Vincent Melograno

Grading and Report Cards for Standards-Based Physical Education

P hysical education teachers are confronted with a high-stakes, standardsbased environment that has produced a grading and report card crisis. The development of content standards, greater access to information about student achievement, and an emphasis on self-directed learning styles have led to changes in the way students are taught and assessed. The shift towards authentic learning (i.e., learning that is relevant to students and the real world) and authentic assessment (i.e., an accurate determination of what students really know, can do, and value) raises questions about traditional grading practices. Traditional letter grading systems fail to provide specifi c information about learning targets, which is why authentic learning and assessment have begun to infl uence grading and reporting practices. We need to move away from traditional letter grading and begin to use a grading system that informs and truly assesses learning (O’Connor, 2002). The purpose of this article is to explore the reality of grading and report cards within the context of standards-based physical education (SBPE). The article’s specifi c objectives are to (1) identify standards for conducting quality assessments, (2) examine grading issues and concerns, (3) present guidelines for grading in SBPE programs, and (4) show examples of grading and reporting schemes that emphasize clear reference points (content standards and learning targets).

Integrating Assessment into Physical Education Teaching

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