One hundred and forty beats per minute isn't simply a heart rate, it may be a goal for local students.

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District, which starts class today, recently received a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, enabling the district to spend money revamping its physical education program.

The grant paid for state-of-the-art equipment from Polar Electro Inc., which included the Pharro a pocket PC, PE Manager software, heart rate monitors, transmitters and an intensive three-day training course for physical education instructors.

"It's changing PE, it's a whole new practice," said Melissa Weiss, a physical education instructor at Pajaro Valley High School.

This new technology allows physical education teachers to set personalized goals for students, instead of relying on traditional approaches. Teachers often grade students based on running a certain distance in a certain time, such as running a mile in less than seven minutes.

"Everyone across the board is going to be challenged," Weiss said.

Using the new program, students will wear heart rate monitors on their wrist, and wear a transmitter with a belt just under their heart. The instructor can upload the data from the heart monitor to the Pharro, and send it to PE Manager.

PE Manager software is a comprehensive data collection and grading tool designed specifically for PE.

Used with the Pharro, PE Manager provides instructors with a method to collect, analyze and report on activities including performance and skill rubrics. PE Manager contains heart rate rubrics and the ability to record and store test scores.

"It takes the guesswork out of grading," said Margie Jennings, a physical education instructor at Pajaro Middle School. "This shifts the whole focus of teaching; you're not just grading kids against other kids."

Instructors think the new approach to physical education can help students gain confidence in themselves.

Jennings said that while overweight students can't always run as fast as physically fit students, the heart rate monitor can be used to gauge students' progress and effort, so students could be graded based on how hard they exert themselves, not by how they compare to others.

"This makes it equal for kids, they won't be compared to others," said Weiss.

Because of PE Manager's depth, instructors can use the software to monitor heart problems in students that might otherwise go unnoticed.

"It protects kids," Weiss said. "We can see if there's any heart murmurs or irregularities, monitor the student for a day, and then recommend that they see a doctor."

Watsonville High School physical education instructor Gary Garcia said the new program is a step in the right direction.

"For the longest time now, health conditions have been going in a negative direction, and we have to change something," he said. "We want to educate kids for the future so they're more informed. This new type of physical education encompasses connecting the body and the mind as one.

Instructors said the program will be implemented slowly, because the district lacks the funding to provide heart rate monitors for all students enrolled in physical education. Some of the schools implementing the program include: Pajaro Valley and Watsonville high school, Freedom Elementary School, Aptos Junior High School and Rolling Hills, E.A. Hall, Pajaro and Lakeview middle schools.

"With support from the school district, we have an opportunity to make an impact," Garcia said.