Integrity, tenacity, ownership, and compassion: the four core values every student at IHS knows by heart because they are principles IHS strongly believes their students should live by. Now, they’re even part of students’ Physical Education (PE) grades. With the introduction of a core value-based rubric this year, students will be assessed based on how well they exhibit these principles. Another major part of students’ PE grades is their performance on written examinations. Tests at the end of each unit, a midterm, and a final all assess students on in-depth knowledge of muscles, exercises, and rules of sports. While these written assessments may focus students’ learning, there are possible alternatives that could test students effectively while keeping them engaged and active at the same time.
As students, schoolwork often prevents us from spending time outdoors. We cycle from one desk to another, both at school and at home, only seeing the light of day when taking a shortcut through the Quad. As an escape from this sedentary lifestyle, PE offers an opportunity to be active, which has numerous benefits for both physical and mental health. Exercise results in the production of endorphins (hormones that improve mood and decrease stress), better memory and brain function, greater energy, and reduced risk of heart diseases and other chronic illnesses. With so many health benefits, PE is a rare and crucial time of day in which students can exercise and get their blood pumping.
Unfortunately, written tests in PE have placed a greater focus on studying and memorization. The written tests leave little space for students to focus on and demonstrate their own personal growth in the sport. A student’s PE grade should be based on engagement and effort rather than their ability to remember facts.
The flaw that stands out the most in the written tests is the inconsistency among the PE teachers. Especially for midterms and final exams, some teachers require students to learn more information than others, and a large portion of the test material is not discussed enough during class. Rules are normally explained only once in detail before gameplay and are not always reinforced throughout the unit. For students unfamiliar with game rules, written tests can be difficult and take more time. Similar to taking a math test without being given notes, this system seems illogical and unfair.
That being said, as a class based on physical activity, ideally, PE time should not be spent merely learning rules and listening to lectures. Finding substitutes to written tests that let students be active could improve student engagement, while still allowing PE teachers to assess knowledge and understanding of the information.
For example, teachers could devote certain days at the end of each unit to testing
students’ efforts by observing them play the sport. If students were given a few days notice prior to this test, then they would have time to prepare and ask questions about gameplay beforehand. In observing individuals during this exam, the teacher could assess students’ accurate play. The goal would still be to hold the student accountable in demonstrating their progression throughout the unit. Allowing the student to work towards improving fitness rather than memorizing facts might encourage more self-driven goals to become more physically active, which is arguably one of the primary goals of PE. This is more fair than asking everyone to attain the standardized level of skill of someone who has been playing the sport for longer, when in fact, everyone starts somewhere different. In music ensemble classes, students don’t necessarily have to be great. They just have to put in the effort and focus on their growth as musicians to get good grades. Students don’t get tested on music theory, and it shouldn’t be any different for PE.
The muscles identification assessment is an especially good example of a written exam that could be improved by being more interactive. Students could create and present warm-ups to share with the class and be tested on their knowledge of muscle groups used during particular exercises. In order to prepare students, teachers could frequently include muscle identification during class activities in the weeks leading up to the presentations. If the function and location of different muscle groups were constantly reiterated throughout the course of the year, students would naturally learn the muscle groups simply by paying attention. This alternative has already been adopted by some teachers but hasn’t yet been used by all of them, making the inconsistency between teachers again apparent.
Written tests have fundamentally changed PE from an active, stress-relieving period to a class in which memorization takes priority. Possible alternatives would give students the opportunity to demonstrate their own personal self-growth and understanding of the sport while still experiencing the rare time of day not spent staring at the board. Testing is the core to most classes. But PE is no average class. It deserves a system that meets the perfect balance of student engagement and accountability.