Why not listen to this blog instead or follow episodes on our Spotify Channel
Global Performance Testing International (GPTQA) was proud to partner with ACHPER Australia at its 32nd International Conference in Melbourne—marking 70 years of leadership, support and guidance in health and physical education. GPTQA’s presence at the event challenged thinking, sparked new conversations, and offered fresh insight into how assessment and technology can strengthen health education for the next generation.
For decades, words like “fitness testing” or “beep test” have triggered tension across the HPE sector. I wanted to face these concerns honestly and constructively, and to provoke a shift in the narrative. Assessment, tracking and intervention must evolve—supported by technology, artificial intelligence and a modern understanding of how Generation Alpha learns, plays and engages with health.
Professor Fiona Chambers, keynote speaker, reinforced the global importance of health and physical education. She highlighted the need for stronger foundations through pedagogy, professional learning and quality resources for teachers. Greater impact, she argued, will come from deeper connections between teachers, coaches, parents, health practitioners and the school environment—an essential ecosystem wrapped around each student.
GPTQA is becoming a key connector in this emerging landscape. By bridging sport, education, health, fitness and technology, GPTQA is helping these traditionally siloed sectors collaborate on a shared preventative-health agenda built on trust, reliable data and clear communication.
ACHPER places Health at the forefront of physical literacy. When health learning is strong and purposeful, outcomes in sport, talent development, physical functioning, mental wellbeing and lifelong habits naturally follow.
ACHPER Australia CEO, Mark Tonner-Joyce, reinforces this direction:
“What matters in schools is health and fitness education—not the act of ‘testing’ for its own sake. When we help students genuinely know and understand health and fitness, assessment becomes a tool for learning rather than a source of anxiety or self-sabotage.
That’s what I value about GPTQA’s approach: the emphasis on education first, supported by tools that provide repeated reliability, meaningful feedback and true student agency. When students choose, explore and apply different tests in their quest for knowledge and understanding, they grow—and that is where real learning happens and lifelong habits form.”
— Mark Tonner-Joyce, CEO, ACHPER Australia
As we move further into the 2020s and edge closer to 2050, the urgency is clear. Delayed action only deepens the global health crisis. Fifty years ago, the world’s population was half of what it is today; within 25 years it may reach 10 billion. Generation Alpha will soon be shaping the lives of Generation Gamma. For them, health must become a habit, not a hope.
Artificial intelligence will transform health, but only if our actual intelligence—the collective expertise of educators, practitioners and innovators—is strengthened and connected now. We cannot wait for politics, pandemics or technology alone to solve this.
I am personally proud to contribute to this generational shift in health education, and I look forward to collaborating with courageous leaders who are ready to turn research, experience and innovation into real-world solutions.
This is an exciting moment for our sector. Watch this space as we put physical literacy into action.
As part of the progress to a resourced landscape in HPE around the world, Global Performance Testing International are providing teachers access to the foundation GPTQA Level 1 courses at a reduced cost for the remainder of 2025.
Enrol for the course valued at $199 AUD and receive an additional 3-months access to resources including protocols, micro-studies, scales and questionnaires for just $99.50 by using coupon code “ACHPER32” at chechout.
