Teacher Module 14.1
Documents To Go: Storing Observational Data

Objective

To create a student assessment scoring rubric, collect student performance data using a PDA, generate a student performance report, and design a lesson plan to meet the needs of the students, based on the assessment report.

National Standards for Beginning Physical Education Teachers

Standard 7 Student Assessment. Understand and use the varied types of assessment and their contribution to the overall program and the development of the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains.

Materials

*Computer workstations

*PDAs

*HotSync interfaces

*Documents To Go Software (sometimes this is already on the PDAs)

Accompanying Files

*TM14.1Worksheet1 (Daily Behavior Rating for Physical Education)

*TM14.1Worksheet2 (Daily Behavior Rating for Physical Education [Excel])

*TM14.1Worksheet3 (High School Soccer Rubric [Excel])

*TM14.1Worksheet4 (High School Soccer Rubric [Excel])

Discussion Questions

*What standards of performance are acceptable for students?

*How can teachers effectively integrate student performance into their lesson plans?

Directions

1. Set up your PDA.

a. To configure your PDA to operate with your computer, follow the instructions given by the materials that came with your PDA.

b. Be sure to confirm that the Documents To Go software has been installed on both your computer and the PDA.

c. Once the PDA has been configured for use, follow the next steps to create your assessment rubric.

2. Design a scoring rubric in Word.

a. A rubric is a rating scale that discriminates levels of performance among participants.

b. A rubric that awards everyone an A or 100% has been inappropriately designed. See worksheet 1 (filename: TM14.1Worksheet1) for an example of an effective rubric.

c. Identify the task to be rated. This can be a single task (free throw), a sequence of tasks (travel, roll, balance), or a rubric of game play (6v6 soccer).

d. Identify all of the basic elements of the movement or components of game play that will be assessed using the rubric.

e. Identify the possible levels of ability for each element or component.

f. Create specific, measurable criteria for each level of performance.

g. Determine the number of trials the students will get.

h. In a narrative form, describe (in detail) the assessment protocol. For example, in lacrosse, the student cradles the ball and accurately passes to a stationary partner five times. The student is assessed on proper form, accuracy, and receiving.

i. For many motor skills, observational assessment of performance is a reliable means of evaluating instructional objectives.

3. Design a spreadsheet for the rubric.

a. Using Microsoft Excel, create a spreadsheet. See filename: TM14.1Worksheet3 for an example of a blank rubric and filename: TM14.1Worksheet4 for one that has been filled in.

b. Create one column for student names and one for each criterion being evaluated.

c. If you are comfortable with spreadsheets, add a function in the final column (see filename: TM14.1Worksheet2). For example, you may want to average all criteria to serve as your final score.

4. HotSync your rubric using Documents To Go.

a. Open the Documents To Go software on the computer desktop.

b. Add your Microsoft Word scoring rubric or your Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

c. Place the PDA on the cradle and press the button located at the bottom of the cradle.

5. To open a Microsoft Word document on the PDA, select the Word to Go icon; for a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, select the Sheets to Go icon.

6. Collect data.

a. You must collect data on at least five participants.

b. Make the participants aware of the criteria, the number of trials, and the protocol (e.g., “Remain on the free throw line and the rebounder will return the ball to you for the next shot”).

7. Generate reports. For specific directions for creating graphs, see chapter 4.

a. Using Microsoft Excel, generate a report for the performance of the entire group and for each individual.

b. In Microsoft Excel, open the Chart Wizard.

c. Select Type of Chart.

d. Identify the data range by highlighting the rows and columns you would like to include.

e. In Chart Options, provide titles and include any other features you believe would be helpful for interpretation.

8. Create a 35-minute lesson plan. The instructional activities selected for this lesson plan must be purposefully aligned with the results described in your student performance reports. For example, if several students did not competently perform a forward roll, it would be logical to address this in your instruction.

Assessment Criteria

1. Created a performance rubric for a sport-related task containing levels of performance and clearly defined criteria (this document must be saved in Microsoft Word).

2. Created a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet containing the rubric criteria and student names.

3. Used Documents To Go to collect observational data on at least five students attempting the selected sport-related task.

4. Generated a report about the performance of the sport-related task for each individual involved and for the overall performance by the group (at least five individuals).

5. Designed a 35-minute lesson that specifically addressed the findings in the report.

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Teacher Module 14.1 Documents To Go: Storing Observational Data

From Physical Education Technology Playbook by Darla M. Castelli and Leah Holland Fiorentino, 2008, Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.