As students progress through elementary and secondary schools one main objective of physical educators should be to maximize the number of high school graduates who wish to continue participation in activities which promote active lifestyles.  Far too often, it seems, the assessment methods applied at various levels actually discourage many individuals from continued participation in team activities.  As a result, assessment procedures during early participation (elementary grades) in novel sporting activities should measure the amount of learning which takes place within the individual; rather than strictly measuring a student's technical ability in a particular area.  It seems clear that continued participation in a sport often relates directly with an individual's understanding of that particular activity.  The following is a list of appropriate assessment methods which may be combined to create an overall volleyball grade for the elementary school physical education student based on the aforementioned criteria:
 

Journal- students will be provided with teaching points pertaining to specific technical skills or tactical components of volleyball.  At the end of each lesson, they will be given a brief opportunity (5-10 minutes) to write these down.  They will then take this information home and create a journal page for each lesson.  The journal will be handed in and will include an overall summary which will be graded based on completeness and on understanding.

Quiz- a similar technique would see students given handouts at each class containing simple teaching points or cues practiced in the lesson.  At the end of the unit, a test could be administered with questions pertaining to material included in the handouts.
 

Both of these techniques allow the student to practice skills and tactics, but also provide an opportunity to review what they have practiced away from the court.  These methods allow all young participants an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge of tactics and technique without having to worry about the pressure of executing on the court.  In order for improvement to be witnessed, students must also be assessed on the court.  During early participation, students seem to be solely concerned with outcomes, and would often rate the execution of a particular skill as good or poor based solely on where the ball went.  It is important to provide the young athlete with the ability to recognize what contributed to a particular success or miscue.  The following are methods of assessing on-court performance in a non-threatening learning environment.

General Instructor Assessment - at or near the end of the volleyball unit, the instructor will observe the students in a game or modified game of volleyball.  He will award an overall mark which will be weighted equally among the following areas:
-decision making (during pass)
-skill execution
-movements to support, and cover for, teammates

This is preferred to simply assessing simple skills on their own as this will not create a game-like environment, and the knowledge that one is being assessed can contribute to performance anxiety (which will negatively affect performance).  This type of assessment should be limited to a small portion of the overall grade due to the fact that it will be difficult for the instructor to spend ample time assessing each individual.
 

Students can also learn to identify proper skill execution and tactical decision making through observing and assessing the performances of their peers.  The following is an example of how this could be applied to a grade 4 / 5 volleyball lesson:

Game Performance Analysis Instrument (GPAI)- This technique allows individuals to assess the play of a partner in a game, or modified game, of volleyball.  They will assess various components and be able to explain what contributed to a particular success or failure in execution.  As students get older and are able to correctly differentiate correct and incorrect tactics and techniques, this system can be used to grade the performer.  I feel that at early ages, it is the assessor who should be graded based on his / her ability to explain why the partner produced correct or incorrect movements.
 

Participation / Attendance /Preparedness- a big part of learning which is often overlooked is how the student accepts the personal and social responsibilities associated with a physical education class.  It is important that punctuality, enthusiasm, good attendance and preparedness not be overlooked as important parts of growth and learning.  A portion of the grade should be designated to this area.