Assessment is one of the most fraught and troublesome issues physical educators have had to deal with over the past 40 years or so. In light of the challenges this situation presents, in this paper we provide an overview of the international literature on assessment in school physical education. We give an account of both traditional and alternative forms of assessment, focusing in particular on recent approaches that may be considered belong to the latter category of assessment. We found that traditional assessment instruments such as Physical Fitness Tests and subjective assessment criteria such as grading students' effort and clothing have been popular approaches to assessment. We also found alternative assessment approaches now in use that have a stronger educational focus. Thus, while we consider that this overview of research studies provides evidence of genuine progress in an area that has been fraught with difficulties for physical education as an educational endeavour, there is work to be done to disseminate what we understand to be good assessment practices. In closing, we briefly note some further challenges for research on assessment in physical education.

Formative assessment is the process by which teachers provide information to students during the learning process to modify their understanding and self-regulation. An important process within this is shared assessment, which refers to student involvement in the assessment and learning practice, a process of dialogue and collaboration between teacher and students aimed at improving the learning process, both individually and collectively. The purpose of this paper is to review the current state of affairs in depth. This paper therefore highlights, on the one hand, the lessons learned through research and development in higher education (i.e. providing clear learning goals and feedback, guiding learning, involving students in learning and assessment, promoting feedback as a process of dialogue, and making processes viable). On the other hand, these lessons also suggest some challenges and difficulties that must be addressed in the future in order to further improve formative and shared assessment in higher education. These include the need for more research on its effects, further conceptual clarification, the intersubjectivity of the process, recognition of the divergent processes and ethical principles, students’ involvement not only in assessment but also in determining academic grades, and broading learning goals and objetives in FA & SA.

The aim of this article is to analyse whether having experience of formative assessment during their initial teacher education courses (ITE) influences graduates’ subsequent practice as teachers. That is, if the assessment methods that university students are subject to during their learning process are then actually employed by them during their professional practice as schoolteachers. To address this issue, questionnaires were issued and focus groups were held with a sample of ITE graduates. The main results of the study are that: (1) formative and shared assessment (FSA) is not used a great deal during ITE, but is highly valued; (2) some graduates have implemented FSA in their practice as teachers, following their experience on their ITE course; and (3) significant variables are found regarding the implementation of FSA in schools (possible resistance from colleagues and/or pupils’ parents, etc.).

The purpose of this study is to analyze the perception of students, graduates, and lecturers in relation to systems of formative and shared assessment and to the acquisition of teaching competences regarding communication and the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in initial teacher education (ITE) on degrees in Primary Teaching Physical Education (PTPE) and Physical Education and Sports Science (PESS). An ad hoc questionnaire was applied to a total sample of 1,243 students, 487 graduates and 345 lecturers from 24 Spanish universities that cover most of Spain’s Regional Autonomous Communities. The results from the questionnaires indicate that for all three groups the most relevant element in the assessment process is the teacher-student interaction, and the second most relevant are the competences in interpersonal relationships. Significant differences are also found in practically all the items in the questionnaire between the responses of lecturers and students and between those of students and graduates. In our detailed study of the perceptions of students regarding their competence in ICT, those taking the degree in PTPE perceive a greater use of ICT than those taking the degree in PESS. The same difference was found with students under 22 years of age in relation to the older students. No gender differences were found.La finalidad de este estudio es analizar la percepción del profesorado, alumnado y egresados en relación a los sistemas de evaluación formativa y compartida y a la adquisición de competencias docentes respecto a la comunicación y al uso de las TIC, en la formación inicial en el Grado de Maestro de Primaria (Educación Física) y en el Grado en Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte (CCAFD). Se ha aplicado una escala diseñada «ad hoc» en una muestra total de 1.243 estudiantes, 487 egresados y 345 profesores de 24 Universidades españolas que abarcan la mayoría de las Comunidades Autónomas. Los resultados indican que para los tres colectivos el elemento más relevante en el proceso de evaluación es la interacción profesores-estudiantes y, en segundo lugar, las competencias en relaciones interpersonales. También que existen diferencias significativas en prácticamente todos los ítems entre los profesores y los estudiantes y entre estos y los egresados. En el estudio pormenorizado de la percepción de las competencias TIC por parte de los estudiantes, los procedentes del Grado de Maestro de Primaria perciben una mayor utilización de las TIC que los de CCAFD; lo mismo ocurre con los menores de 22 años en relación a los más mayores. No se han encontrado diferencias en función del género.

This paper analyses two aspects of developing formative assessment processes within universities in Spain: the academic performance of the students and the workload that formative assessment creates for both academic staff and students. It presents the results of 10 research projects covering the first semester of the 2007–08 academic year, mainly involving teacher education degrees. The research was undertaken to understand the impact on Spanish universities of introducing more formative assessment as part of moving towards greater convergence as envisaged by the Bologna process and addressing the concerns of tutors on an increase in workload. The research highlights: (a) the positive impact that formative assessment has on student engagement and performance; (b) the reduction in student failures and withdrawals; and (c) the disparity between the subjective views of students and tutors regarding the workload created by using more formative assessment. The final analysis suggests that it is true that moving from the traditional assessment methods to include more formative assessment does increase student and tutor workload, but not to the degree that students and staff might perceive.

La finalidad de este artículo es analizar la importancia de experimentar procesos de evaluación formativa y compartida (EFyC) durante la formación inicial del profesorado de educación física (FIP-EF), si queremos que luego sean capaces de aplicar modelos más educativos de evaluación cuando ejerzan como maestros. En la formación de maestros, la EFyC tiene un doble sentido: es un sistema de evaluación pero, sobre todo, es un conocimiento y una competencia profesional a aprender. En la primera parte del artículo intentamos dar respuesta a las preguntas: ¿Qué se debe enseñar sobre evaluación en la FIP-EF? y, ¿Por qué y para qué? En la segunda parte del artículo realizamos una ejemplificación práctica de lo expuesto anteriormente. En nuestro caso explicamos cómo desarrollamos procesos de EFyC en un ejemplo de buena práctica que utilizamos habitualmente en la FIP: Los Proyectos de Aprendizaje Tutorados (PAT). Para ello detallamos las fases de que consta un PAT y explicamos cómo es fundamental ligar la metodología con procesos de EFyC para que la calidad del aprendizaje y el desarrollo de competencias profesionales sean más altos y de mayor calidad. La combinación de esta metodología con sistemas de EFyC lleva ya dos décadas acumulando evidencias de que genera buenos resultados en aprendizaje, satisfacción y autopercepción de competencias docentes. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the importance of using processes of formative and shared assessment (F&SA) during Physical Education Teacher Education Programs (PETE) to prepare students to apply more educational assessment models in their future as teachers. In PETE Programs, F&SA have a double meaning: it is an assessment system but, above all, it represents knowledge and professional skills to be learned. In the first part of the paper we try to answer the questions: (1) what should be taught about assessment in PETE Programs? (2) Why and what for? In the second part of the paper we provide a practical example. In our case, we explain how we develop F&SA processes in an example of “good practice” that we usually employ in the PETE Program: Tutored Learning Projects (TLP). Then, we detail the phases of a TLP and explain how essential it is to link methodology with F&SA processes and ensure that the quality of learning and the development of professional skills are higher and of higher quality. The combination of this methodology with F&SA systems has been accumulating evidence for two decades, generating good results in learning, satisfaction, and self-perception of teaching skills.