May 3, 2018 Movement Education

To the Parents/Guardians of (student),

I really enjoyed working with (student) this semester in the Movement Education program.
(Student) is extremely polite and well-behaved. He always listens to directions and is a positive role
model for the other students. When new skills are introduced, (student) is excited and more than eager
to give them a try.

During the semester, I worked with (student) on locomotor and object control skills. The gross
motor assessment tool was used to monitor your son’s progression. A pre-test was completed upon
entering the program. (Student) just completed the post-test and the two were compared to see your
son’s progression. One of the skills (student) worked on was stability. This included static and dynamic
balance. The locomotor skills that were assessed included: running, hopping, galloping, jumping, leaping,
and sliding. The manipulative skills assessed were dribbling, striking, kicking, catching, throwing
overhand, and rolling.

It is my pleasure to inform you that (student) has made great progress in all of these skills. Each
skill is broken down using different performance criteria. This allows us to assess (student’s) progress. By
comparing the pre- and post- tests, we are able to determine his strengths and areas that need
improvement. In stability skills, I worked a lot with (student) on dynamic balance using a balance beam.
(Student) has really improved and is now able to look ahead part of the time while walking across the
beam maintaining a straight line. He is also able to use the alternating step pattern. In locomotor skills,
(student) has also shown growth in each of the areas we worked on. He is able to run more efficiently
and uses his arms in opposition. His stride has increased and he has a nice fluid motion. During the
summer, I encourage you to work on (student’s) ability to have a rhythmical pattern when galloping and
to keep his feet closer to the ground. Overall, I am very pleased with (student’s) progression in
locomotor skills. Tremendous improvement was also seen in (student’s) manipulative skills. For kicking,
(student) is now able to kick the ball while moving. Using cues like “eyes on target” and “head up”, will
continue to help him develop his kicking ability.

I am very pleased with the improvement (student) has made in the short period of time we had
together. He is always respectful to his peers and to the staff. I am grateful that I have had the
opportunity to work with him this semester. I appreciate you allowing (student) to participate in this
program. If you have any further questions, I may be reached at Luke.Shively@cortland.edu.

Sincerely,

Luke Shively
SUNY Cortland Physical Education Teacher Candidate