Assessment Tips
for Physical Education

The following tips may be helpful to physical education teachers who are using assessment techniques in their classrooms.

Be very clear about WHAT is being assessed (Is it worth learning and demonstrating?).
Know WHY you are assessing (what will you do with the information? Is it feedback for students, parents, your instruction, program?).
Assessment is more than grading! Assessments should demonstrate what students know or are able to do. Assessments can "show off" learning in your program.
SHARE the information with students, administrators, other teachers, and parents as appropriate. (This will lend credibility to your program.)
Start small (your most cooperative group, one group, one class, one grade level, a few students).
Be CLEAR about the criteria (rubric standard, exemplary model, etc) for making judgments.
Allow students in on the process. (a. Using your criteria they can evaluate self, partner or others; b. allow students some choices in the manner in which they want to be assessed--include the criteria for each assessment.)
Performance assessments are assessments involving students doing a task, they can be products, performances, or processes.
Authentic assessment can be real or perceived. The more real-life, the more authentic.
There are many TYPES of assessments (peer, group, projects, oral response, observation, debate, video, paper/pencil).
If you are strapped for time to have students complete paper and pencil assessments, consider asking classroom teachers to help administer assessments in their classrooms.

Submitted by Natalie Doering, Mark Manross, and the Assessment Advisory Board. Thanks for contributing to PE Central! Posted on PEC: 9/29/99.

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Assessment Tipsfor Physical Education