Student Growth Outcomes Template


States and school districts across the country require physical educators to develop and implement annual assessments — aligned with local, state and/or national standards — that provide evidence of student learning. Many states and districts also require physical educators to develop descriptions — called, alternately, student learning objectives (SLO), student growth outcomes (SGO) or student growth measures (SGM) — of what students will know and be able to do at the end of the course of study or grade, based on the relevant standards, curriculum goals and student learning objectives or outcomes. (For ease of use, this document uses the term “student growth outcomes,” or SGOs.)

The assessments that physical educators develop should support and measure the learning outcomes, should be based on the relevant standards, designed to best measure the knowledge and skills found in the learning outcomes and accompanied by clear criteria or rubrics to determine student learning. The Student Growth Outcomes Template was created by SHAPE America and a task force of exemplary physical educators.

Downloading the template will help you to annually measure student learning as a result of effectively teaching a standards-based curriculum. The template is divided into sections that should address all components of state and district SGO requirements. The sections include:

  • The Overall Goal, which describes what students should know and be able to do by the end of the period of instruction specified.
  • The Alignment of the SGO with SHAPE America’s National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education (2013). (When appropriate align to your state standards.)
  • The Student Target Population, including grade level and any other distinguishing characteristics of the groups targeted in the SGO.
  • The Baseline measures for the SGO, or aggregate level of the target population prior to instruction.
  • The Growth Target, or expected level of aggregate improvement of the target population by the end of the period of instruction.
  • The Timeline, or length of period of instruction.
  • The Key Actions to Be Taken, or key instructional activities, strategies and emphases that are intended to elicit the identified growth targets.
  • The Assessment tool to be used to determine the level of performance of the target behavior(s).