?

The UCLA‐SPARC is a tool to systematically assess opportunities for physical activity throughout the school day, including PE, recess and other play periods, classroom‐based physical activity and after‐school programs. The focus of the UCLA‐SPARC is not so much on performance of individual students, but rather on the extent and quality of opportunities that schools provide for students of diverse abilities and interests to be physically active. The UCLA‐SPARC was developed by researchers in the UCLA School of Public Health with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Active Living Research Program.

Helping maximize the use of school resources to benefit student health and learning

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends that children and adolescents should engage in sixty or more minutes of physical activity every day. Schools can help students meet this goal, and in fact have many potential opportunities for students to be physically active—from recess and PE to after‐school programs. Besides improving student health and establishing life‐long enjoyment of a healthy lifestyle, physical activity during the school day has also been shown to improve classroom behavior and academic performance.

The UCLA‐SPARC tool can help school officials, teachers and other members of the school community better understand and utilize opportunities for physical activity. This tool can be used in many different ways, from informal self‐assessment to part of formal reporting requirements that schools already use for planning and monitoring progress, such as School Wellness Plans and School Accountability Report Cards.

Instructions for conducting a SPARC audit and completing the SPARC forms

Completing the UCLA‐SPARC requires no special skill or background, just an hour or so of training and practice. In addition to the instructions below, each page of the SPARC has detailed, step‐by‐step instructions. In the next series of slides we'll show you how to complete a SPARC assessment or audit.

The UCLA‐SPARC consist of four linked sheets in a single MS‐Excel workbook—three forms for entering data and one sheet where the results of the SPARC audit are automatically summarized in graphical format. The first two data forms, an audit of physical activity spaces and facilities and a summary of times or periods available for students to be physically active, can be filled out prior to actual observations. These forms could be completed an observer, a school administrator or teacher. Only the activity audit needs to be completed on the day or days that the observation is conducted.

If you haven’t done so already, you can download a copy of the UCLA‐SPARC at http://www.ph.ucla.edu/hs/health‐impact/methodology.htm Instructions for completing each of the three forms are provided below.


1. The Spaces Audit form (time to complete: 15‐60 minutes, including measurements)

The Spaces Audit form is filled in prior to physical activity observations. On this and all SPARC forms, users fill in only the boxes and white spaces. In this example, the Play Yard has been designated as Activity Area #1.

• Its dimensions are approximated by two rectangles ‐‐ 50 by 80 yards and 30 by 30 yards;

• It is used for PE, recess, lunch, sports, and before school programs;

• About 10% of the area is shaded by trees; • It is mostly blacktop; • It has 7 tetherball poles, 6 basketball

hoops, markings for 2 foursquare courts and 1 climbing structure.

Above: A snapshot from a portion of the "Spaces Audit" form from the UCLA‐SPARC tool.

Users can enter information for up to 12 different activity spaces. This information is used in conjunction with physical activity observations to assess the use and distribution of physical activity around the school facility. It also provides a record to against which to compare the availability and use of space over time.

If records on the dimensions of these spaces are not easily accessible, it will be necessary to make the measurements. Our observers use a laser rangefinder. Dimensions could be paced out, if making more exact measurements presents and obstacle to completing the audit.

2. The Activity Periods Form (time to complete: 15 minutes)

Above: Detail for data on recess on the “Activity Periods” form from the UCLA‐SPARC tool.

On the “Activity Periods” form you will fill in information on the location and time of different periods or during the day during which students might be engaged in physical activity. Here is a snapshot from a portion of the "Activity Periods" form, showing data filled in for Recess periods, one of up to ten different periods that can be described. Like

the Spaces Audit Form, this form is filled in prior to physical activity observations. In this example, recess is scheduled for three 15‐minute sessions with the first session starting at 10:00 and the last session finishing at 10:45. Each session has approximately 175 students. Activity areas 1,2,3 and 4 (as designated on the Spaces Audit Form) are used for recess. Activities consist of freeplay, including foursquare, basketball, dance and soccer.


3. Activity Audit Form (time to complete: 2 to 4 hours of observation over one or more school days)

Above: A blank “Activity Audit” form from the UCLA‐SPARC tool. Observers fill in clear cells. Data for blue‐shaded cells are automatically generated. Overview of the “scanning” process for a SPARC audit

During the activity audit you will be observing places and periods where students are physically active, counting the number of students present and the number who are physically active. We refer to these systematic counts as "scans." Each scan focuses on an area where students are potentially engaged in physical activity. For each activity period, such as recess, observers should conduct at least one scan of each activity area that is being used, noting:

• Activity period (recess, PE, etc.);

• Activity area;

• Types of activity students are engaged in (e.g. tag, basketball, climbing or just sitting);

• Number of boys and girls who are sedentary, engaged in light physical activity or engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Here’s what you’ll need on the day of the activity audit:

1. Paper copy of the activity audit form;

2. Clipboard;

3. Pencil or pen;

4. Watch;

5. Counter for tallying number of students and activity levels (optional but recommended).


While conducting scans for a SPARC Audit, counts of students will be a lot easier and more accurate if you use a tally device that lets you simultaneously count several different categories, for instance number of inactive boys, number of boys engaged in light physical activity and number of boys engaged in vigorous physical activity. These counters could be analog or digital. There are several free and low‐cost smartphone apps that work as good counters. Below are some examples of counters.

Mechanical counter "Tally Counter" from the Tally Counter Store

Mechanical counter"Traffic Counter" from the Denominator Company

I‐Phone app:Tallymander

Android app: T‐Counter

Above: A digital or mechanical and digital counter can make it easier to accurately count students during a SPARC audit.

The protocol for conducting these scans for the SPARC is adapted from the SOPLAY assessment tool developed by researchers at San Diego State University. They have a great guide detailing how to do these scans. You can find a link to it on our SPARC website page. Here we’ll just give you a snapshot of the basics.

During a SPARC scan you’ll simply count the number of boys and girls in a given area at a given time and how active they are. You’ll repeat these scans to make sure you’ve observed all areas, all periods of the day when students may be engaged in physical activity, and hopefully also have time for some repeat scans to account for the natural flux in student numbers and activity levels. In the next couple of slides we’ll show how to fill in data from a scan, starting with the left‐hand side of the audit form to the right.

Conducting a physical activity scan

When you’re conducting a SPARC scan, for instance of a recess, you’ll conduct separate scans for each of the areas you’ve designated on the “Spaces Audit” Form. First, position yourself in an area where you can observe all the students in that area. On the “Activity Audit” Form fill in the code number of period you’re observing (e.g. 5 for recess). If there are multiple sections or sessions for this period, for instance three different recesses, indicate the session number. The default is one. Now fill in the exact time. Next, fill in the code corresponding to the area or location. These codes correspond to those listed in the “Spaces Audit.” When the Period and Area codes are entered on the electronic form, the names of these activity periods and areas


will automatically be filled in. If you want, you can write the names of the activity period and area, instead of the code numbers, while in the field, then enter codes later. The code numbers can be entered when transcribing the data from the paper form to the electronic form. Next, describe the condition of the area. Indicate whether equipment is available, whether there is any organized activity and the number of adult monitors present in the area.

1. Left: A portion of the Activity Audit form showing data on activity period and location filled in for seven "activity scans.” In this example we see data for 3 scans conducted immediately before school started and 4 scans conducted during a morning assembly at the start of school.

(Note: While conducting observations observers may write in the activity name on their paper version of the form. Numeric codes can be entered later while entering data into the electronic version of the form.)

Now we’re going to take a look at the right‐hand portion of the audit form where you indicate how many students are present and what they’re doing. This is the core of the SPARC observation. The protocol is adapted from the SOPLAY observation tool developed by researchers at San Diego State University.

Left: A portion of the SPARC audit form showing activities and counts of boys engaged in physical activity (portion of the page for girls' activity not shown)

These counts are done separately for boys and girls. First, you’ll want to indicate what types of activities students are engaged in. A list of codes describing different types of activities are listed on the far‐right side of the form, which is not shown here.

Now, you will count the number of boys who are sedentary, engaged in light activity and those who are engaged in moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity, scanning the area from left‐to‐right. The electronic version of the form will automatically calculate a total. Next, repeat the same process of counting for girls in the same area. After you’ve counted all the girls, move on to the next area and repeat. If possible, try to conduct multiple scans of each area, but first make sure you’ve conducted at least one scan of every area. You’ll repeat these scanning procedures for each activity period throughout the school day, including during school‐sponsored after‐school programs. These scans can be conducted over several days, just make sure all the scans for a


given activity period and session are conducted on the same day. You could observe different PE classes or recess sessions on different days, but don’t do repeat observations of the same PE class or recess session on different days. Doing so what cause the averages that SPARK automatically calculates to be incorrect. And that’s it!

What’s happening behind the scenes?

How does the SPARC audit tool digest the data from your observations to produce the summary tables and graphs. In a nutshell, formulas in the SPARC tool scan the data you input to calculate totals and averages across locations for each activity period and session, for all students and separately for boys and girls. The results then show how much time is available during different periods for physical activity, how many students are present, and how active they are.

Understanding results of a SPARC audit Once data are transferred from the paper forms used during field observations into the computer‐based forms in MS‐Excel format, the UCLA‐SPARC tool will automatically summarize the findings on the “Results” page. Results are presented graphically in five charts. In addition to these summary charts, school decision‐makers and stakeholders may also find it useful to review data summarized on the Spaces Audit and Activity Periods forms.

Results – Chart 1: Types of activities observed

To provide a context for the quantitative data in the charts that follow, Chart 1 lists the types of activities observed during the audit for each of the pre‐designated periods of the school day.

UCLA‐SPARC Results Page


Results – Chart 2: Number of students by activity period and location

Chart 2 shows the distribution of students observed during the audit by activity period and location. Circles are proportionate to the number of students observed. From this chart users can identify locations and periods that have high or low levels of utilization for physical activity, perhaps suggesting redistribution of activity or utilization a place or time that appears to be under‐utilized. Results – Chart 3: Summary of minutes by activity period

Chart 3 shows the total number of minutes available each day for physical activity for nine preset periods of the school day and one additional (i.e. “Other”) period that users can specify on the “Activity Periods” form.

The orange portion of each bar shows the average number of minutes that students are engaged in vigorous physical activity with yellow portions of each bar showing

minutes of light‐to‐moderate physical activity for each period, and the blue portion showing the average number of minutes that students are inactive. Percentages in red at the end of each bar indicate the percentage of enrolled students who were present in activity areas during the period.

For this example, we see that 15 minutes of recess are provided each day, during which students average 7.3 minutes of activity and 7.7 minutes of sedentary time (i.e. potential for additional activity). Only 53% of enrolled students were observed to be present in activity areas during recess.

Since different activity periods may be available to different students, the minutes of activity for each period are not additive. We can, however, estimate the total minutes of activity available each day from the data shown in Chart 4.


Results – Chart 4: Person‐minutes

Chart 4 shows person‐weighted average minutes of activity for each period of the school day, based on observed minutes of activity and percentage of students present. Unlike activity minutes shown in Chart 3, the person‐minutes measure takes into account how many students are participating in a given activity period. The coloring of the bars is identical to that in Chart 3: orange = minutes of vigorous physical activity, yellow = minutes of light‐to‐moderate physical activity, blue = minutes that students are inactive. Reference standards, drawn from State standards and various guidelines, are shown in blue in square brackets on the far right.

The red box in the center of the graph shows average daily minutes of activity per student. The denominator for this calculation includes all enrolled students. Results – Part 5: Summary: Boys vs. Girls

Chart 5 shows differences in activity levels among girls versus boys for each activity period. Significant disparities in activity levels suggest the need for programs or equipment to make physical activity interesting and enjoyable for all students and narrow these gaps. For instance, at a school where many girls stay

in the classroom during lunch or do not participate in organized games during recess, teachers and playground monitors can help girls find activities that interest them. Or, for example, at a school where boys are seen sitting throughout recess because the playground does not offer the space or equipment to play the games they enjoy, school staff may work to obtain the equipment or modify game rules so that they can be played in a limited space. Questions? Comments? Suggestions for improving the UCLA SPARC Audit Tool?

Please email our project manager, Brian Cole, at [email protected] or leave a message at 310‐206‐1141.

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