A revolution centered on improving the quality and quantity of student learning is currently underway in education. Since the National Commission on Excellence in Education released the report A National at Risk (1983), educators and administrators throughout the United States have attempted to improve student learning. A major factor of this reform movement is a search for meaningful assessments by which to enhance feedback to students about performance while at the same time documenting student learning and achievement. Although many articles about assessment have appeared in various physical education publications, little research has been conducted to determine whether physical education teachers are implementing assessment practices. Imwold, Rider, and Johnson (1982) reported that approximately one half of the teachers in their study used skill tests and 82% indicated use of written tests. Effort has traditionally been a category used by physical education teachers for grading but the Imwold, et al. study did not consider this factor, reporting only the use of skill test and written exams. Marzano (2000) reports that effort and academic achievement are the two primary factors used by teachers, not just physical educators. According to Marzano, those two factors accounted for 80% of what differentiates one grade from another. With educational reform, many new assessment options are available for physical education teachers (Hensley, 1996; Kirk, 1996; Lund, 1996; Melograno, 1998; NASPE, 1995; Siedentop & Tannehill, 2000). With new assessment practices available, this study examined the assessment and grading practices of K-12 physical education teachers in a mid-west state. Subjects were elementary (n=167), middle (n=80) and high school (n=107) physical education teachers who responded to a survey that ascertained their assessment and grading practices. Responses were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t tests, ANOVA and chi-square (.05 level). Among the most important results were that even though 91% of the teachers used some type of motor skill assessment in their classes, they considered student effort to be a more important factor than motor skill performance for determining grades. In a related finding, teachers endorsed the NASPE Content Standards that address affective behaviors (Standards 5, 6, and 7) more strongly than Standards that focus on skill development or the application of knowledge and principles (Standards 1 and 2, respectively). Overall, elementary teachers expressed more dissatisfaction with student assessment than other teachers, saying that it was too time consuming, required too much record keeping and interfered with students’ enjoyment of physical activity.Keyword(s): assessment, professional development