Clarifying a Misconception About Assessment in PE

At a nation PHE Canada conference, I ran a workshop on making self-assessment in PE both meaningful and manageable. The room was jammed with people sitting on the floor, lining the walls, even tucked in behind the projector screen.

We had everyone there: pre-service PE teachers, K–12 PE teachers, professors, people from education groups, and more. The interest in assessment was real. And the conversations after? Energizing.

But one stuck with me.

On the way back to my hotel room, two PE teachers came up and asked:

“What’s wrong with assessing effort and participation? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do in PE?”

I responded: “Nothing. And no.”

They paused, waiting for more, so I elaborated. (see below)

Because honestly, that question taps into one of the biggest myths I’ve seen in my 20+ years of teaching PE:

So, what’s the problem with assessing effort and participation?

Let’s start here: effort and participation matter in PE. You’ll never hear me say otherwise. They’re important behaviors. But they’re not intended learning goals.

The issue is this: when we base our assessment on effort or participation, we blur the line between what students are doing and what they’re learning. This leads to inaccurate grades, missed learning opportunities, and confusion for students, parents, and schools.

Effort and participation are part of the daily routine in PE—they’re how students access learning, not what they’re learning. So, when our “assessments” and grades reflect “how hard they tried” or “how involved they were,” we have to ask:

1. What are we really measuring?
2. What are students really learning?
3. What are students taking away from our classes?

Here’s a reminder:

👉Assessment is about gathering evidence of learning and doing something with it to support growth.

Can we assess student learning behaviors? Of course.

But they are best kept separate from the learning standards/outcomes we’re aiming to assess.

Why?

For better clarity and support.

Reposition effort and participation

This isn’t about ignoring effort and participation. It’s about reframing them as learning behaviors, not learning outcomes.

Here’s how:

· Clarify the focus: What learning behaviors do you value?

· Define success: Make criteria visible and clear.

· Observe and respond: Use daily check-ins or reflections.

· Involve students: Invite them to self-assess.

Information about learning behaviors is so important that it deserves its own space.

When we blend it with learning achievement, we lose clarity on how students are progressing in either area, and end up with a muddy mix of information that doesn’t tell us much about either.

Think of it this way:

Imagine two bins:

🟦 Bin A – Student Learning

🟨 Bin B – Student Behaviors

Bin A is for what you’re teaching from the PE curriculum. Be clear about the intended learning, how students will demonstrate it, and how you’ll assess it. This clarity drives your instructional decisions, what you observe, and what students reflect on.

Bin B is for the learning behaviors that support access to that learning, like effort, participation, responsibility, etc. Define what these look like, co-create success criteria, and support students in developing them over time.

Each bin deserves its own space. When we assess them separately, we can give better feedback, notice more specific growth, and avoid mixing signals in our grading.

Want to go a step further?

Invite students to reflect on how the two “bins” connect.

For example: “How has my effort and participation impacted my learning this term?”

Bottom line:

Effort and participation matter, but assessment should showcase learning progress and/or achievement. Let’s use behavior feedback to support growth, not define it, and elevate the purpose of PE for every student.