An Investigation of Grading Procedures for Secondary School Physical Education Classes in Selected Virginia School Districts

The purpose of this study was to investigate the grading pro­cedures used for secondary school physical education classes in selected Virginia school districts. A questionnaire was sent to one hundred and sixty-one physical education teachers who were listed as members of the Virginia Association For Health, Physical Education and Recreation. One hundred and seventeen questionnaires (72.5 percent) were returned. The authors of recent literature in grading practices point out that teachers base course grades on dressing out in gym uniform, skill, effort, participation, and written tests. The data gathered in this study reflect a similar situation in Virginia schools. Effects of variables such as sex, age, grade level taught, years of teaching experience and type of grade plan utilized resulted in some notable differences in the grading practices used by the teachers surveyed. Frequencies and crosstabulations were computed, and one-way frequency distribution tables, and two-way crosstabulation tables were used to arrive at the results of the study.