A few minutes of exercise went a long way when Draytonville Elementary students sat down recently to take an interim progress test.

Students spread out beside their desks for a 5-minute workout from a "Fit for Fred" Web site. From punching across their bodies to air jump-roping, students kept moving around while listening to instructions from their cyber exercise teacher Fred.

The short exercise program paid off with some Draytonville Elementary students seeing their scores increase from 60 to 120 points on recent district progress tests called MAPS. The computerized tests are given three times a year in county elementary and middle schools to track student learning before this spring's state testing program.

County elementary teachers have scheduled five minute exercise breaks this year to comply with the 2005 South Carolina Health and Fitness Act. The act requires students to spend 90 minutes in physical education classes each week and another 90 minutes involved in other fitness activities, such as aerobics and dance.

Based on his school's recent test results, Draytonville Elementary physical education teacher Mark Camp said he thinks classroom exercise before tests can have a positive impact on student achievement.

"I think students are more alert and concentrate better when they move around in the classroom," Camp said. "We hope this will help students do better academically."

Camp will get more information on the benefits of exercise on student achievement in June. This is when county schools are scheduled to get back results from the state's new PASS test.