Feedback from employers of graduates indicates a need to include a focus on generic skills to complement disciplinary expertise. Educational research shows that such skills are most effectively taught in the disciplinary context. Therefore, in order to better meet the requirements of employers for graduates who are more 'fit for purpose', universities may need to change the curriculum and how it is taught. Such changes involve significant investment in staff development and monitoring of the change process. Measures of effectiveness of changes must be developed and used to improve graduate quality. This paper describes how a business school has identified a set of generic skills to be taught to all undergraduate students and begun implementing a project to teach and assess the skills in the context of each discipline. The measures of effectiveness that were developed are outlined and lessons learned to date in efforts to improve educational quality are discussed.

Quality and Generic (Professional) Skills

Grading refers to the symbols assigned to individual pieces of student work or to composite measures of student performance on report cards. This review of over 100 years of research on grading considers five types of studies: (a) early studies of the reliability of grades, (b) quantitative studies of the composition of K–12 report card grades, (c) survey and interview studies of teachers’ perceptions of grades, (d) studies of standards-based grading, and (e) grading in higher education. Early 20th-century studies generally condemned teachers’ grades as unreliable. More recent studies of the relationships of grades to tested achievement and survey studies of teachers’ grading practices and beliefs suggest that grades assess a multidimensional construct containing both cognitive and noncognitive factors reflecting what teachers value in student work. Implications for future research and for grading practices are discussed.

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A Century of Grading Research: Meaning and Value in the Most Common Educational Measure

Assessment is one of the most fraught and troublesome issues physical educators have had to deal with over the past 40 years or so. In light of the challenges this situation presents, in this paper we provide an overview of the international literature on assessment in school physical education. We give an account of both traditional and alternative forms of assessment, focusing in particular on recent approaches that may be considered belong to the latter category of assessment. We found that traditional assessment instruments such as Physical Fitness Tests and subjective assessment criteria such as grading students' effort and clothing have been popular approaches to assessment. We also found alternative assessment approaches now in use that have a stronger educational focus. Thus, while we consider that this overview of research studies provides evidence of genuine progress in an area that has been fraught with difficulties for physical education as an educational endeavour, there is work to be done to disseminate what we understand to be good assessment practices. In closing, we briefly note some further challenges for research on assessment in physical education.

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Alternative assessment in physical education: a review of international literature

This paper identifies 'quality' as an internationally relevant concept to be problematised in contemporary debates about physical education (PE). Drawing on the conceptualisation of curriculum by B. Bernstein in 1977, pedagogy and assessment as three inter-related message systems of schooling, the paper presents and explores curriculum, pedagogy and assessment as three fundamental dimensions of 'quality PE'. Discussion addresses what quality in each dimension may mean in PE, and demand in practice. Contemporary initiatives in Australia and New Zealand provide a reference point for exploring the prospective application of quality conceptualised in terms of the three inter-related dimensions. Attention is drawn to frameworks in mainstream education that may be utilised in endeavours to critically review current practices, and inform developments directed towards achieving quality in PE. It is argued that achieving quality in PE requires that quality is pursued and demonstrated within and across curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, and that meanings of quality always need to be contextualised in cultural, social and institutional terms.

Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment: three message systems of schooling and dimensions of quality physical education

Background: Incorporating assessment as a regular practice can enhance teaching and learning in primary physical education. However, there is little evidence to suggest primary teachers use assessment strategies regularly in their physical education classes. Purpose: To explore the impact of incorporating assessment into primary teachers’ physical education practices on (a) their perspectives on assessment and (b) teaching and learning in primary physical education. Methodology: Primary teachers in Limerick (n = 2) and Dublin (n = 3) participated in initial focus group interviews exploring practices and understandings of assessment in physical education. Each teacher then planned and delivered a series of lessons where assessment was considered in relation to the learning intentions. Their experiences were captured using reflective journals (Limerick) and a mid-point focus group interview (Dublin). Both groups of teachers participated in a third focus group interview after lessons were completed. Qualitat...

Implementing formative assessment in primary physical education: teacher perspectives and experiences

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).

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Grading and Report Cards for Standards-Based Physical Education

Portfolio Assessment: Documenting Authentic Student Learning

(1997). Integrating Assessment into Physical Education Teaching. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 68, No. 7, pp. 34-37.

Integrating Assessment into Physical Education Teaching

Results of comprehensive surveys (1980 and 1988) were compared relative to physical education for handicapped students. A direct, self-report methodology was used. Statewide (Ohio) samples of 241 (1980) and 242 (1988) physical education teachers participated. Data indicated that the status of physical education for handicapped students had remained the same. By 1988, only 14% of the teachers had contributed to a multidisciplinary staff for developing IEPs. Teachers’ lack of knowledge of PL 94-142 was revealed in both years, and interest in teaching handicapped students was no better than “neutral/mixed” (1988). A majority of teachers in 1980 and 1988 indicated a general need for assistance in motor behavior assessments. By 1988 a majority of teachers (51%) had not received encouragement/support from their administration. In both years, over 75% believed that handicapped students are excluded from participation in physical education due to “nature of handicap” and “functional ability.” Overall, results in ...

Status of Physical Education for Handicapped Students: A Comparative Analysis of Teachers in 1980 and 1988

Staff development is essential for physical educators who teach students with disabilities in the regular program. In the past, in-service providers were primarily concerned with assessment procedures, curriculum content, and teaching methodology. These same professionals failed to acknowledge the importance of various issues and concerns (e.g., school district policies, procedures, and practices) when planning and conducting staff development. Content covered in this paper includes (a) issues and concerns that affect what teachers learn in staff development programs, (b) use of established group process techniques (Nominal Group Technique and Interpretive Structural Modeling) to identify issues and concerns that influence teachers’ abilities to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and (c) differences between teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions concerning which issues and concerns are important.

Vincent Melograno

Papers

Grading and Report Cards for Standards-Based Physical Education

Portfolio Assessment: Documenting Authentic Student Learning

Integrating Assessment into Physical Education Teaching

Status of Physical Education for Handicapped Students: A Comparative Analysis of Teachers in 1980 and 1988

Group Techniques to Facilitate Staff Development Pursuant to IDEA