1. Chapter 11 Effective Grading in Physical Education 11 Effective Grading in Physical Education C H A P T E R

2. Purposes for Grading and Grade Reporting Report achievement of a student to others. Students use grades as an indicator of their level of achievement. Provide an incentive to students and encourage them to learn. Grades as incentives can be used to reward effort and compliance with rules. Grades can be used to sort students. Can be indicators of program’s effectiveness.

3. Developing a Meaningful Grading System Grades should indicate the proportion of learning targets students have mastered (Guskey 1996a). Grades should be based on students’ achievement. Formulate a grading plan before instruction. Building assessment to improve performance requires that grades and reports reflect values and provide apt feedback (Wiggins 1998a).

4. Problems With Traditional Grading Practices When teachers try to factor managerial concerns, effort, improvement, attitudes and behaviors, and a host of other variables into a grade, the meaning of the grade becomes distorted and confusing (Wiggins 1998a).

5. Grading on Managerial Concerns Grading on attendance, dress for class, and participation lowers the learning expectation in exchange for student compliance. –Does not represent students’ learning. –The importance of physical education is diminished.

6. Effort Unless teachers use heart rate monitors to measure output, measuring effort is not possible. Set goals that require effort. Avoid using effort as a grading category. Let effort manifest itself when students work hard to reach criterion levels of performance. (continued)

7. Effort (continued) Effort is very difficult to judge or measure.

8. Including Behavior in a Grade Do not include behavior into a grading system without defining your expectations. Should not be used to calculate grades unless it affects student performance and causes them not to meet goals. Poor behavior needs to be dealt with by talking to students, parents, or administrators. Teacher bias may determine final outcome.

9. Improvement Grading on improvement has problems. Grading on improvement requires an assessment before the unit and at the conclusion. The novice shows the most gains. Can lead to undependable gain scores (sandbagging). Students may improve but not achieve unit objectives.

10. Grade Formats in Physical Education Narratives and checklists are used at the elementary level. Letter grades are the most commonly used form of grading at the secondary level (Hensley et al. 1987).

11. Narratives Written descriptions of students’ achievement. Can cover a variety of topics. Many comments about different students become the same. Are the most time consuming of any reporting. Computer-generated narratives lose impact when students compare their narratives.

12. Checklists Contain a list of topics or skills that are considered the content of the class. Can indicate proficiency with a scoring system. Useful for diagnosis and prescription. Parents don’t understand checklists. Parents want to know students’ achievement and how their child compares with others.

13. Letter Grades People are more accustomed to and less critical of letter grades. Of all the grading forms used, letter grades are probably the most easily misinterpreted (Guskey 1996a). Letter grades involve lack of stable and clear points of reference (Wiggins 1998a). Give parents and students rubrics to explain what a letter grade represents.

14. Standards-Based Reporting Systems Report learning in terms of content area standards. Beneficial for teachers in measuring students’ learning in terms of standards. Parent education must accompany the use of a standards-based report card.

15. Mastery Grading Reporting Systems All students are expected to master the content. Students are allowed multiple chances to learn the content. Use an A-to-F grade reporting system. Students should not be allowed to get by with an unsatisfactory score (e.g., a D or F). Grade should reflect students’ achievement for the grading period.

16. Effectively Grading in Physical Education Hetherington’s four areas of physical education. (continued)

17. Effectively Grading in Physical Education (continued) Items and areas used to calculate grades are dependent on goals and objectives. Grades should be based on predetermined criteria. Decide the total points at the beginning of marking period and determine which assessments will contribute to grade. Do not add assessments as unit proceeds.

18. Challenges in Effective Grading Practices Validity and reliability –When grades are based on measures other than achievement, the grade is not a valid indicator of the goals. –Must use valid and reliable assessment. Dependence on other students –Be sure skills of other students don’t influence another student’s grade. –Provide prior response to provide consistency and good setup. (continued)

19. Challenges in Effective Grading Practices (continued) Student skill levels and prior experience –Students with prior experience should score higher on assessments. –If standards are too high, low-skilled students feel achievement is unattainable. –If standards are too low, high-skilled students remain unchallenged. –Select a variety of units within a grading period. –Lower-skilled students can emphasize other areas such as knowledge, homework, teamwork.

20. Grading Practices for Students With Special Needs Students with disabilities –IEP documents should be used as basis for grade. –Include a narrative with grade to provide an explanation of achievement to parents. –Modify assessments used for grades. ESL (English-speaking skills) students –Use interviews or role-plays when writing is difficult. –Game play can asses knowledge of rules. –Establish policies for fair grading.

21. Suggestions for More Effective Grading Practices Establish high standards for achievement. Set the bar at an appropriate level of achievement. Look at achievement through a variety of lenses. Show the assessment plan early in the instructional unit. Keep the grading system balanced. (continued)

22. Suggestions for More Effective Grading Practices (continued) Allow students multiple opportunities for success. Allow extra practice time for lesser-skilled students. Use assessments for multiple purposes rather than just to give grades. Avoid averaging scores to arrive at a student grade. (continued)

23. Suggestions for More Effective Grading Practices (continued) Don’t give lower grades to motivate students to try harder. Don’t use zeros when calculating grades. Seek additional information when grading borderline students. Grade on a curve. Minimize the subjectivity on assessments leading to a grade. Give extra credit for extra learning, not just doing extra work.