American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (2008). Adapted Physical Education Assessment Scale-II (APEAS II).

American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (2008). Adapted Physical Education Assessment Scale-II (APEAS II)

Reston, VA: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (1900 Association Drive, 20191; [800] 213-7193, [703] 476-3430, FAX [703] 476-9527, e-mail: [e-mail]; website: www.aapar.org; download electronic versions; professional [$95.00--1-10 users; $85.00--11-20 users; $75.00--21-30 users; $65.00 31+]; university/college [$395.00], plus handling fee, orders of $50-$100.00, $10.25; $100-$500.00, 10% of total cost; over $500.00+ call for pricing.

The Adapted Physical Education Assessment Scale-II (APEAS II) is the revision of a test used for over 25 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The APEAS II was developed in cooperation with the Los Angeles Unified School District and is available through AAPAR. While the test is based on scores of students in the general school population, its greatest use has been to identify students to receive special education services in adapted physical education. The revision has been a 3-year project with an effort to enlist the help of over 140 data collectors from across the country and the 70 itinerant adapted physical educators in the LAUSD. Currently, approximately 2,300 data sets have been included across all age groups resulting in norms for ages 4.6 to 17 years, making this one of the few motor tests that provides norms for high-school age children.

One unique feature of APEAS-II is that the test measures four areas of motor performance, including perceptual motor function, object control, locomotor skills, and physical fitness. Most adapted physical education tests cover only one of these areas although the perceptual motor items only cover a few key areas (i.e., ocular control, imitation of movement, and standing balance). Another unique feature of APEAS-II is a measure of adaptive behaviors, those behaviors that, in spite of adequate motor performance, limit a student's ability to safely and successfully participate in general physical education. This is a new feature of APEAS-II and can be helpful in determining appropriate placement of students with disabilities. A final unique feature of APEAS-II is the breakdown of low scores into 1, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 percent of the norming sample. The authors note that by including the raw scores at this level, it is possible to measure progress at low levels of performance and in small increments.

The APEAS II has two levels--elementary and secondary. The elementary level test consists of 23 items measuring motor performance. The secondary level test consists of 20 performance items. Both tests also measure height and weight-converted to body mass index (BMI) and adaptive behaviors. The test includes both quantitative and qualitative measures, although the secondary items seem more elementary than secondary (i.e., basic locomotor and object control skills rather than individual and sports skills). The test items are clearly explained in the manual, and equipment is readily available in most physical education programs.

There are two forms of score sheets (electronic and hardcopy) that can be used depending on the resources available to the teacher. Paper and pencil or hardcopy score sheets are provided for teachers who do not have technology available to them. Electronic/on-line score sheets or eScoresheets and the Performance Profile are available through the electronic version.

The APEAS-II manual contains several appendices including individual and class score sheets for both elementary and secondary levels, the eScoresheet that automatically calculates the percentile rank, zscore, and standard score, a performance profile that graphically represents a student's profile of performance in a way that compares the performance with the norm-referenced data, locomotor skills rubrics making it easy for evaluators to score the quality of locomotor movement patterns, and a BMI Healthy Zone Table for calculating BMI for males and females.

In summary, the APEAS-II is a norm-referenced test for children ages 4.6-17 years that covers a variety of motor areas, as well as adaptive behavior. The test is easy to administer and includes both qualitative and quantitative measures which is a nice feature in a norm-referenced test. The test also has lower norms (1, 2.5, and 5%) which allow the teacher to show progress in children with more severe disabilities. The user manual is easy to follow, and the electronic version makes data collection and analysis very easy. Adapted physical education specialists should consider purchasing APEAS-II if they need to determine who qualifies for adapted physical education and where students with disabilities should receive these services.