Kevin Lake

  1. The goal of my assessment will be to measure the ability of a student to properly perform the forehand serve in tennis. This will done on a rubric with several biomechanics categories.
  2. This assessment will be for College aged students who have learned tennis at the college level. A majority of these students will be Health and Physical Education majors as tennis is taught in core classes for this major. Men and women will be tested in this assessment.
  3. This assessment will be used to teach and refine a student’s tennis skills. A student will be observed by the instructor and asked to perform 10 forehand serves to the best of their ability. With each serve, the student’s biomechanics will be assed using the rubric.
  4. Grip – The grip will be assessed as it is very important in performing a correct forehand serve. The assessment for the grip will be based on how tight the student is gripping the racquet.

Eyes – The student will be assessed on whether or not they keep their eyes on the ball throughout the entirety of the skill. Eye contact is important for making sure proper contact isachieved as well as proper follow through.

Foot Placement – Proper foot placement is important in the skill. It controls how accurately and forcefully the ball will be hit.

Swing – A proper low to high swing is key in this skill. Performing this correctly will result in accuracy and top spin on the ball.

Accuracy – This will be tested by giving the students a target to hit at. Although accuracy is a result and not part of the process, it is important to show that the process works by being able to repeat the skill with precision.

  1. My scale will be based on a 1-4 numbering system for each specific skill. The 1 will be a fail. This means the student either did not attempt the skill or was not close in executing it correctly. A 2 will be a ‘needs improvement.’ This means the skill was performed either inconsistently or was slightly wrong a majority of the time. A 3 will be ‘acceptable.’ This means the student performed the skill well enough and/or consistently enough to earn a passing grade although there is still room for improvement. A 4 means ‘More than acceptable.” This means the skill was performed above expectations consistently and correctly.
  2. The test administrator will need roughly 1 hour to complete the assessment for the average class size. They will need to have access to tennis equipment, including, tennis balls, racquets, and a tennis court. The test administrator will need one student to volunteer and toss balls to the student being tested while the test administrator observes and records. The administrator should have adequate knowledge on tennis and proper form.
  3. The test is based on a 20 point maximum. If a student is physically unable to perform this assessment they will need to discuss it with the teacher beforehand and make it up as soon as possible. Below is the letter grades based on points achieved.

Points Earned / Letter Grade
16 - 20 / A
11-15 / B
6-10 / C
0-5 / D
Skill / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
Grip / Racquet is clearly wobbling in hand due to weak grip.
Racquet is not close to perpendicular with ground / Racquet is slightly wobbling
Racquet is closer to perpendicular but still inconsistent / Racquet is firm on most attempts
Racquet is perpendicular on most attempts / Racquet is frim on ALL attempts
Racquet is perpendicular on ALL attempts
Eyes / Eyes are consistently not focused on ball / Eyes are focused on ball, but not throughout entire motion / Eyes are either inconsistently focused throughout or focused almost throughout motion / Eyes are ALWAYS focused on ball throughout ENTIRE motion
Foot Placement / Neither foot is parallel with baseline on all attempts. / One foot is parallel with baseline on some attempts / Both feet are inconsistently on baseline or one foot is parallel with baseline / Both feet are consistently parallel with baseline
Swing / Rough swing, no low to high movement / Swing is rough and sometimes low to high / Swing is smooth but not always low to high / Swing is smooth and racquet goes low to high
Accuracy / 0-2 balls in target zone / 3-4 balls in target zone / 5-6 balls in target zone / 7-10 balls in target zone

References

Student Skills Assessment. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2016, from