Teaching Evaluation Forms for Physical Educators

Reflect, reflect, reflect! Evaluation forms serve as a way of assessing your own teaching performance and help provide a clear picture of what you are doing specifically, which may differ from your intention or what you perceive is happening.

Different Ways to Record

1. Duration Recording: ​Measures the amount of time a defined behavior occurs in class.
  • Teacher Behaviors: Management time, Task presentation length, and ​Circulating in class.
  • Student Behaviors: ​Management time, Practice time, Academic learning time, On/off task time, and Waiting time.​
2. Event Recording: ​Measures the frequency of defined events.
  • Teacher Behaviors: Use of students' first names,  Cues given, Feedback given, Questions, and Checking for understanding.
  • Student Behaviors: Practice trials, Success rate, Feedback received, and ​Questions asked.
​3. Momentary Time Sampling: Measures the occurrence and non-occurrence of behaviors at predetermined times in the lesson.
  • Teacher Behaviors: Pedagogical moves and ​Location in class.
  • Student Behaviors: % of students on task at any moment, % of students practicing at any moment, Student success rate, ​and Appropriate task structure.
​​Exhibit 2.7 - Instructional Models for Physical Education (3rd Edition), Metzler, M. (2011) ​by Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers. Used with permission of the publisher.​​​

20 Indicators of Effective Physical Education Instruction

"​The indicators detailed in the checklist reflect the practices and policies recommended in SHAPE America’s guidance documents: The Essential Components of Physical Education and Physical Education Program Checklist. When conducting a walk-through evaluation or an evaluative observation of a physical education class, school administrators should expect to see the following practices." Open in New Tab.

Academic Learning Time - Physical Education

Assesses the amount of time students are engaged in academic learning. The class is coded in 10 second intervals (select the category that represents what 50% or more of the students are doing during that interval). Categories include: activity, transitioning, management, knowledge (cognitive learning), waiting, or off-task. Open in New Tab.

Content Development

Assesses the type of tasks in a lesson and the order in which they were presented. Lessons should include each of the four types of tasks but there is no recommended order (tasks should vary). ​Open in New Tab.

Lieberman-Brian Inclusion Rating Scale for Physical Education​

"The purpose of this rating scale is to evaluate the effort made by teachers to include children with disabilities and create a universally designed environment." Open in New Tab.

Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool

"The Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT) is a self-assessment and planning guide developed by CDC. The PECAT is designed to help school districts and schools conduct clear, complete, and consistent analyses of physical education curricula based upon national physical education standards." 

Qualitative Measures of Teaching Performance Scale

Assesses the quality of various teacher processes that impact student learning. Open in New Tab.

Strategies for Fostering Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Assesses how inclusive classes are. Open in New Tab.

System for Observing Fitness Time Instruction

"The SOFIT tool...assesses student activity levels, the lesson context, and teacher behavior...that can be reported in number of minutes and % lesson time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; vigorous physical activity; etc." 

Task Presentation

Assesses the quality of task presentations given to students. Open in New Tab.

Teacher Feedback

Assesses the types of skill and behavioral feedback you are giving to your students (SHAPE America recommends two pieces of feedback per minute). ​Open in New Tab.

Teacher Movement Patterns

Assesses the teachers' movement patterns during a lesson. Do they stand in one place? Do they tend to circulate around the same area? Are they constantly moving around the space to all students? ​Open in New Tab.