Quality Grading Quality Grading Physical EducationPhysical Education

August 29, 2013

Evaluating Student Achievement-OAISD Workshop

Colleen Lewis,Ph.D and Ingrid Johnson, Ph.D.

Grand Valley State University

Grading and Assessment Grades, progress reports, and report cards are related to

assessment because each is usually (and should be) derived from a variety of assessment scores.

Teachers need to assess accurately and use assessment to benefit students, not merely to sort and grade students

You need to have a clear purpose – why is the assessment being conducted? How will that be related to a grade for that student?

Is there a clear picture of what is being measured?

Do the assessments accurately reflect student learning? All three domains? Fitness? Again, how does this turn into a grade?

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.)

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.

Challenges to Effective Challenges to Effective Grading PracticeGrading Practice

What to Grade? Vague or immeasurable goals/objectives

Process vs. Product?

Effort vs. Achievement?

How to Grade? Valid Assessment tools, Criteria for evaluation, weighting of multiple measurements

Meeting The Challenge:Meeting The Challenge:

Develop Your “Philosophy of Grading”

Develop Your “Grading System”

Develop a Method to Calculate Final Grades Efficiently

BEFORE YOU TEACH:BEFORE YOU TEACH:

Before you ever set foot in the school, HAVE A PLAN!

*Philosophy*Objectives*Weighting*Methods

Establishing a Grading Establishing a Grading Philosophy:Philosophy:

Identify the Purposes for GradesEnhance LearningSupport Achievement of

Goals/ObjectivesCompare Grades in PE/Health vs.

“Other Classes”All 3 Learning Domains- what about

Fitness?

Ability Grouping? Other Issues?

Grades Must be Related Grades Must be Related to Stated Objectives: to Stated Objectives:

Final grade reflects a combination of psychomotor, cognitive and affective achievements

List Examples of PE Objectives:List Examples of PE Objectives:

Do this at your table/small group

Did you address all the learning domains?

Do they line up with the MI or NASPE standards?

Looking at Those Objectives: Looking at Those Objectives: How Do You Measure Them?How Do You Measure Them?

Discuss at your table

Try to come up with a variety of methods for evaluation

Are they realistic for your situation?

Do they really measure what you want them to measure? Student learning?

““Weighting” the Weighting” the DomainsDomains

Three Domains and Fitness

Different “Importance”

Different “weights” reflect the “importance”

Let’s Take a HS Let’s Take a HS Volleyball Unit: Volleyball Unit: Objectives: what are they?

SkillsKnowledgeTeam Work

How Would YOU Weight their relative importance?

WHAT you grade and HOW you WHAT you grade and HOW you grade will affect the value that grade will affect the value that students, parents and teachers will students, parents and teachers will put on your PE Program! Because it put on your PE Program! Because it REFLECTS the value YOU and your REFLECTS the value YOU and your colleagues put on it!colleagues put on it!

Develop Your Develop Your System:System:

Criteria for Good Practice:

Validity, Reliability, Objectivity, Simplicity

In Short: FAIR

If the final grade is If the final grade is “FAIR”“FAIR”

It will be based on a number of VALID measures based on GOOD TESTS!

It will be based on learning objectives in all 3 domains (and fitness)

It will be accurately calculated and clear to students

Grades Should Accurately Reflect Grades Should Accurately Reflect True AchievementTrue Achievement

Validity!For Example:

Objective: Students will master the underhand VB serve:

Measure: Mechanics of VB serve or number of serves/attempts (!)

CHALLENGE: How do you measure “effort”?

The Test Will be The Test Will be Consistent: Consistent:

Reliability!The more consistent the scores are, the more reliable the grade is!

Grades Won’t Reflect Grades Won’t Reflect “Personality “Personality Conflicts”…Conflicts”…Objectivity: Interpretation of “good form” may vary from teacher to teacher…

Rating scales and checklists “objectify” otherwise subjective measurements

Teachers Should Teach – Teachers Should Teach – Not Grade…Not Grade…

Grades are important!!! – But should never interfere with teaching and learning!

Think of ways to simplify the task

Keep It SimpleKeep It SimpleHave a SystemExplain the SystemIf a student is ever

“surprised” by his/her grade – could it be that “The System” was either too confusing or too mysterious?

Variety is Good: Variety is Good: Formal vs. Informal AssessmentDaily gradesQuick Quizzes: P/FStudent PortfoliosFormal Skills Tests

One Last Word:One Last Word:

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel- there are great resources out there!