“Academic” Summatives in PE?

Running laps, playing sports and sweat. These are the fundamental actions and scents we associate with PE class. Perhaps we even think about Health class and learning about decision making or related topics. Accordingly, I’m pretty sure the last thing we think of is writing essays and taking tests. However, in our grade 9 and 10 Health and PE classes, we have been taking ‘academic’ summatives that are usually not associated with the traditional PE class assessments. Nevertheless, this is not to say that they are harmful or bad, or even that I dislike these assessments. If anything, I prefer and welcome them. Keep in mind that I use the word ‘academic’ lightly; it implies a more formal or traditional format for an assessment such as ones you would complete in a History or English class. They often feature essays or projects of some sort with an emphasis on writing or a quiz/test.

Obviously, I am quite biased. I am not the most physically “adept” person you have met and having physical “skill” based summatives doesn’t quite help my grade. I can’t run till 10.3 on the beep test to get an A, but I can definitely write a “letter to the editor” giving advice for various scenarios or take a simple multiple choice question and short answer test about fitness. For me personally, academic summatives tend to be easier to score well on than physical-based assessments; therefore, it makes sense that I strongly like and encourage academic summatives, solely to improve my grade. Similarly, collaboration and cooperation based assessments, which have been heavily introduced to the curriculum, are also beneficial to non-physically inclined students, in my experience.

I’m sure there are many students that agree with me and also many that disagree. Terry M believes that the academic summatives “[give] students who are less physically fit the opportunity to nevertheless achieve high grades in PE.” Daniel P concurs, saying that he thinks “we need academic summatives to boost our PE grades,” giving the reason that “no matter how athletic you are, it’s extremely hard to get good grades in PE.” This is true to a certain extent; as the PE grading system has moved towards a more collaboration and participation grading system combined with the physical aspect, even the most athletically skilled students need to do more to achieve a good grade. Jennifer Y thinks that they are understandable as “they have to test your health knowledge somehow” and so, in her opinion, “the tests are okay.” But, she adds that the “poster and creative projects are a little redundant and don’t really teach anyone anything.”

Some other students also believe that even if the academic summatives are good, they do have some flaws. Gabriel K acknowledges their beneficial qualities but adds that “the rubrics are not specific [and] we don’t get much practice or do formatives that will help us prepare for the summative test,” unlike how we do in other classes. Terry also believes that the “rubrics are too vague and they don’t explain what the teachers are looking for.”

At the same time, students believe that this doesn’t really matter as Sophia M and Cathy Z believe that these academic summatives are a way to get an “easy A” in PE. I wouldn’t quite say that it’s an easy A but definitely at least a B+ or A- is achievable without a great deal of effort. These summatives undoubtedly help countless students raise their overall grade averages; accordingly, they enjoy or at least do not complain about such tasks.

Conversely, some students completely disagree describing them as a “waste of time” and a task that “won’t help […] students […] enhance their knowledge.” One student even referred to the academic summatives as  “dumb.” It is, nevertheless, an accepted statement, that having all students like something, unanimously, would be all but impossible.

Either way, the academic PE, or more accurately, Health summatives are here to stay and can be a useful tool for teachers to help less physically talented students maintain a satisfactory grade. They should be seen as an opportunity, not a burden 🙂