Questions:
What should students know and be able to do as a result of a high-quality secondary physical education program?
Further, how can a teacher provide evidence of student learning?
These two guiding questions are at the heart of assessment. Check any of our national journals, or read through conference proceedings, and one can quickly see that assessment issues are a hot topic in physical education (& education in general for that matter).
In my home state of Virginia for example, an on-going debate centers around statewide tests known as SOLs (Standards of Learning). The SOL tests are currently mandatory from Grade 3 on, and cover english, math, science, and history & social sciences. Recently, Fine Arts (including music, visual arts, dance arts, and theatre arts) and Foreign Language have added SOLs to guide curricular decisions, but no mandate for statewide testing. Similarly, Physical Education and Health SOLs have been recently approved by the State Board of Education, but again only as a guide for curriculur decision-making and no statewide testing is expected.
As both a parent and educational advocate for health and physical education, I have mixed emotions about this. I believe the Virginia SOLs are really good and I encourage everyone to visit the Virginia
Department of Education Site. While my sons are not old enough to begin the statewide testing program, I fear that while not having the health and physical education standards as part of the testing program, there will be little motivation for administrators, parents, and politicians to support innovative teaching. Yet...(& here is more of my mixed emotions!), I sure wouldn't want to be the committee trying to determine what the SOL tests would actually be!
I encourage all secondary health and physical education teachers to sound off on their thoughts regarding assessment within their state (or district, etc.). The PE Forum provides the perfect outlet to hear your voice!
Jon Poole
Section Editor
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Virginia Physical Education Standards of Learning
This link directs you to an actual document describing "the concepts, processes, and skills for physical education in kindergarten through grade 10 for Virginia's public schools" (p. 1).
Aligned with NASPE National Standards, The combination of five goals;
- Demonstrate proficiency in all fundamental movement skills and patterns and competence in several specialized movement forms
- Apply movement principles and concepts to learning and developing motor skills and specialized movement forms
- Achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of personal fitness
- Demonstrate responsible personal and social behaviors in physical activity setting, and
- Demonstrate a physically active lifestyle, including activity within and outside of the physical education setting...
"lead students toward being able to engage skillfully, knowledgeably, responsibly, and vigorously in an active, healthy lifestyle" (p. 3).
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What are students expected to know and be able to do in your program? Have you found some innovative ways to assess your students? Does your state have guidelines that share what is expected of all students in health and physical education?
Think about these questions, or pose one of your own, then sound off at the PE Forum. This is a wonderful resource to get connected with others in our profession. Share your victories, your concerns, or simply ask for opinions to a nagging question.
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Only One Childhood
I stopped to watch my little girl busy playing in her room. In one hand was a plastic phone; in the other a toy broom. I listened as she was speaking to her make believe little friend And I'll never forget the words she said, even though it was pretend.
She said, "Suzie's in the corner cuz she's not been very good. She didn't listen to a word I said or do the things she should." In the corner I saw her baby doll all dressed in lace and pink. It was obvious she'd been put there to sit alone and think.
My daughter continued her "conversation," as I sat down on the floor. She said, "I'm all fed up, I just don't know what to do with her anymore? She whines whenever I have to work and wants to play games, too. She never lets me do the things that I just have to do?
She tries to help me with the dishes, but her arms just cannot reach... And she doesn't know how to fold towels. I don't have the time to teach. I have a lot of work to do and a big house to keep clean. I don't have the time to sit and play -- don't you know what I mean?"
And that day I thought a lot about making some changes in my life; As I listened to her innocent words that cut me like a knife. I hadn't been paying enough attention to what I hold most dear. I'd been caught up in responsibilities that increased throughout the year.
But now my attitude has changed, because, in my heart, I realize... I've seen the world in a different light through my little darling's eyes. So, let the cobwebs have the corners and the dustbunnies rule the floor, I'm not going to worry about keeping up with them anymore.
I'm going to fill the house with memories of a child and her mother... For we are granted only one childhood, and we will never get another.
-author unknown-
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| Teaching/Assessment Ideas |
Instructional Models
(available from Allyn & Bacon)
Written by Dr. Mike Metzler, Instructional Models for Physical Education shares assessment ideas for seven instructional models including; direct instruction, the personalized system of instruction, cooperative learning, the sport education model, the peer teaching model, inquiry teaching, and the tactical games model.
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"Good [classroom] assessment has clear and appropriate learning targets. How else will you know what to teach, and what to assess?"
-- James H. McMillan
James H. McMillan is the author of Classroom Assessment: Principles and Practice for Effective Instruction available from
Allyn & Bacon.
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The Anxiety Panic Internet Resource
A self-help resource for those with anxiety disorders. Panic attacks, phobias, extreme shyness, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and generalized anxiety disrupt the lives of an estimated 15% of the population. tAPir is a free grass-roots website dedicated to providing information, relief, and support for those recovering from debilitating anxiety.
Suicide: Youth Suicide Prevention Information Kit
Facts and figures about youth suicide from the Department of Youth Affairs.
Substance Abuse Theme Page
Collection of links from Community Learning Network in Canada related tosubstancee abuse, drug abuse, smoking, alcohol, and health.
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Check out what teachers are actually doing to assess their students. PE Central has an entire page devoted to assessment ideas.
Go back to the April 9, 2001 PELinks4U Adapted page, edited by Cindy Piletic, to get a feel for how adapted physical educators are dealing with issues of assessment.
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Make Your OwnT-shirtt
Parody T-shirts Help Counter Advertising Influence
"This activity was designed as a focused prevention activity for countering the influence of alcohol and tobaccoadvertisingg for after-school prevention programs serving ten through fourteen-year old youth. It can easily be adapted for other age youth, and for classroom use. It also can be used as a unit for infusion of drug education lessons in a computer technology course."
The Real Scoop on Tobacco
This is a very intense student activity. This activity involves research into smoking & the preparation of a persuasive anti-smoking campaign for a fellow student. This site has notes to the teacher, a case to work on, and involves problem solving by the student. Links to resources are included. Grade Level: 5-9
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Assessment in PE can be Fun and Easy
by Steve Jefferies and Wendy Mustain
Summary:
"This presentation will expose participants to some easy-to-implement and motivating methods for assessing learning in PE. Using juggling and unicycling as the subject matter, differences will be shown between quantitative and qualitative motor skill assessment methods, and suggestions for ways to assess cognitive and affective learning in PE. Participants will be shown how reports can easily be generated for students, parents, administrators, and school boards to illustrate the effectiveness of a school PE program."
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If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email one of the following Secondary PE Section Editors:
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Help to support quality physical education and health education by contributing to this site.
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