This course provides the APEAA candidate with advanced APE assessment strategies for students with disabilities. The course addresses APE formal and informal assessment protocols and requires candidates to complete practice assessments during their Clinical Practice fieldworks. Special emphasis will be placed on conducting appropriate APE assessments, designing data-driven instruction, working with individual and groups, including assessment problem solving skills, and understanding unique APE supports used by APE teachers.

This methodology course equips candidates with the principles, current concepts, and trends in adapted physical education (APE), emphasizing the nature and needs of students with disabilities. This course includes history, relevant legislation, growth and developmental factors, assessments, and individualized education plans related to APE. Effective instructional strategies and safe, appropriate individualized accommodations are practiced and applied through 30 hours of field-related activities.

This Clinical Practice experience provides the candidate with an opportunity to work directly with K-12 learners in a university-assigned adapted physical education setting with a Cooperating Teacher. Candidates observe and apply instructional strategies under the leadership of the Cooperating Teacher to learn to manage and deliver instruction in this setting. The Cooperating Teacher models appropriate teaching methods, lesson planning and delivery, management, use of technology, and parent communication. Throughout the experience, the teaching responsibility gradually shifts from the Cooperating Teacher to the candidate. Candidate must enroll in this course for a total of four (4) units in order to be recommended to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) for the adapted physical education added authorization.