We've Come a Long Way ... Maybe! A Commentary on the Status of Motor Performance Measurement of Individuals With Disabilities |
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| Abstract: | For 25 years, adapted physical educators have been required to meet federal mandates for assessment with few tools and even less preparation for the requirement of determining the current level of performance of students with disabilities. Today, with shrinking resources, educational agencies are gladly embracing the option of inclusion-a less costly way of serving students with disabilities. But, are the technology and professionals any more ready today to decide if inclusion is the appropriate placement than they were in 1975? Over the past 20 years, adapted physical education specialists have contributed to their own cause by developing alternative tests and test items to enable practitioners to comply with legal mandates. Measurement specialists have continued to ponder the essence of reliability, validity, and objectivity with little effort devoted to the development of tools to be used in the field. Measurement textbooks have expanded to cover measurement of students with disabilities and more attention is being given to qualitative and criterion-referenced measures. However, the state of the art is still lagging behind the demands placed on teachers. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to progress have not changed much in the past 25 years. More shared knowledge is needed around measurement of students with disabilities-measurement specialists need to be more sensitive to the needs of adapted physical educators in the field and adapted physical educators need to join hands with measurement specialists to solve problems together. |
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