Fitness Assessment Initiative- Action Plan /Time Line
OASPHE Report Oct. 3rd, 2006
The emphasis and focus in the first year of committee work was to review current practices in Ontario around fitness assessment from K to 12. In addition, teachers were asked to respond to research which centred around the merits of fitness assessment and its effect on student motivation and success.
With that in mind, the work of the committee will shift to focus on investigating current research to gather evidence on effective teaching practice relating to fitness assessment from K to 12. The focus of our research explores the connection of fitness assessment to:
- setting conditions for learning and engaging students
- purpose and use of standards
- links to the curriculum
- accuracy of using standards
- connection to student success
The foundation of OASPHE’s guiding principles for fitness assessment will be derived from the research. Following that, methods and models of effective practice for fitness assessment will be published and shared with teacher across the province.
This is a three-phase process with phase one completed. A brief description of the phases highlights the committee’s action plan and time line for completion of this initiative.
PHASE I – Gathering evidence about current practices and beginning research and reactions from teachers across the province. Evidence has been collated and will be shared at the committee’s Oct. 30th meeting.
PHASE II – Research directed to gather more significant evidence to support our fitness assessment practice, K to 12. Committee members will gather research from across the province and the country over the next few months (Nov. - Jan. 2007). The committee will focus specifically on research that explores the purpose and goal of fitness assessment, use of standards and the connection to assessment and evaluation practices.
PHASE III – Based on research findings, the committee will sculpt guiding principles and solicit/ develop/ gather methods and models to be used for fitness assessment that reflect these guiding principles. The guiding principles and methods/models will be brought to the OASHPE table for approval before publishing.
The committee hopes to present a workshop at the spring general meeting that delivers these guiding principles and presents two or three models of fitness assessment.
Once concern of the committee is the scope of this project and the need for representation at all divisions, primary/junior/ intermediate/senior. In addition, there needs to be a clear delineation between fitness assessment in H&PE and assessment of fitness within the DPA model.