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Aly Dusing | 0:10
With final exams approaching at the end of first semester, students in many classes, including PE, attempted to bring their grades up. In a class where participation plays such a dominant role, some high schoolers may have needed to make up for absences or days that they did not dress in gym class.
Data from Mary Howard, assistant principal at West Chicago Community High School, reveals that a significant percentage of students in various PE classes earn a B or lower. Trends across four semesters show that standard physical education classes, including Freshman Academy, Sophomore, Junior/Senior, and PE Fit for Life, have an estimated average fail rate of 10 percent.
The question is, why is this the case, and how is success measured in high school gym? To understand why these classes in particular leave students scrambling, I spoke with the division head of Physical Education, Conor Zaputil, to break down WEGO’s current PE grading policies.
Aly Dusing | 1:06
How is PE currently graded, and what factors carry the most weight—participation, effort, skill, or improvement?
Conor Zaputil | 1:14
So all of the above that you just said, because we follow the school policy for the 80/20. Just ours is flipped, because we’re a lab class. So participation, attendance, skill—all of that is part of the 80 percent of the grade, and then the 20 percent is the assessment, like the written test that you have at the end of the units.
Aly Dusing | 1:37
Would you say athletic skill defines what grade you get in PE?
Conor Zaputil | 1:43
Attendance plays a huge factor with it. The skill part is very minimal, because we’re just trying to teach the basics. The reason for the lower grade is predominantly based on attendance. Since it’s a lab-based class, if you’re not there, you’re not participating or learning. So it’s like if you missed a science lab—you kind of have to make up that science lab. It’s the same thing with PE.
Aly Dusing | 2:08
As Zaputil explained, athletic skill is not the problem. Instead, the issues are attendance and participation. This means students do not have to stress whether or not they can be a Division I athlete, but they do have to show up to class and try their best.
Seniors Melissa Lara and Daniel Guerrero told me about their current PE grades—both of which are C’s—and the reasons for these grades reflect some of Zaputil’s explanation.
Aly Dusing | 2:32
In your four years of high school, what’s been your experience with PE? Has it been good or bad?
Melissa Lara | 2:37
I think the good thing about PE is you know how to pass. They’re pretty straightforward from the beginning of the year. They tell you exactly how to get a good grade. And you don’t even have to do much. You just have to maybe do, like, 10 jumping jacks.
Daniel Guerrero | 2:52
The class has never been a hard class. It was just one of those classes you go to see friends for. And there’s still a lot of people that don’t change, and they don’t really care about the grades at all.
Melissa Lara | 3:05
I think the part that affects my grade is probably the attendance part. If I don’t show up for one day—and they have a new grading system where they give you a whole bunch of points and then take off points if you’re not there—that’s how they’re grading you now. So the grade can go from an A, I miss one day, and it goes down to a C. And it’s just like, I just missed one day. Ten points already made that much of a difference.
Daniel Guerrero | 3:30
Also, even if you don’t change and you still participate and you’re trying the hardest in sports, you’re still only going to get a maximum of half the points. Does a shirt really do that much for a grade?
Aly Dusing | 3:46
To answer Guerrero’s question, Zaputil mentioned:
Conor Zaputil | 3:50
The dress is part of the grading policy, just because it’s a standard that Illinois state has.
Aly Dusing | 3:57
But as Lara pointed out, the changing policy is sometimes part of the reason students do not show up to class, causing lower attendance.
Melissa Lara | 4:05
For that day, if we participate and we have our pants and shoes, we should still be able to gain full credit. Why am I going to lose five points? That’s already an automatic 50 percent if I don’t bring a shirt. So what’s the point of even going to the class if I’m just going to get a zero?
And then the same thing—if you forget your shirt, they give you no credit, and they say, “Oh, we have rentals. It’s just 50 cents,” but half the time a lot of students don’t even carry a wallet anymore. Everything’s electronic. So if I forgot my PE shirt, what’s going to make me remember to bring 50 cents for the rental?
Aly Dusing | 4:40
The fact that some students may not have many friends in PE can also serve as a deterrent, especially in a class where team sports are encouraged every day.
Daniel Guerrero | 4:49
I don’t really want to go unless I have friends, because then I won’t feel like I want to participate in any sports. I won’t feel comfortable enough to have fun without anyone I know. Especially in sports like badminton and pickleball, where you need to find a partner and you don’t know anyone—that’s the most awkward thing ever. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, because I’ve gone through that.
Aly Dusing | 5:14
This is not to say students are incapable of enjoying PE, although there is added stress from trying to meet the individual grading requirements.
Aly Dusing | 5:22
When you are participating and you are getting those points for the day, do you enjoy PE?
Melissa Lara | 5:27
At first, it was a little nerve-racking because I didn’t have friends in that class. But as I made friends throughout the school year and we got closer, it started getting more fun. With the sports I like participating in and get full credit for, I enjoy it a lot. I don’t hate it. I’m not dreading going to PE—it’s more that I hate how I have to be there every single day, dressed, to get a good grade. There’s no leniency when it comes to the grading policy.
Aly Dusing | 5:59
To increase participation and offer the leniency some high schoolers are looking for, Zaputil is working to add new classes and curriculum for fitness.
Aly Dusing | 6:08
Are there any new PE classes or electives currently being considered?
Conor Zaputil | 6:13
We have the PE leaders class that Ms. Abdishi is going to be revamping, which is awesome. We’re also trying to get a bunch of dual-credit offerings. Working with COD, they have self-defense, so our self-defense program may become dual credit, same with lifeguarding.
We’re also looking to add an independent PE class, which would be tracked via heart rate monitors and done outside of the normal school day—almost like a zero-hour class. You do your activity outside of school. We’re trying to expand options, but we also don’t want to have 50 different classes because that’s a lot to pick from.
Aly Dusing | 7:04
Although there are rules that need to be followed, quizzes that need to be completed, and expectations that need to be met, overall success in PE cannot be explained with one definition.
Conor Zaputil | 7:15
I feel like it’s all based on the individual. Every individual has their own types of goals. One thing I want to push for in the future is having individual goals for students based on what PE class they’re in. We’re just not there yet because I’m still working through the logistics.
Success is dependent on the individual and what PE class they choose. A kid in advanced strength might want to focus on general strength—upper body or lower body. A kid in junior/senior PE might want to be good at all sports or focus on one. So success in PE is tailored to the individual, but at the same time, it’s really just making sure you’re present, learning, and engaged in the material—just like every other class.
Transcribed by Otter.ai
Correction
Jan. 14, 2025
A previous version of the image accompanying this article was missing a caption, which was added as soon as the issue was noted.
