History and Development

As standards-based instruction became common practice, NASPE joined other professional education associations in developing standards-based assessment, beginning in January 2000.

NASPE created an Assessment Task Force, made up of curriculum & instruction and measurement & evaluation experts, researchers, teacher educators, K-12 physical education teachers, administrators and students to develop an assessment tool around the National Standards.

NASPE charged the task force with developing performance indicators that corresponded to the National Standards at each grade-level range (K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12), as well as assessments for each indicator. The performance indicators were not meant to be a comprehensive set of all possible skills and knowledge that students should master in a specific grade-level range, but rather samples of performance outcomes that could be expected within that grade-level range. The task force identified a broad range of performance indicators and wrote a variety of assessments to measure student skills and knowledge. 

Implementing PE Metrics

Download this helpful list of frequently asked questions about how to put PE Metrics to use in your PE classes.

10 Years in Development

The process took more than 10 years of concerted, ongoing effort by NASPE. This careful and extensive process has yielded valid and reliable assessments that are useful for teachers, administrators, teacher educators and researchers in physical education and in the wider field of education in general. PE•Metrics™ is a dynamic assessment tool, and the task force views its work as a first step in NASPE's ongoing effort to create and then add to a body of assessments and research for our field.

Nationwide Collection of Data From Teachers in Every School Setting

NASPE collected data from across the country and heard from schools of all sizes and in all settings through an extensive network of project administrators. This diversity contributed to the quality of the data collection. Download a complete overview of NASPE's PE•Metrics™ Assessment Project.  

Learn more about PE•Metrics™ products for assessment in physical education.