| Author |
Message |
Nickie (Nhudson)
Junior Member
Username: Nhudson
Post Number: 3
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Friday, May 06, 2005 - 11:45 pm: |       |
I have talked with my department on our grading policy. I just want to know how other people assess the mile run. Do you grade strictly on performance? If so what do you do for those students that are very over weight and can not physically make the cut-off time?
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Paula Summit (Summit5)
Junior Member
Username: Summit5
Post Number: 15
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 09, 2005 - 8:17 am: | |
If you graded me on the mile run, I'd fail and I am not overweight.
Use heartrate monitors and base the success on the amount of time spent in the HR zone if you want to grade something.
If you ask me, the mile run is not an accurate measure of anything except that it shows who likes to run and who does not. |
Matthew Thomas (Mrt8669)
New member
Username: Mrt8669
Post Number: 1
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, November 03, 2005 - 12:54 pm: | |
I would say that rather basing the student's grade on performance and the time it took them to complete the mile, test them on their ability to improve their time. Test the students toward the beginning of the school year and over a given amount of time let them work and train to run a faster time. If students can improve their mile time by a certain amount of time and even do it a couple times over the school year, grade them on that rather than their ability to run on just one randomly picked day in class. |
Adam Hardin (Adman2510)
New member
Username: Adman2510
Post Number: 1
Registered: 4-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, April 01, 2006 - 4:38 pm: | |
I would suggest that early on in the school year have the students run a timed mile and then give them their times, and the teacher should record the times in their gradebook. Then through out the year have a number of mile tests and see if the students are improving on their times. This way when the out of shape kids do not finish in the top percentage of the class, they can still be graded on their own individual performance. |
Joe Klipa (Jklipa)
Junior Member
Username: Jklipa
Post Number: 4
Registered: 4-2006
| | Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 6:34 pm: | |
I would say that grading on improvement in times will only encourage cheating. If a student knows they have to beat that time they will only take it easy on the first day. However by adding heart rate monitors the students have to run at a certain fitness level. If your school doesnt actually require the mile run i believe the pacer test is much better |
Jim Greci (Jimgreci)
Junior Member
Username: Jimgreci
Post Number: 3
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 4:56 pm: | |
At my son's public middle school, they have timed, graded runs based on a 1-5 point system with 5 being best. If you come in at or under the allotted time, you get a 5, if you are 1-20 seconds slow, for example, you get a 4, etc. My son was getting a lot of 2's, but since they did this twice a week, he was getting better and getting more in shape. Fortunately, because these were a small percentage of his overall grade, he still received an "A" due to participation and effort in all the other areas. I didn't agree with it at first and still don't grade this way in my middle school classes, but if you want to see a better effort, grading can motivate kids. It is a tricky issue because you can turn a lot of kids off from running if they have negative experiences such as failing all the runs in school. |
Joe Herzog (Bigfish344)
Member
Username: Bigfish344
Post Number: 34
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 9:39 pm: | |
We need to keep in mind that inorder to improve as a runner, to improve a mile time, you must run at least 4 days a week for at least 20 minutes a day to get a "training effect." Secondly, there are far to many factors that influence a runners time, i.e. genetics, weight, % of fast twitch muscle fiber, muscular strength in the calves and hamstrings, weather conditions/time of year.
As Paula said, heart rate monitors and time in the target zone should be the precise method of assessment. Let's not forget that a mile run may be a quick 5 or 6 minute run for a skilled high school athletic type person, but may be a difficult 12 or 14 minute (or more) effort for a person is carrying an extra 20 or 30 or 40 lbs. And those kids who carry extra weight and have to stop and walk are not "dogging" it. Carrying that much weight and running for twice as long as the front runners, is a physically painful experience. I found out that my kids mile times (7th/8th graders) improved rapidly following a plyometric/agility movement, because there was a marked increase in calf/hamstring strength. Peter Snell, New Zealand's multiple O.G. champion at 800/1500 meters said that running speed is primarily and specifically a result of calf strength. If you ever saw his calves, you'd take tht statement to heart.
I coached both track and field and cross country, but I'm not sold on the mile being the final solution to predict cardio vascular fitness. It certainly isn't an aerobic exercise when your'e running full tilt to get the fastest time. Specific timed runs are fair to everyone, across the board, 6 min, 8 minutes, 10 minutes or whatever, but focus on being in the target heart rate zone.
I don't believe that kids should be graded for running the mile, anyway, any more than they should be graded on how far they can throw a football or hit a baseball. I thought we'd outgrown that sort of thing. Stick with heart rate zones and a knowledge assessment of some sort or some fitness program construction showing an appropriate place for walking/jogging/running, along with other forms and methods of aerobic, cardio vascular exercise.
Joe Herzog, Fresno, CA |
Scott (Middleschoolpe)
Junior Member
Username: Middleschoolpe
Post Number: 4
Registered: 11-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2007 - 2:55 pm: | |
We tried grading the mile a new way not too long ago. To get an A, you could either be in the healthy fitness zone, or jog the whole thing. If you were able to jog the whole mile without stopping, you got an A, even if you were not in the healthy fitness zone.
Part of me does not want to grade on performance at all, but like the previous poster said, grading motivates kids. Some people who were not athletes really did a nice job and jogged the whole mile, even though going slow. I think this is relevant to the many people who jog for recreation. We built up to the mile by running the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 mile. |
Harley Hoag (Backslide)
New member
Username: Backslide
Post Number: 1
Registered: 11-2008
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 4:59 pm: | |
I grade based on improvement. Each mile is worth 20pts. Improving is worth 20, within 1 min of your best time of the year 17 pts, within 2 min is worth 14, within 3 min is 8 pts and outside of 3 min is 0 pts.
Also any boy faster that 7 min and girl faster than 8 you get 20 even if you don't improve.
No matter what fitness level you are at, if you work hard you can improve. We do the mile about every 3 weeks.
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Michael J. Roskamp (Roskampm)
Junior Member
Username: Roskampm
Post Number: 11
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 7:01 pm: | |
Much to be said on this topic. I taught K-8 PE for 14 years and did the mile with ALL OF MY STUDENTS K-8, in a way that I thought was a positive experience for nearly all of them. I now believe that if I were to ever be back in that setting I would incorporate the use of HR monitors to compare time with HR. Doing so allows students to jog at a comfortable pace, record a time, and then use HR as a cross-comparison to see if their fitness levels have improved. You may have to do some of this "figuring with them", on the other hand, it could be a great cognitive learning opportuity. As others have suggested, today I would also give strong consideration to using the pacer test. The one downfall I see in the context of this discussion is that it still seems to be a measure of students' pain tolerance.
I have been using a portable hand-held HR monitor with 5th graders in a K-5 setting lately, and it has been a great way to help students see that the child who may only jog for half of the warm-up laps may actually be working harder than the fit, athletic boy who sprints every lap. The HR monitor seems to provide some hands-on cognitive learning with an added bonus in the personal-social domain as students begin to recognize the effort of their classmates; effort that may not have been evident in the absence of the HR monitor. |
Matt Guth (Mguth)
Junior Member
Username: Mguth
Post Number: 2
Registered: 3-2009
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 9:03 am: | |
I would suggest running the PACER test instead of the mile run. What students are going to have a negative feeling about the mile run? The students that we need to reach the most. The kid that is the last one to finish the run, with everyone else staring at him is the kid that needs the most help. The problem is, that kid now hates running because he was last, he probably got really really tired, and everyone was making fun of him because he was last. The PACER test is much better because it leaves all students with a positive feeling about the test and encourages students to try their best. |
Danielle Mostachetti (Dmm5957)
Junior Member
Username: Dmm5957
Post Number: 5
Registered: 2-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 1:26 pm: | |
I agree with the post about using the PACER test. With the PACER the student that finished last is the one with the higher level of fitness. If you really want to do a mile test, have your students do the heart rate mile. For this test, the students have to keep their heart rate at an average of 165. You can do this test in the beginning of the year and then at the end and see how their time improves that way. |
Lynn Ann Lechleitner (Healtheducator1)
Junior Member
Username: Healtheducator1
Post Number: 2
Registered: 3-2010
| | Posted on Friday, March 19, 2010 - 6:01 am: | |
We actually still run the mile, but we do all of the other Fitnessgram tests. I hear so many positive things about the PACER. I think it's about time we start using it. |
Karrie Jackson (Kjackson)
New member
Username: Kjackson
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2009
| | Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010 - 11:40 am: | |
If we are not using the HRM the day we run the mile, we grade them based on their previous time. Even if they were within 1 minute of thier previous time they would get their effort points for the day. |
Andrew Smykowski (Asmy6)
Junior Member
Username: Asmy6
Post Number: 2
Registered: 9-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2010 - 5:52 pm: | |
Personally, I think you can't grade the mile run on strictly performance. If you are going to grade anything involving the mile run, either use the Heart-Rate Monitors or test them on the mile run twice. Once at the beginning of the year and once at the end and grade them on how well they improve. |
John Tyler Stufflebeam (Beam3r_22)
Junior Member
Username: Beam3r_22
Post Number: 6
Registered: 9-2010
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 05, 2010 - 7:40 am: | |
The most important thing to remember when gradeing the mile is that you can't grade based of the times the students complete the mile in or the amount of effort students seem to be putting in. The best thing to do is use heart rate monitors to asses each students effort levels. if a student is in their target heart rate zone just by walking the mile, or even by sprinting then they should be graded highly. |
Bob Sacamano (Shortfatdopey)
Junior Member
Username: Shortfatdopey
Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2009
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 08, 2010 - 10:35 pm: | |
The pacer has just as many problems as the mile. On the mile the negative feeling come from being last, on the pacer they are from being the first eliminated, same difference. We have the entire class go up to a certain number, even if they don't keep up with the beeps most of the time we do it (rainy day activity). But when it comes time to do state testing we have them stop when they no longer can keep up, as the test is designed. Your slow/out of shape/slacker kids are out first and have the same feelings they have being last on the mile.
What ever type of run/cardio work you are doing doesn't matter, it is all about finding a way to change their focus to showing improvement. Find your starting point, and make the focus on improving.
We have many groups on mile days and they all start at different times. Someone has to come in last (and in our case, last for each group) but when we tell them their time and the know they just ran their fastest mile of the year and got 100% on that run, they have a big smile and could care less what place they finished. When our teaching staff sees that smile, we know the students get what it’s all about.
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Patrick William Whitney (Nryan5714)
Junior Member
Username: Nryan5714
Post Number: 3
Registered: 1-2009
| | Posted on Saturday, January 15, 2011 - 10:57 am: | |
I do a 5 minute pacer where kids run back and forth and count their laps. The only neg is getting the # correct. But all kids finish at the same time. I have tried it wearing pedometers to see how many steps they can get done in 5 minutes. This has worked well too. |
Jim Roche (Jroche23)
Junior Member
Username: Jroche23
Post Number: 3
Registered: 1-2011
| | Posted on Friday, January 28, 2011 - 10:37 am: | |
I'm conflicted as far as assessing the mile goes. I've tried several ways including time and improvement but the more I teach the more I'm leaning towards grading TZ time acheived over anything else. Still, kids should set a goal for improving overall time. As far as the pacer goes, we test once in the fall then winter then spring. In between, we practice by grouping the students into 3's (like a relay)and running it that way. Each student runs about 35 or so laps. It's been working so hopefully that helps out some people. |
Nicole Taylor (Ntspartans)
New member
Username: Ntspartans
Post Number: 1
Registered: 7-2011
| | Posted on Monday, July 18, 2011 - 8:56 am: | |
We have our students run the mile once a week and they earn a letter grade on each mile. After the first few miles of the school year we set a benchmark for each student based on their three miles they have done so far. Every 25 seconds up from that benchmark time is a new letter grade (ex. 8:00 is benchmark, 8:25 and faster=A, 8:26-8:50=B, etc.). We have trimesters so at the end of the trimester we will re-set any benchmark times as needed. The students are told we will look back at last year's times (if they are 8th graders) to see if they are being honest on their efforts. We do not have HR monitors and this grading technique has worked well for us the last few years. |
