There are many different ways you can assess your students. For the most part it will all depend on what level you are teaching. Each level can be approached in different ways. Some people believe in assessing by participation and other believe in assessing based on testing. I believe in grading based on participation. I feel participation grade will better influence a student to stay active as they get older.
In this section I will try to provide assessment ideas for all levels of Physical Education. Since I am an elementary teacher it may be harder for me to come up with assessment ideas for the secondary school students. Below are links which will take you to specific areas you would like to know more about. So, sit back, relax, and just read.
Skill Assessment | Fitness Testing | Written Tests
You can always supply worksheets for those students who are not allowed to participate in activity for the day(s). I have created a few worksheets of my own. One sheet is for the students to observe another student and list some skills being performed throughout the lesson. There are also questions on there about rules of the game, favorite sport/game, etc. I also created a few puzzles from Puzzlemaker.com. The puzzles are great for the lower elementary students. When they fill out the worksheets it gives me something to go by to give them "real" credit for missing class.
This can be a great motivator for students who come up with very poor excuses to miss out on class, especially if they hate to write. Students are asked to write a one page paper about a sport/activity they enjoy doing. The paper can be about the rules or why they enjoy it so much. I have gotten some very interesting papers in the past. The students can be working on the paper while the other students are participating in activity.
Giving students daily points for participation is something we are going to start using at Hughston next year. The point system on the elementary level is different than one which can be used on the secondary level. Below are some examples for each level. The secondary example is one I picked up while student teaching. As for the elementary level, it will be the one Hughston will use next year created by me.
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4 points - No problems
3 points - Not following directions/sit out
2 points - rude to teacher/classmates
1 point - refuses to participate
0 points - sign-out/fighting/yelling
Another good way to assess students is to provide them a self evaluation form. This form works pretty well for students who tend to be more off task. Provide a task worksheet for the student to fill out right after class is over. Make it simple enough so it only takes a few minutes to fill out, this way they will not be late for class. Following are some example questions to put on the form. These can be based on a scale from 1-never to 4-always.
- I listened to others.
- I shared my ideas with my team.
- I avoided using put-downs.
- I made sure that others understood the lesson.
- I followed directions.
- I didn't make fun of others' ideas.
- I did my assigned roles.
- I encouraged others to participate.
- I stayed on task.
- I used the equipment safely and responsibly.
Having students keep a personal journal is a very good idea, I feel, for the secondary level. You will have to set some guidelines for what to write about in the journals. You choose on how often they write in it. Having them write about the activity could possibly lead them to be active when they get older and out of school. Below are some topics you may choose for your students to write about.
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What did you do in physical education today?
What are you doing outside of school for activity?
How can you use today's lesson when you are on your own?
What activities have you done when not in school?
What are you favorite activities to be involved in?
Have you made up a new activity on your own?
Are you eating healthy?
What motivates you to be active outside of class?
What motivates you to stay active in class?
If anyone does not know what a task sheet is don't worry. It is a sheet which is made up of different skills for students to use to check themselves during activities. Students can be given task sheets at the beginning of the class. On the task sheets provide a wide variety of skills for the students to be working on. When a student achieves a skill/task successfully, they can move to a new skill/task. I have had to make a few sheets in the past, and I feel you should provide individual and group skills on the sheet. Task sheet can also help students who tend to be off task. See the example a few skills which can be on a task sheet.
Volleyball Task Examples
- Set the ball to yourself 10 times in a row without the ball touching the floor.
- Bump the ball to yourself 10 times in a row without the ball touching the floor
- Bump the ball to a partner 10 times.
- Set the ball against the wall 7 times without it touching the floor.
Another way is to assess the students based on performance of skills. You can choose to have this assessment based as a part of the grade or just for information to pass along to the parents. We all know there are so many skills to assess during the year. For the elementary level I would assess students based on movement patterns. As they get older some people assess sport skills during the unit. By assessing a student on his/her sport skill will help them concentrate on the areas which needs worked on. You can find the correct movement patterns of skills in different books. I hope you all kept your college books! Below are some examples movement assessments which can be used at the elementary level.
Running
- Arms move in opposition to legs, elbows bent.
- Brief period where both feet are off the ground.
- Narrow foot placement landing on heel or toe.
- Nonsupport leg bent approximately 90 degrees.
- Preparatory movement includes flexion of both knees with arms extended behind body.
- Arms extend forcefully forward and upward reaching full extensionabove the head.
- Take off and land on both feet simultaneously.
- Arms are thrust downward during landing.
- Forward reach with the arm oposite the lead foot.
- A period where both feet are off the ground.
- Body turned sideways so shoulders are aligned with the line on the floor.
- A step sideways with lead foot followed by a slide of the trailing foot to a point next to the lead foot.
- A minimum of four continuous step-slide cycles to the left.
- Nonsupport leg swings forward in pendular fashion to produce force.
- Foot of nonsupport leg remains behind body.
- Arms flexed and swing forward to produce force.
- Takes off and lands three consecutive times on preferred foot.
- Arms bent and lifted to waist level at takeoff.
- A step forward with the lead foot followed by a step with the trailing foot to a position adjacent to or behind the lead foot.
- Brief period when both feet are off te floor.
- Maintains a rhythmic pattern for four consecutive times on preferred foot.
- Contacts ball with one hand at about belt level.
- Pushes ball with fingertips.
- Ball contacts surface in front of or to the outside of foot on the preferred side.
- Maintains control of ball for four consecutive bounces without having to move the feet to retrieve it.
- Dominant hand grips bat above nondominant hand.
- Nonperferred side of body faces the imaginary tosser with feet parallel.
- Hip and shoulder rotation during swing.
- Transfers body weight to front foot.
- Windup is initiated with downward movement of hand/arm.
- Rotates hip and shoulders to a point where the nonthrowing side faces the wall.
- Weight is transferred by stepping with the foot opposite the throwing hand.
- Follow-through beyond ball release diagonally across the body toward the nonpreferred side.
- Preparation phase where hands are in front of the body and elbows are flexed.
- Arms extend while reaching for the ball as it arrives.
- Ball is caught by hands only.
- Rapid continuous approach to the ball.
- An elogated stride or leap immediately prior to ball contact.
- Nonkicking foot placed even with or slightly in back of the ball.
- Kicks ball with instep of preferred foot or toe.
Well all know there are many different types of fitness testing. I feel the different fitness programs you can choose from all have great skills within them. Let's see if I can ramble off most areas 1 mile jog, PACER test, pushups, curlups, situps, sit and reach, modified pullups, pullups, shuttle run, flexed arm hang, standing long jump, and body composition. However, I do not like the idea of giving students a body fat composition. I feel that even high school age students do not grasp the concept of body fat. Most seniors and juniors may be able to understand and know how to deal with their body fat results. There is that part of me which feels students will develop eating disorders from seeing the results of their body fat test. I do feel testing students below the age of 14 is a big no no. Granted, I do believe they need to be aware of their body fat and if they are in the healthy zone.
There is always the good old fashion paper and pencil tests. You can choose to test or quiz your students as the year goes on. We have so many types of tests to choose from. There are multiple choice, essay, fill in the blank, true/false, etc. When giving a student a written test you can truly understand if the student has a grasp on subject knowledge. What you want to test the students over is up to you. In the past I have taken test on rules and movement patterns. Depending on the grade level will depend on the test questions. Examples are below.
Baseball Unit Test
- The player with the bat is call what?
- How many bases are on a baseball/softball field?
- How many outs in an inning?
- How should you stand when hitting the ball if you are right handed?
- Where should your elbow be when attempting to throw the ball?
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Professional Links:
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
American Association for Active Lifestyles and Fitness (AAALF)
American Association for Leisure and Recreation (AALR)
American Association for Health Education (AAHE)
National Dance Association (NDA)
National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS)
National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE)