Evaluating Your Physical Education Curriculum and Program

Evaluating Your Physical Education Curriculumand Program Step 8

Evaluating and updating a curriculum and physical education program is a necessary but often overlooked step • Why evaluate: • Keep curriculum/program current and dynamic • Ensure that teachers are accountable to providing students the best education possible • Many others

Curriculum Evaluation Common Mistakes in Curriculum Design • Most curriculums are dust collectors: • May use needless specificity which is not practical to implement on a daily basis or be too general such as a curriculum map only which does not define what students should be learning. The key is to strike a balance. • Huge disconnect between “theoretical curriculum” and the “implemented curriculum” • Micromanage and nobody pays attention (time in minutes, detailed schedule, little flexibility) • The curriculums you constructed have are useable on a daily basis in that the objectives relate to individual content areas, levels of game forms are specified, and a curriculum map provides a general overview. • Emphasis on curriculum planning but not lesson execution or assessment of learning • Does not address review of previously learned material • Promotes thinking of activities as discrete skills followed by full games, no intermediate steps

Curriculum Evaluation • CDC • Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool • http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/physicalactivity/ • Based on NASPE standards, developed by CDC in partnership with experts • CT Curriculum Guide • CT Teacher Inventory (non-discipline specific)

Program & Teacher Evaluation • Your Thoughts • What are some ways of evaluating a PE program and its teachers?

Program & Teacher Evaluation Program Evaluation • NASPE materials • Parents – Rate Your PE Program • Appropriate Practices • Elementary School • Middle School • High School • Components of a Quality PE Program - Developed in class

Program & Teacher Evaluation • Teacher Observations • More formal measures than can be undertaken by colleagues or supervisory individuals: • Interaction analysis • ALTPE • Observation form • Informal measures: • Answers to a series of open-ended responses given to a teacher • PE Teacher Evaluation Tool

Program and Teacher Evaluation- Indirect Measures • Attendance, dress, and participation • If more than a couple students are continually sitting out or several just “hate PE,” the program is not meeting student needs. It’s often not an enjoyable place to teach either • After school program participation • Non-school physical activity • Difficult to measure • Remember, physical activity declines markedly from middle school until the end of high school • Enrollment in elective classes

Program and Teacher Evaluation- Student Fitness Levels • Many schools choose to focus on • Cognitive: Students create personal fitness plans • Fitness scores: Based upon improvement or raw score • Some teachers object to assessing fitness scores due to innate differences between students. However, there are innate differences between students in math, writing, and other subjects, yet those teachers assess as a way to motivate and gauge student learning and program effectiveness. • Caution about • Expecting all students to achieve a certain level • Setting unrealistic criteria for particular tests (e.g., a 6-minute mile)

Time Teacher Qualifications Professional development Professional involvement Student ratio Student health and safety Facilities and equipment Program mission Curriculum Instructional practices Student assessment Inclusion Communication Program evaluation Program and Teacher Evaluation- NASPE STARS http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/stars/index.html

Program and Teacher Evaluation- Student Feedback • Create a survey asking students about the effectiveness of the PE program • Example

Program and Teacher Evaluation- Professional Development • Meet as a physical education department to address: • Achievement of standards • Improvements to the curriculum • New upcoming projects/initiatives • This is a large problem. Elementary teachers often feel isolated. Middle school and high school teachers find it difficult to meet professionally due to scheduling, coaching, and non-PE faculty development. • Teachers must MAKE the time, not look for a convenient time. Otherwise, such vital meetings often do not take place.

Evaluation Summary • Utilize tools such as effective practices, PECAT, CT inventory, NASPE PE teacher evaluation and others to determine program quality • Good evaluation • Informs programmatic change • Occurs on a regular basis • Is planned • Is based on multiple data sources • Data should inform decision

Who Leads Program & Curriculum Evaluation? • This is a problem area in physical education. Very few school districts have physical education coordinators/ supervisors. Instead, there is typically one of the following • HS department chair – has limited if any power to evaluate teachers, programs, and curriculums. • Administrator – has the authority but is not knowledgeable about PE • No supervisory structure – each teacher does “there own thing”

Candid Conversation • Who among you is intent on being a bad teacher? • You’ve been taught right at this institution – use it. You owe that to the thousands of students you will educate • If I walk into your gym some day, can you look me in the eye? • Beware the dark side, consumes many

Candid Conversation • Warning sign • Apathy • Recommendations • Sincere interest in bettering students and the profession • If you think the answer is yes, then ask

Candid Conversation • Courage! • Some of you will be told how things are done around here. Have the courage to follow your convictions and do what is right.

Candid Conversation • Physical education is not the Titanic – it can sink • Roll out the ballers are killing us • You might as well “pick up your paycheck with a mask and a gun b/c you’re stealing it” • Be a lion and not a lamb John Helion (WCU)

Candid Conversation • The choice is yours

Evaluating Your Physical Education Curriculum and Program