Missouri Health/Physical Education Assessment

Grade 9

Performance Level Descriptors

(Long Version)

Step 1 

Students have minimal knowledge of the body systems, their functions, and their interrelationships.  They have little understanding of behaviors that enhance personal health, decision-making, and resistance to peer pressure.  They can identify a few nutritious foods but have limited knowledge of food groups and the Food Pyramid.  They have difficulty identifying communicable and non-communicable diseases, their prevention, and control.  They have minimal knowledge of activities that enhance fitness, strategies to avoid injury, and the effects of using tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.  They have minimal knowledge of the ways advertising affects consumer choices and have limited knowledge of reporting emergency situations. 

Progressing 

Students recognize some body systems and demonstrate limited understanding of their functions and interrelationships.  They possess limited understanding of conflict resolution strategies, peer pressure resistance, and stress reduction, and they identify some appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.  They identify some behaviors that enhance personal health, identify nutritious foods and balanced meals, know the symptoms of some eating disorders, and locate some information from food labels.  They identify some communicable and non-communicable diseases, their prevention, and control.  They identify some practices and activities that improve physical fitness and health.  They show some understanding of the ways tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs affect the body’s health.  They have limited understanding of the ways advertising affects consumer choices.  They distinguish between some life-threatening and non-life-threatening injuries, know when to seek medical attention, and describe some appropriate responses to emergency situations (e.g., first aid, life-saving techniques, water safety, and heat-related illness). 

Nearing Proficient 

Students identify and explain some specific roles and interrelationships of the body systems.  They identify some strategies for managing stress and resolving peer conflict and distinguish between some healthy and unhealthy choices.  They interpret some concepts of physical and mental health that apply to personal health habits.  They understand the need for a balanced diet, identify information found in nutrition facts labels, and identify symptoms of eating disorders.  They recognize symptoms and causes of some communicable and non-communicable diseases.  They identify some components of personal fitness and recognize some effects of responsible personal and social skills in physical activity settings.  They demonstrate some comprehension of drug interactions (tobacco, alcohol, prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs) and the effects of drugs on health and behavior.  They explain and apply some advertising and marketing techniques that influence consumer choices.  They demonstrate some understanding of personal safety, injury prevention, and response skills (e.g., CPR, rescue breathing) needed in emergency situations (e.g., choking, bleeding).

Proficient 

Students classify components of the body systems and identify relationships between the systems.  They describe and apply strategies for time management, stress management, peer resistance, and group problem solving that preserve and improve one’s health and safety.  They apply their knowledge and understanding of physical and mental health to demonstrate and explain healthy life situations.  They apply knowledge of nutrition to plan a healthy diet that includes ongoing weight management and prevention of eating disorders.  They demonstrate knowledge of and prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases identify risk behaviors that lead to diseases, and locate available health resources.  They analyze health-related fitness activities for lifetime wellness and apply practices to develop responsible personal and social behaviors in physical activity settings.  They demonstrate knowledge of the effects of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs on body systems and explain how high-risk behaviors cause health problems and can be avoided.  They evaluate advertising and marketing techniques in order to make informed decisions regarding health services and products.  They apply appropriate strategies for first aid, injury prevention, emergency situations, and avoidance of high-risk behaviors.

Advanced 

Given a scenario, students apply their knowledge to evaluate specific actions and functions of the body.  They analyze situations that require problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills and provide multiple solutions.  They evaluate personal and social concerns and develop strategies to resolve conflicts, set goals, make reasoned decisions, and work collaboratively.  They analyze and evaluate personal behaviors in order to enhance physical and mental health.  They assess and design nutritional plans that provide a healthy diet, control weight, and prevent eating disorders.  They interpret and analyze the causes and effects of communicable and con-communicable diseases as these relate to healthy lifestyles, and they assess risky behaviors that lead to diseases.  They evaluate and apply activities that improve lifetime wellness, assess practices in order to develop personal and social behaviors in physical activity settings, and analyze fitness-related injuries.  They analyze and describe appropriate decision-making strategies that reflect understanding of the effects of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs on body systems.  They analyze consumer health issues and develop consumer strategies that lead to healthy behavior.  They analyze the relationships between behaviors and health and evaluate emergency responses and first aid procedures.