Friday, March 21, 2014

PE Grades FAQ's - Trimester 2


Report Cards went home today!  Check out the P.E. grades!  I am very proud of many hard workers at Sexton Mountain.  In trimester 2, we are looking for growth and improvement of skills.  Please make note of the progress P.E. grade of -/=/+.  A grade of = (steady progress) or + (significant progress) is the hope.

I have posted questions that you might have and answered them as best as I can.  If you have any other questions please let me know.  I will update the Q&A below if needed.

Q:  What do the progress indicators (+,=,-) mean?

A:  For the trimester...
            - minimal or no progress in skill development
            = steady progress in skill development
            + significant progress in skill development

Q:  What do the scores 1, 2, 3 or 4 mean for the Physical Skills grade?

A:  

4 = Highly Proficient – Shows mastery of skill(s) in individual, group, and game settings.
3 = Proficient – Usually performs skill(s) correctly in some settings.
2 = Nearly Proficient – Working on performing the skill(s) correctly and consistently.
1 = Developing – Unable to perform skill(s) most of the time.

Q:  What do the scores 1, 2, 3 or 4 mean for the Fitness Concepts grade?

A:  

4 = Highly Proficient – Shows a deep understanding of concepts.
3 = Proficient – Shows understanding of concepts.
2 = Nearly Proficient – Shows a little understanding of concepts.
1 = Developing – Shows no understanding of concepts.







Q:  What do the scores 1, 2, 3 or 4 mean for the Social Skills grade?

A:  

4 = Highly Proficient – Always makes good choices.
3 = Proficient – Usually makes good choices.
2 = Nearly Proficient – Makes good choices, but needs some reminders.
1 = Developing – Needs too many reminders to make good choices



Q:  What do the scores 1, 2, 3 or 4 mean compared to the old D, M, E?

A:  The general rule of thumb we have been told, in content areas without rubrics (like PE), we should consider.
            1 as a D
            2 as an M-
            3 as an M or M+
            4 as an E

Q:  What was my student assessed on this trimester?

A:  
Grades 3-5
During 14 visits to P.E. this trimester, students focused on these skills and concepts – volleying, hand dribbling, basketball shooting, basic tumbling, sports skills, self-evaluating own skills, muscle names, benefits of physical activity, calculating heart rate (pulse), teamwork, and self-management.

Grades 1-2
During 14 visits to P.E. this trimester, students focused on these skills and concepts – hand dribbling, basketball shooting, ball-handling, basic tumbling, body changes during exercise, benefits of physical activity, teamwork, and self-management.

Q:  In the Beaverton School District, are there official P.E. Learning Targets for Physical Skills, Fitness Concepts, and Social Skills?

A:  Currently, there are only long-term targets for 3rd grade and 5th grade.  Most P.E. teachers create learning targets based off those and adjust for each grade level.
The P.E. Content Area Articulation Team is currently working on long-term targets and supporting “kid-friendly” targets for grades K-5 with the hopes it will be done by the Spring 2014.

Q:  Last year, Sexton Mtn. students in grades 3-5 each had a separate “P.E. Report Card” that showed specific skills assessments.  Students saw these score several times a year and they went home in June.  Will students have these “P.E. Report Cards" this year?

A:  I have always viewed these specific P.E. Report Cards as more helpful for the student to know where I thought they were on each skill or learning target we covered.  So it is my plan to continue using P.E. Report Cards this year.
However, with the report card changes this year, they are in DRAFT form and I haven't shown them to students.  My hope is they will first see them by the end of 3rd trimester, hopefully sooner.


NOTE:
P.E. teachers, like all teachers, are trying their best to adjust to this proficiency grading model.  We are all trying build this plane even though it has already taken off.

In fact, currently there is a content articulation team of P.E. teachers working on updating the P.E. learning targets and creating a rubric on how to grade using the proficiency model.  The goal is to complete this task by Spring to use beginning next year.  Meanwhile, P.E. grading may seem different at different schools.  For example, what I see as a 3 may not be what the P.E. teacher at another school sees as a 3.