What is assessment in physical education?

Student Assessment in Physical Education. Student Assessment — one of the four essential
components of physical education — is the gathering of evidence about student achievement and
making inferences about student progress based on that evidence.
19 Related Question Answers Found

Why is assessment important in physical education?

Assessments are the tool that physical educators use to measure the skills and fitness levels their
students are learning and attaining in their PE class. Assessing in PE helps to show others
(parents, school administrators, other teachers and yourself) what students are learning in your
physical education class.

What is formative assessment in physical education?

Formative assessment is also referred to as "assessment as learning" and is done continuously

throughout a physical education unit. The purpose of this type of assessment is to assess the
progress of student learning throughout the unit.

What is a Type II assessment?

Type II Assessment means any assessment developed or adopted and approved for use by the
school district and used on a district- wide basis by all teachers in a given grade or subject area.
Examples include collaboratively developed common assessments, curriculum tests and
assessments designed by textbook publishers.

What is an assessment overview?

ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW. Assessment and data collection are an essential and important
part of an effective educational system. Assessment and data give students feedback as to
whether they are hitting their personal learning targets. Teachers use data to design and modify
their instruction to ensure student growth.

What are the examples of physical education?

Physical education helps students develop physical skills and confidence. For example,
elementary and middle school curriculum includes activities that help kids obtain and improve
skills, such as running, catching, throwing, and striking, applicable to sports such as baseball,
volleyball, or karate.
What are the four domains of physical education?

They are physical, social, affective and cognitive benefits. These in turn can become individual
learning domains. (Physical Literacy has three learning domains; physical, affective and
cognitive.

What is the role of assessment in education?

The Role of Assessment in Learning

Assessment plays a major role in how students learn, their motivation to learn, and how teachers
teach. Assessment for learning: where assessment helps teachers gain insight into what students
understand in order to plan and guide instruction, and provide helpful feedback to students.

What are the different kinds of performance based assessment?

The following six types of activities provide good starting points for assessments in
performance-based learning.

 Presentations. Hero Images/Getty Images.

 Portfolios. Steve Debenport/Getty Images.
 Performances. Doug Menuez/Forrester Images/Getty Images.
 Projects. Franck reporter/Getty Images.
 Exhibits and Fairs.
 Debates.

What is the role of physical activity?

Physical activity or exercise can improve your health and reduce the risk of developing several
diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Physical activity and exercise
can have immediate and long-term health benefits. Most importantly, regular activity can
improve your quality of life.

Why do you assess?

Assessment is a key component of learning because it helps students learn. When students are
able to see how they are doing in a class, they are able to determine whether or not they
understand course material. Assessment can also help motivate students. Just as assessment
helps students, assessment helps teachers.
How would you address a wide range of skills and abilities in your PE
classroom?

Here are 5 ways you can address the wide range of skills and abilities children demonstrate
throughout the day.

 Offer choices.
 Plan for possibilities.
 Empower children to document their learning.
 Encourage community support.
 Provide a variety of learning materials.

Why Assessing in PE is Important

What are Assessments?

Assessments are the tool that physical educators use to measure the skills and fitness levels their
students are learning and attaining in their PE class. Assessing in PE helps to show others
(parents, school administrators, other teachers and yourself) what students are learning in your
physical education class. They should demonstrate what students know or what they can do.

Why do we need them?

Assessments are needed to let students, parents and teachers know what areas or skills need to be
improved upon. Assessments can also be used to help show others the importance of PE classes.
In times where budgets are tight and school programs are in jeopardy of being cut, it is important
to use assessments to measure and validate student learning that is happening in your PE
program. As PE teachers, we can use assessments to help display that we are doing our jobs as a
physical educator. When student assessments show their fitness/skill levels are increasing, that
helps to prove that your physical education program is credible and valuable.

When should I assess?

At a bare minimum, you should be assessing students after a unit or a set of lessons/activities is
completed. However, it is recommended that pre and post assessments be performed. By
performing an assessment at the beginning of a unit, you will have a baseline measurement to
compare the post or final assessment results to. Also, by adding an additional assessment during
the middle of the unit allows the teacher to make adjustments if she/he feels there is a need.
Truly effective PE teachers are always assessing students and adjusting lessons where needed.
They just need to make sure they are attempting to document those processes.
Traditional Assessment Methods

The most widely used physical education assessment methods are fitness tests. These tests
provide quantitative results that can be used to determine a couple of things. First, they can
show a student’s fitness level by comparing the score to a group of norms and then rating based
on that. Second, if the fitness test is given at the end of a unit, you should be able to compare the
student’s pre and post fitness tests scores to determine if improvement was made. Below are a
few examples of fitness tests:

 Fitnessgram and Actvitygram tests

 Presidential Youth Fitness Program
 State fitness tests – check your local state department of education or your state’s association
for health, physical education, recreation & dance (AHPERD) website to see if your state has
fitness tests designated for you to use.

Non-traditional Assessment Methods

For more complex activities & movements that students have never done before, it may take
much longer for them to actually master that activity/movement. Using the above traditional
assessment methods, these students would show that they are not improving as they likely could
not complete the activity. However, if the assessment scored the quality of each part of the
movement/activity and not just the final outcome, you might see that the student is actually
improving even though they cannot complete the activity. This helps to prove that learning is
actually taking place.

 Also known as alternative assessment

 Rubrics – used to measure the quality of the skill as it is performed as opposed to the final
outcome.
 Google Form Skill Quizzes
 Plickers
 Others?

Summary

Assessments are the measuring stick of physical education classes. They help to show yourself &
others that your students are learning and becoming more physically fit as a result of being in
your class. Assessments can also help to show that your PE class is valuable. Therefore,
assessments are important and should matter to you in your PE class. They should be performed
at least before and after a unit or some set period of time. Assessments can be broken down into
two categories – traditional and non-traditional.

If you have suggestions/comments on different types of assessments in PE or why you feel

assessments are important, please share them below in the comments section. My hope and
desire is that we learn from each other.
References:

http://www.pecentral.org/assessment/assessmentresearch.html
http://www.pecentral.org/assessment/assessmenttips.html

Assessment in Physical Education

Okay, we've almost completed our grand adventure. We feel comfortable with planning a physical
education lesson, and even instructing the lesson, but how do we assess student achievement in
physical education? This topic has been greatly debated over the years, with educators asking the
question, "Can we even grade student's athletic abilities?" The answer is yes. Like any subject in
school, educators must anticipate that there will be a large range of abilities, however, all students
can learn to be active. Fundamental movement skills can be broken apart and taught in very
simplistic ways, therefore, they can also be assessed in simple ways. There are many resources and
supports in place to ensure that teachers are comfortable with assessment. Throughout this
portion of our adventure we will examine different assessment tools, as well as a variety of
resources available to assist teachers in the assessment of physical education.

Types of Assessment
Like any classroom subject, there are three types of assessments that can be used to assess student
achievement in physical education. Bridget Webster, a grade 5/6 teacher in the Waterloo Catholic
Board describes these three assessments.

1. Diagnostic Assessment
Diagnostic assessment is also referred to as "assessment for learning" and is the first type of
assessment that you would do with your students when preparing to learn a new skill. Diagnostic
assessment is a way for the teacher to learn what skills the students already have and what areas
the teacher should focus their instruction on. The results from this assessment are not used for
grades on a report card.

2. Formative Assessment
Formative assessment is also referred to as "assessment as learning" and is done continuously
throughout a physical education unit. The purpose of this type of assessment is to assess the
progress of student learning throughout the unit. This form of assessment provides teachers with
the information they need to create an inclusive program that meets the needs of all students
throughout the unit. The results gained from these assessments do not count towards grades on a
report card.

3. Summative Assessment
Summative assessment is also referred to as "assessment of learning" and is used to assess the
skills that the students have gained by the end of the unit. Teachers will create a summative
physical education task which allows students to demonstrate the specific skill they have been
 working on and teachers will assess students based on a series of performance criteria. These
results will be used when deciding final grades on a report card.

How do I Implement these Assessments?

Any teacher knows that the first step in successful assessment is to establish appropriate success
criteria. You need to know exactly what you are going to be examining to gauge if students are
successful or not. As a physical education teacher, assessment is not simply broken down into dyadic
categories of successful or unsuccessful. There are many small components that are required for one
single skill to be successful, and these small components must be assessed individually. Establishing
success criteria can be a difficult task, but it is a critical component of successful assessment.

The image to the right outlines specific performance criteria (success criteria) for the fundamental
movement skill of catching a ball. As you can see, the seemingly simple task of catching a ball can be
broken up into six different assessment areas.

Many resources exist to help support teachers in breaking apart the fundamental movement skills and
identifying the success criteria for assessment. One very useful document which has been mentioned
before is called "Fundamental Movement Skills: A Manual for Teachers" and is listed to the side.
Another useful resource is the OPHEA Learn to Move Series which contains multiple lesson plans directly
related to 15 different movement skills. Each lesson plan contains performance criteria for the skill and
assessment strategies.

Diagnostic Assessment
In this diagnostic assessment, the teacher has created a checklist which has all the success criteria along
the top and the student’s names along the side. The teacher can then check off the skills they observe,
and/or make notes regarding student success. (Sample from Bridget Webster’s slides, 2013).

Formative Assessment
In this formative assessment, the teacher has created a chart with student’s names and space for
anecdotal comments related to the success criteria. Using this, the teacher can track the progress of
individual student achievement. (Sample from Bridget Webster’s slides, 2013)

Summative Assessment
In this summative assessment, the teacher has listed the learning goal at the top. This goal is taken
directly from the Ontario Curriculum. The teacher is then using a leveled rubric to assess student’s
achievement in a variety of categories related to the skill of throwing (knowledge and understanding,
thinking, communication and application). (Sample from Bridget Webster’s slides, 2013)
Fundamental Movement Skills

OPHEA Learn to Move Series

Alternative Methods
While Bridget Webster provides some great strategies of how to conduct diagnostic, formative and
summative assessments in a physical education classroom, many other methods exist. To learn more
about alternative methods including student portfolios, student journals, checklists and rating scales,
refer to the slide show created by Dr. William Russell, titled "Authentic Assessment in Physical
Education".

ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW

 Assessment and data collection are an essential and important part of an effective educational
system. Assessment and data give students feedback as to whether they are hitting their
personal learning targets. Teachers use data to design and modify their instruction to ensure
student growth. Administrators and school teams use assessment data to improve school
systems, programs, and strategies. School boards and other district stakeholders use data to
 evaluate student growth and development over time and to compare performance levels to
other school districts.

 All of these different uses and purposes require different types of assessment and data.
Assessments that are taken once a year and are required by the state are most often used for
accountability and district comparison purposes. Local formal assessments given two or more
times per year are most often used to evaluate student growth and to determine eligibility for
various supports and services. Data collected more frequently in the classroom can be used to
help inform instruction. These classroom level data can include formative assessments (e.g.,
quizzes, responses to teacher questions, performance on classroom tasks) and summative
assessments (e.g., chapter tests, teacher designed tests to measure attainment of learning
targets).
 In this lesson you will learn about physical education and how it contributes to total growth and
development in youth. You will also gain an understanding of what a quality physical education
program looks like.

Definition of Physical Education

 Kids, as well as adults, benefit from regular exercise. Health benefits from regular
exercise include: stronger muscles and bones, increased coordination and energy, and
decreased risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. For most kids,
exercise means being physically active during play, recess, and physical education class,
also known as P.E. Physical education contributes to each child's total growth and
development.
 Physical education is a course taught in school that focuses on developing physical
fitness and the ability to perform and enjoy day-to-day physical activities with ease. Kids
also develop skills necessary to participate in a wide range of activities, such as soccer,
basketball, or swimming. Regular physical education classes prepare kids to be
physically and mentally active, fit, and healthy into adulthood. An effective physical
education program should include engaging lessons, trained P.E. teachers, adequate
instructional periods, and student evaluation.

Physical Education Class

 Physical Education Curriculum

 Physical education helps students develop physical skills and confidence. For example,
elementary and middle school curriculum includes activities that help kids obtain and
improve skills, such as running, catching, throwing, and striking, applicable to sports
such as baseball, volleyball, or karate. Balancing skills could be applied to dance or
gymnastics.
 High school curriculum should focus on lifetime sports skills like tennis or aerobic dance,
with a secondary emphasis on team sports.
 Physical education develops fitness and fosters the desire for lifelong participation in
physical activity. high school curriculum prepares students to become highly proficient in
one or more sport and/or fitness activity of their choice.
  Physical education classes teach the health benefits of regular exercise and healthy food
choices along with the risks of inactivity and poor diet. Students of all ages might be
asked to dedicate themselves to making a few small improvements in diet and exercise
for a period of six weeks. They would be expected to journal about how they feel during
the process and reflect on how these changes affect performance and mood.
 Physical education also helps students develop social skills. For example, team sports
help them learn to respect others, contribute to a team goal, and socialize as a productive
member of a team.
 Participation

Physical Education Equipment

To be fair it was a vague and subjective question (that might not have been the right one to ask),
but I was hoping to build up a profile what a ‘best’ student in Physical Education would look
like. With close to a 100 responses from PE teachers I managed to put together a reasonably
comprehensive list together. So a ‘best’ student in PE would display the following:

Can articulate to
Displays high amounts
peers what success Is a go getter Is mentally resilient
of effort consistently
looks like

Shows a desire to Is open to critique and

Intrinsically motivated Is creative
improve acts on it

Takes the initiative Is competitive A* at GCSE PE Is a team player

Is excited by new Took up sport outside

Never complains A good work ethic
opportunities of school

Helps and supports Good sense of Inspires those around

Independent worker
others humour them

Plays by the rules Is humble Always asks questions Tenacious

Is willing to share Challenges personal A great attitude in
A problem solver
ideas boundaries lessons

Is always positive Is responsible Shows sportsmanship A leader

Makes everything Listens and acts on

Unselfish Takes risks
seem natural advice

Good body language Polite Shows character Insatiable winner

Many were repeated by teachers, however the ones most mentioned in some
way were motivation and effort. Personally I agree wholeheartedly with motivation and effort.
They are key to ensuring our students are the ‘best’ they can be. Without them in our subject
there is very little chance of progress and learning. Without them there is very little chance our
students will stay fit and healthy for life. If a teacher can create an environment where students
are motivated and put in effort, then there is a very good chance of success (that being for me
some form of improvement). Motivating a child, especially in a subject like PE can be
problematic, and should be a area of real thought and development for us as practitioners. This I
would imagine is why many teachers, myself included, would instinctively think of our ‘best’
students as intrinsically motivated. It makes them very easy to teach as they engage in everything
and anything we deliver for them.

In The Educational Benefits claimed for Physical Education and School Sport: An Academic
review, it suggests that Physical Education and School Sport offers 4 areas of benefits to the
participant. They are physical, social, affective and cognitive benefits. These in turn can become
individual learning domains. (Physical Literacy has three learning domains; physical, affective
and cognitive. Whilst I am growing in my advocacy for Physical Literacy, I do prefer having the
social element being drawn as a learning domain in its own right, even though this can be hugely
context dependent). Learning in these four domains can contribute to the development of the
whole child. A holistic approach to PE that I try to aspire to with my provision.
The physical domain would include physical competency, fundamental motor skills, health and
skill related fitness, technique and psychomotor skills. The social domain would include
leadership, working with peers, treating others with sensitivity, playing by the rules and
communication. The affective domain would be motivation, confidence, self-esteem and
engagement. The cognitive domain would be knowledge and understanding of healthy and active
lifestyles, awareness of rules and tactics, feedback and reflection and understanding how to
perform.

So if we go back to to the original question ‘can you describe the best student you have had in
either PE or Sport’ then it would be reasonable to assume that that student would do well in all
four learning domains. Below I have taken the responses from the table above and placed them
into the four learning domains:
This to me is striking. A subject that is uniquely defined by its physical nature doesn’t define its
best students in this way. Where is the physical competence? Where is the skilful mover? Where
is the athletic student? I’m not talking about being elite here, but having students that that are
confident and competent movers in purposeful physical activity, no matter what level that might
be at.

Have we forgotten what PE is about? Have we become so worried that a student might fail, or
find something difficult, that our expectations on the physical learning domain have
disappeared? Being able to play football, is not the same being able to move confidently. Being
able to play rugby, is not the same as being able to hold your own body weight. Being able to
finish the cross country course, is not the same being able to run properly. Surely our best
students can run, and jump, and skip, and climb and move. They need function, before they play
sport. As I stated previously, yes we must create an environment that encourages improvement in
the affective learning domain. It may be the most important thing we can do without doubt. But
we create that environment so pupils themselves can become intrinsically motivated to move, so
they learn to move, that they learn through movement, that they learn about movement and that
they become confident movers for a lifetime.

If and when we talk about our ‘best’ students within PE, we don’t mention the confidence and
competence of their basic functional movement, then what does this say about our weaker
students? Surely basic functional movement should be a non-negotiable for all? Each year these
basics reduce in the students that come to us from primary school. The 6 weeks block of sports
that have been a staple diet for many secondary schools may no longer be fit for purpose, if it
isn’t creating functional confident movers. It is with this in mind when I look to plan and develop
our provision for the future.