The new school year has had many changes, not all of them welcomed by students. One of these changes is the ludicrous way that P.E. classes are conducted due to the new pre and post testing for teacher evaluation.
This year instead of simply being tested on their ability to perform in the push-up and pacer test, students must take a pre-test at the beginning of the semester. This pre-test includes the pacer and push-ups, as well as sit-ups and sit and reach. Students must then take a final test at the end of the semester and are graded on their progress as part of their final exam. This idea of a pre-test is part of the new teacher evaluation system, which tests the progress that students make throughout the semester.
This idea of evaluating teachers by students’ progress in P.E. classes is fundamentally flawed. Students gain little to no athletic capability in their activities in gym class, even with the help of teachers. Judging teachers on how their students score can be unfair, as it leaves them to the mercy of many non-caring students.
This system can also be unfair to athletes. Many people at South compete in Fall Sports and spend their suppers preparing for these activities. This means when they come to school and take their pre-tests, they can receive a fairly good score. When they have to take their final test in the winter, however, they are not at the athletic ability that they may have been in the fall when they took their pre-test.
Cross Country runners, for example, run the most when the pre-test is taken and will most likely score higher percentages. In contrast, we are just starting up again after the two week break when we will have to take the physical exam for the final. This can athletes to receive the same or even worse scores than they had previously received.
Students can also easily cheat the test by giving minimal effort in the pre-test activities and later give their full ability on the post test, which can be unfair to those who tried hard on both.
These flaws reflect a need for the district to reassess their structure and grading of the P.E. classes.
The P.E. classes should go back to a system that is not so unfair to athletes and that doesn’t have unrealistic expectations for P.E. classes.