Assessment and Grading in Physical Education

July 2009

Assessment and Grading in Physical Education

Maria Carmela R. Labindao
Physical Educator High School

Assessment has been a fraught subject for physical educators (Kirk, 2005). Thus, it has always been a concern of not only of physical educators, but of educational administrators as well. Assessment has been put under scrutiny especially when students receive a low grade in this subject which, unfortunately, is seen as a minor subject compared to Math and Science in the Philippine education. But one has to take note that physical education, together with its counterparts in the special subjects (MAKABAYAN) area, is not what it seems an easy subject to pass. Giving grades lies on the difficulty of choosing the right assessment which is derived from the complexity and multidimensional character of the subject, where we seek to achieve learning outcomes across cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains (Kirk, 2005). This then entails the use of different assessment tools which mean more testing for the students to adequately measure learning, which the physical educator must account for. Hence, it is important to note that a review on assessment and grading procedure in the physical education program of schools should be done in order to improve curriculum and instruction. ASSESSMENT IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION To have a better look into assessment and grading, one has to understand first of what we mean by assessment especially in Physical Education. Assessment, in a general sense, includes batteries of validated tests. These tests are also available in Physical Education but these tend to relate only to the psychomotor domain, and sometimes barely adequate (Kirk, 2005). Too often, the physical educator measures psychomotor competence, which creates contexts that mitigate against student success no matter how much effort the students exerts. The non-athletic students inevitably become discouraged as they accept lower grades and try to protect themselves from further failure by avoiding physical activity. These tests of competence are guilty of rewarding skill performance which neglects personal effort, social engagement and
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cognitive decisions (Brown & Hopper, 2006). For that reason, the physical educator must erase the traditional viewpoints about assessment. In order to create and select the best assessment tool, physical educators have to keep in mind that students attend PE classes mainly because they expect to have fun and to learn about becoming and staying active (Brown & Hopper, 2006). It is also understandable that for PE teachers, the promotion of physical activity is their primary concern and probably the most important aim in the curriculum (Hill, 2003 as quoted by Brown & Hopper, 2006), however, for principals and parents, accountability of learning through assessment is the dominant concern; Educators are being challenged to provide proof of student learning and program effectiveness (Robinson & Turkington, 1994 as quoted by Brown & Hopper, 2006). Thus, the physical educator must then provide these proofs of learning (assessments) which balances the psychomotor, cognitive, and affective domains before assigning a grade.

GRADING AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION The concern on assessment in physical education gives rise to grading practices and procedures of the physical educator. Teachers and schools have their own grading systems. This aspect of determining a grade places the teacher and school administrators to be accountable in assigning the breakdown of grades, and to communicate this very well to students and their parents so they know what to work on to be able to reach that high mark, especially for those who are not athletic and not gifted with exceptional psychomotor abilities. To investigate on breakdown of grade in physical education, the author conducted an informal interview with a physical education practicum student in the University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS). The grade breakdown in the said school for Physical Education in both the grade school and high school level was 50% practical tests and 50% attendance and participation, as relayed by the interviewee to the author. This breakdown was mainly based on the schools objective for Physical Interview with the practicum student was an alternative option as the author was not able to formally request from
the school principal of UPIS to conduct a benchmark with them. It is important to note that no other information about UPIS was disclosed by the said practicum student other than what is written in this paper.

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Education, which is to make students acquire skills and at the same time have fun and enjoy the activities. Additionally, the author conducted an interview with her former professor, Professor Ariel Juliano of the University of the Philippines College of Human Kinetics, As explained by Professor Juliano, the breakdown of grade in physical education depends on what the school curriculum dictates. Physical education, by its nature, is a performance-based subject; hence, performing a skill or psychomotor competence should be given more weight. He suggested 60% should be allotted to practical tests, and the remaining 40% will be allotted for other aspects such as participation/effort, attendance, and written exams. He further explained that if the school wants to include theoretical or written assessment in the grade breakdown, they are entitled to do so. However, he advises that in including this in the breakdown, the administrator of academic affairs in schools (or the schools academic policy making body) should always go back to the objectives/aim of the schools physical education program. On further investigation on grade breakdown, and to probe into the crucial aspect of accountability for student learning and achievement in physical education, a review on Doolittles (2007) article entitled, Is the Extinction of High School Physical Education Inevitable? was done. The article gave important note on the too many physical education programs hold student accountable only for attendance and good behavior. Moreover, Doolittle gave notice also on how students, parents, school personnel, and the public know and collude with the fact that showing up and taking part is all that is required to pass high school physical education. Therefore, it is essential for physical educators and school administrators to communicate well to students that they are held responsible for learning so they will not assume that what is being taught in PE classes is not important. Participation is important in PE, but, participation alone is not working at the secondary level (Doolittle, 2007). To emphasize her point, Doolittle used the Physical Education program of Victor High School in New York as an example.

Professor Ariel Juliano is the authors undergraduate thesis adviser for her Bachelor of Sports Science degree in the
University of the Philippines College of Human Kinetics (UP CHK). He graduated with a Bachelor of Physical Education and a Master of Science in Physical Education degree in the same university. Currently, he is a faculty member in the UP CHK, and teaches service PE classes and HK major subjects, and at the same time, he coaches the UP Tennis Varsity Team.

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To point out student accountability, students in the said high school were given a syllabus that describes exactly what they are expected to learn and how they will be assessed and graded. The following is the grade breakdown of the said school for physical education: 60% Physical Skills assessed according to written rubrics, through skill demonstration and game application. 20% Cognitive assessed through a written quiz or project 20% Effort assessed through a students daily participation

Thus, 80% of the grade is based on students knowledge and ability to perform the activity, and the remaining 20% is clearly for daily participation graded with a rating scale or rubric. This achievement-based grading system in the PE program of Victor High School received positive responses, and the teachers work hard to ensure that these responses are maintained. The students in the said school are now used to being graded on their performance, and that they take it seriously. In similarity with Doolittles article, Nazario (2005), quoting Tousignant and Siedentop, (1983) points out that physical education teachers have the tendency to be primarily concerned with behavior rather than with how much students learn. For this, physical education teachers need to stop grading their students based on participation and attendance, and should start reexamining the meaning of assessment on their daily teaching. They need to start moving towards instruction combined with assessments that focus on complex motor, cognitive, and affective goals (Doolittle, 1996; Mustain, 1995 as quoted by Nazario, 2005).

Effective Grading After seeing to it that the grading breakdown and accountability is well explained and communicated to the students, the physical educator must now take into account the DOs and DONTs for effective grading. In the book by Hopple (2005) entitled Elementary Physical Education Teaching and Assessment: A Practical Guide, she used McMillans (1997) guide for effective grading (see table 1). It provides succinct
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guidelines which helps the PE teacher to establish a more sound, defensible approach to grading.
Table 1: The DOs and DONTs of Effective Grading
DO Grade fairly DONT Allow personal bias, labels, or previous teachers comments to affect student grades.

Grades students based on their achievements of realistic, important objectives and standards that the majority of students should be able to achieve.

Lower grades for misbehavior, lack of effort, or not dressing out or wearing shoes/appropriate uniform. Increase grades because of good effort on students part, even if he or she has not mastered the desired objective. Assign a grade performance. relative to other students

Inform students, parents, and administrators in writing of grading procedures at the beginning of the year.

Keep grading procedures secret.

Use multiple assessments in order to determine a grade.

Rely on only one or two assessments for a grading period. Rely on the same type of assessment in order to determine a grade.

ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT The Dos and DONTs of effective grading are indeed helpful to the physical educator, however, to enable them to actually grade effectively, practical assessment tools are needed by the physical education to measure student learning. These assessment tools are what educators call alternative assessments or performance assessments. Alternative assessment tasks require students to do something, such as construct a tangible item, perform an artistic event, or demonstrate a physical activity; students are then expected to do more than recite information or memorize discrete facts (Hopple, 2005). A closer look at types of alternative assessments and its characteristics is then needed to further understand their value in Physical Education.

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The Four Ps of Alternative Assessments (Hopple, 2005) There are four basic types of alternative assessment tasks (McTighe & Ferrera, 1998; Puckett & Black, 1994). These are: 1. Products. Tangible, concrete items that students create through either the written, visual, or auditory media (i.e. student drawings of themselves performing a skill, student-created brochures promoting benefits of physical activity, collage of pictures and photos showing importance of physical fitness). 2. Process-focused tasks. Shows the thinking processes and learning strategies students use as they work (i.e. solving a physical task in team building activities). 3. Portfolio. A collection of student work and additional information gathered over a period of time that demonstrates learning progress (may include results from traditional assessments, product tasks, process-oriented tasks, and other information). 4. Performances. Observable affective or psychomotor behaviors that are put into action (i.e. playing a game that demonstrates abilities and team work of members, performing a completed dance to show choreography and interaction with group mates). The table below shows a summary of different types of alternative assessments used in Physical Education.
Table 2: Alternative Assessment used in Physical Education
Alternative Assessments Products Web site Bulletin Boards Collage Banner Public Service Announcement (PSA) Sculpture Photograph Drawing picture Videotaping sequence or game Designing a brochure or book Process-focused tasks Problem solving an adventure-type task (group or individual) Creating a game Creating educational gymnastics/dance/creative movement sequence Creating an obstacle course Analyzing partners performance Self-reflections Journal Entries Research reports Portfolios A product itself made up in part of individual assessment sheets (portfolio tasks) that may be traditional or alternative in nature. They may also include information based on performance assessment tasks, health data, and more. Performances Skills/cue checks during tasks or game play Role playing Officiating a game Teaching the class a skill Affective (cooperative) behaviors toward others during participation Physically solving an adventure-type task Debates Fitness tests Performing educational gymnastics/dance/creative movement sequences 6

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Alternative assessment is also called as authentic assessment. Authentic assessment is defined as assessment done in a real life setting. The instruction and assessment are both born out of situations from what life is really like. For example, in the game performance assessment, instead of taking a skill out of the context of the game, we would observe the skill in the game. The more the assessment takes place in real life, the more authentic it is (Harvey, 2007). Likewise, authentic assessment, according to Doolittle (1996), is more reliable and valid; these assessments are designed to take place in real life settings, they are more frequent, and they help the teacher to keep record of an individuals performance or achievement.

CHOOSING APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT After identifying different types of alternative assessments, the next task is to choose the appropriate assessment tool. As physical educators and school administrators face the increasing pressure to demonstrate accountability through student assessment, they must find and use quality assessments that are appropriate for their students (Johnson, 2005). In order to guide and help physical educators in their selection of assessment, the following criteria were given by Johnson (2005):

1. Does the assessment assess the intended performance outcome? 2. Is the assessment developmentally appropriate? 3. Are there identified criteria for success? 4. Is the assessment a part of the learning task? 5. Is the assessment practical?

To further understand these criteria, the author further reviewed the work of Johnson to clearly explain each criterion.

Assesses the Intended Outcome It is important for physical educators to closely look at the assessment to determine whether it is actually assessing the performance outcome that is intended to be assessed (Johnson, 2005). This means that the PE teacher must select the
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assessment that identifies the performance outcome of the students ability to do a skill. They must also ask themselves, as suggested by Johnson, the following questions to be sure that they are really getting quality information about student performance in relation to the intended outcome:

1. What is the performance outcome that I want to assess? 2. In what ways does this assessment give me the information that I want? 3. Are there variables included in the assessment that make the results dependent on the performance of another student?

Developmentally Appropriate In an article by Gosset (2007) entitled, Skill Assessment in Elementary Physical Education: An Appropriate Progression, the three domains of learning is taken into account in physical education of the K-12 program of the US education system, whereas in the secondary level physical education, assessment is focused on the acquisition of sport skills and the development of fitness. Gosset added that when assessing, two questions arise: when is a child developmentally (physically) ready to be assessed on various sport skills, and what types of skills is the student ready to be tested? Similarly, Johnson (2005) explains that physical educators must look at what the students are being asked to demonstrate and whether in fact it is appropriate for that developmental level. Moreover, the physical educator must understand the developmental levels or know where to find the resources to help in the decision-making process.

Criteria for Success This simply tells the physical educator that their students should be well informed on what is expected of them to ensure success is likely to be achieved. The students should know at the start of the class or before the unit begins what are the criteria for a certain skill.

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Part of the Learning Task Here, assessment should be seen as embedded in instruction rather than an extension. When assessment is embedded in the instructional task, it provides the students the information relative to student performance, this then makes them more able to demonstrate what they know and can do (Johnson, 2005).

Is the assessment practical? Practicality of an assessment is one important factor to be considered in physical education. It is important for the physical educator to look at the assessment and determine whether or not it is practical for his or her class. The following questions may help PE teachers evaluate the practicality of the assessment for their classes (Johnson, 2005):

1. Can the assessment be embedded in an instructional task? 2. Is the information that I am getting from the assessment worth the students time and my time? 3. Am I able to complete the assessment in a reasonable time (one or two periods)? 4. Am I able to record the data in an efficient manner, with or without the use of technology?

QUALITY ASSESSMENT How does the physical educator know that the assessment chosen is quality assessment? This question is something for the physical educator to think and reflect on. Hopple (2005) listed the most common characteristics of quality assessment taken from experts and from her own thoughts. These characteristics of quality assessment, when reflected on by the physical educator, is substantial in improving her assessment tasks or her decision in selecting assessment tools/tasks the next time she teaches the same unit/lesson for the next school year. The following is the list of characteristics of quality assessment made by Hopple:

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Quality assessment is valid. Good assessment measures what it is supposed to measure. Care must be taken to ensure that an assessment truly measures what it has set out to measure.

Quality assessment is reliable. The results from an assessment should be consistent. Assessments, being both reliable and valid are the cornerstones of quality assessment.

Quality assessment is fair. The assessment should be free from cultural, racial, and economic bias, and treat all students in an ethical manner. It allows al students, regardless of socio-economic status, race, or gender, to have an equal chance to perform well.

Quality assessment uses many methods.

One method is not enough to

determine the scope of students knowledge and abilities. Judgments should not be based only on one P from the four Ps of alternative assessment however valid or fair it may be. Multiple, varied measures of assessment should be used over time to yield the most accurate picture of students capabilities. Quality assessment uses repeated observations of performance. Using data gathered during a number of observations is a more dependable way to determine what a child has learned. The best assessment situation gives students repeated opportunities not only to learn but also to demonstrate what they have learned. Quality assessment is efficient and practical. If teachers perceive assessment as impractical and inefficient, it will likely not be considered important. An impractical and inefficient assessment may be administered incorrectly, generating unfair results. Quality assessment both enhances and develops out of instruction. This means that assessment is seamless in nature. Seamless assessment process represents teaching, learning, and assessing as interwoven. Hopple, quotes Chappuis and Stiggins (2002) to explain seamless assessment: Assessment becomes an instructional tool that promotes learning rather than being an event just to get grades. The outcome then is good assessment that adds to (not detracts from) the instructional process and time for instruction.
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Quality assessment reflects clear targets for accomplishments. It sets out specific and appropriate expectations for students. They are told how the assessment will be scored and exactly what knowledge or skills will be required. It is then clear to the students that it is their responsibility to perform at an acceptable level or not.

Quality assessment serves instructionally relevant purposes. Quality assessment practices, rather, have a clear intention for who receives the results and how they will be used.

Quality assessment appropriately incorporates technology. It does not rely on technology merely to try out the newest gadget. Teachers must have

adequate training for the technology, and students, when expected to use the technology for assessment, also need previous repeated exposure to it. Quality assessment communicates results quickly. Students should receive timely feedback on their performance and the opportunity to see what they did correctly (or not). This information helps them to further their learning. Involving students in the assessment process encourages them to take charge of their own learning, instead of making it a process that is out of their control (therefore not valued).

IMPLICATIONS IN THE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION To sum it up, the preceding information on assessment, grading, and accountability necessitates the physical educator and the school administrators to look into and review assessment and grading procedures and practices in Physical Education. In planning on grading system by the physical educator and school administrators, change in grading must be discussed and agreed on based on the needs of their students and the priorities of/for their program (Doolittle, 2007). The assessment and grading should be integrated within the teaching and learning process, rather than seeing it at the end of the instructional unit (seamless assessment). In this way, it promotes learning and becomes more than just an event to get grades (Hopple, 2005). This would then break the tradition of teaching to the test by educators.

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Another important point to remember is that, physical educators should see the implications of good and effective grading to students grading is, for better or worse, is a critical part of the educational process; it is an area that deserves more attention than we generally give it (Hopple, 2005). Furthermore, physical educators must

communicate well to their students that they should earn grades, and that teachers have no business at all in giving grades, but rather, determine only the grade earned by the students. Physical educators must also ensure the quality of assessments that they use. It is noteworthy that quality assessments tend to be more alternative, authentic, and appropriate for students than most traditional assessments (Hopple, 2005). As a final point, physical educators, as well as school administrators and those involved in the academic policy making of the school should use these assessments in improving curriculum. Quality assessment offers a number of benefits to those involved in the educational process (Hopple, 2005). These benefits are:

It improves instruction. It guides the process of writing effective curriculum (units, time spent on each, and so on). It shows the overall effectiveness of a program. It gives teachers make placement decisions. It helps us communicate the effectiveness of our program to others.

Through quality assessment tasks, we can ascertain whether students are learning what we set out to teach (Hopple, 2005).

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References: Brown, S., Hopper, D. 2006. Can all Students in Physical Education get an A?: Game Performance Assessment by Peers as a Critical Component of StudentLearning. School of PE, University of Victoria. Doolittle, S. April 2007. Is the Extinction of High School Physical Education Inevitable? Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Vol. 78, No. 4, p. 7 -9. Doolittle, S. 1996. Practical Assessment for Physical Education Teachers. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, Vol. 67, No. 8, p. 35-38 Gosset, M. January 2007. Skill Assessment in Elementary Physical Education: An Appropriate Progression. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Vol. 78, No. 1, p. 14 15. Harvey, S. 2007. Using Generic Invasion Game for Assessment. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, Vol. 78, No. 4. p. 19-50 Hopple, C. 2005. Elementary Physical Education Teaching and Assessment: A practical Guide. Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois, USA. Jefferies, S., Jefferies, T., & Mustain, W. 16 April, 1997. Why Assess in PE?. PE Central. Online. http://www.pecentral.org/assessment/assessmentresreach.html Johnson, L. October 2005. Choosing Appropriate Assessments. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Vol. 76, No. 8, p. 46 47, 56. Kirk, D. 2005. Model-Based Teaching and Assessment in Physical Education: The Tactical Games Model. Physical Education: Essential Issues, edited by Ken Green & Ken Hardman. SAGE, London. p. 129 142. Nazario, L.M. 2005. The Use of Alternative Assessment in Physical Education: Why Some Do But Many More Dont. A Dissertation, Department of Sport Management, Recreation Management and Physical Education, College of Education, Florida State University.

The author extends her deepest gratitude to: Prof. Ariel Juliano for sharing his time, knowledge and expertise in Physical Education, and to Mr. Dominic Corleto, the authors intermediary to the UPIS.

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