Several months ago I wrote about "numbers" in the March
issue of pelinks4u. In particular, my concern
was centered on recommendations for the amount of physical
education minutes offered weekly in K-12 programs. Well, it
seems numbers continue to be at the forefront of my consciousness,
as I would like to chat about some numbers again in this article.
But beyond the numbers, my interest in this article also involves
taking a look at the growing push for assessment and accountability
in K-12 physical education.
A Big Personal Number
As we reach the summer of 2012 my personal big number is
my fast approaching birthday which starts with a five and
ends with a zero. Yikes! I am sure many of you can relate
to this odd feeling I have. As an off-shoot of our profession,
I suppose, inside I still feel like a pretty young person.
I continue to play impromptu games of knock-out with my students
before classes begin, and try to continue to be a role model
for leading a physically active lifestyle. Yet, I know I am
also often the same age, if not older, than many of the parents
of my students.
As much as I want to defy time and stay young on the inside
and the outside, my receding hairline and declining eyesight
remind me daily that I am fighting a losing battle. Yet, I
also know that exercise is the key to maintaining as much
of my internal youthfulness as I can. So the big question
becomes, "how do we who are getting older on the outside
find appropriate time and opportunities for daily physical
activity?"
A number we should all live with.
We all know we have 24 hours in a day. But how do we spend
that time? How do we not find time to exercise? I often struggle
with that simple question myself. A recent YouTube video
that has gone viral, by family physician and Professor Dr.
Michael Evans of the University of Toronto, refers to the
23 ½ hour Challenge.
The challenge, at least according to Dr. Evans, is not how
we find 30 minutes a day to exercise, but rather how we limit
our sedentary time to just 23 ½ hours of the day. Sounds
like a number we should all live with when put like that.
According to his
website over two million people have viewed this video
(see video on right).
So for my own personal accountability I need to find an
app that keeps track of my sedentary time (such as writing
this article) and reminds me (perhaps as sand leaving an hour
glass) of the 23 ½ hours in my day. Perhaps the visual
of my day slipping away will motivate me to begin my day with
exercise rather than waiting to "find" the time
during the day.
A Big Professional Number
As we also near the summer of 2012, a big professional
number in my home state of Virginia is 40. Why 40? Simply
because starting this fall our K-12
teacher evaluations (including physical educators) require
that 40% of the evaluation be tied to student achievement
data. Like many other states, Virginia is wrestling with increased
calls for accountability, and the assessment of teachers and
their teaching is at the forefront. Last year a school board
chairman in Virginia Beach made quite a splash when he proposed
that perhaps physical educators should be held partially
responsible when students are unable to appropriately
pass fitness tests.
Ironically the current
issue of the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation,
and Dance has published a set of articles on the use of PE
Metrics which focus on documenting student achievement.
Our National Association for Sport and Physical Education
(NASPE) has spent the last 10+ years attempting to bring valid
and reliable assessments to the gymnasium and playground in
which teachers could determine if their students were meeting
state and national standards in physical education. Teachers
in Virginia will need to select from five different types
of documentation including formal observations, informal observations,
student surveys, self-evaluations, and portfolios when preparing
their evaluation materials.
A former student of mine, now teaching a few hours away,
recently shared with me that his school district has proposed
to have all physical educators develop individual teaching
portfolios with a sample of randomly selected student data
relative to motor skill acquisition and cognitive knowledge
in fitness, nutrition, and general wellness concepts. His
school district will distribute the PE Metrics materials at
the start of next fall, and use the 4-point rubrics to assess
motor skill performance.
The increased call for accountability with K-12 teachers
must quickly reveal a response in higher education where teacher
education programs prepare the next set of teachers. Thankfully
the current accreditation process with the National Council
for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and NASPE often
has physical education teacher education programs already
implementing the use of Teacher
Work Sample as a capstone experience during student teaching.
The Teacher Work Sample will serve as appropriate training
for teachers required to document their effectiveness.
Concluding Thoughts
As we move into summer, first off, congratulations on what
I hope was another successful year. Second, I hope you can
limit your sedentary time to 23 ½ hours a day, and
take a closer look at what your students should know and be
able to do as the result of participating in your program,
and look at how you might document that achievement as a measure
of your effectiveness.
Works Cited
Graber, K.C. (2012). PE Metrics: Valid and reliable physical
education assessments. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation,
and Dance,
83(5), 15-34.
Poole, J. (2012). What’s in a number? pelinks4u,
14 (3). Retrieved May 9, 2012 from http://www.pelinks4u.org/archives/0312.htm
