The APENS EXAM

In 1995 the National Consortium for Physical Education and Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities published the results of their Adapted Physical Education National Standards (APENS) Project. The purpose of the project was twofold: to develop national standards for adapted physical educators and develop a national certification examination to measure knowledge of the standards. The published standards are an initial attempt to describe the roles, responsibilities, and perceived needs of practicing adapted physical educators. The national APENS exam is an evaluation of how well practicing teachers know and understand the standards.

Where and When is the Exam?

The APENS Exam can be taken at any school on any date throughout the academic year.

The exam can also be taken at the National AAHPERD conference on Saturday April 12, 2008 from 9 a.m.-Noon. If you are preregistered for the exam you should arrive no later than 8:45 AM.  If you are registering on-site you should arrive no later than  8:30 AM to complete an exam application.

How Much Does it cost?

The APENS National Certification fee is  $100.00.

Who is Eligible to take the Exam?

To be eligible to take the examination, teachers must meet the following criteria.

1. Bachelor's degree with a major in Physical Education or equivalent (e.g., Sport Science, Kinesiology, etc.).

2. A minimum of one 3-credit hour survey course in Adapted Physical Education.

3. A minimum of 200 hours of documented experience providing physical education instruction to individuals with disabilities.

4. A current valid teaching certificate.

How is the exam formatted?

The exam will be composed of 100 multiple choice questions designed to measure knowledge of adapted physical education. Teachers will be given 3 hours to complete the exam. The questions will be derived from the level 4 content form each of the 15 standard areas in the Adapted Physical Education National Standards manual.

How was the APENS examination developed?

The APENS Exam is the product of five years of development and evaluation work performed by over 500 members of the profession. (For more details, go to History and Methodology). During year three of the project, a database of over 2,000 potential test questions was developed based upon the level 4 content in the APENS manual. Each of these test questions was sent to 30 adapted physical educators, chosen from the larger group, who were asked to evaluate the item according to eight criteria. Their responses were compiled and analyzed and the questions revised accordingly.

During the fourth year of the project, the test items were administered to a national sample of 3,000 pre service and in-service teachers including adapted physical educators, special educators, regular physical educators and non teaching physical education majors. The responses of these groups were used to calculate the psychometric measures for each item (item difficulty, discrimination index, etc.) All of the data on the test questions were then reviewed by the Project Executive and Steering Committees and used in selecting the final ones that are used on the exam.

Finally, the validity of the exam was analyzed and tested. The validity analyzes whether the exam actually measures what it is intended to measure and whether the performance of an applicant on the exam is an indicator of performance on the job.

What do you get for passing the examination?

Teachers that pass the exam will be certified by the NCPERID for a period of 7 years. These teachers will be listed in the NCPERID's national registry of certified adapted physical educators. They will also be given a one year membership in NCPERID.

Successful candidates will receive a certificate documenting that they are certified adapted physical educators and will be able to list the initials CAPE after their name.

CAPEs will receive a free, one year, subscription to PALAESTRA, the quarterly publication of NCPERID. PALAESTRA: Forum of Sport, Physical Education and Recreation for those with disabilities is published in cooperation with both the U.S. Olympic Committee's Committee on Sports for the Disabled and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance's Adapted Physical Activity Council.

APENS will begin publishing an ezine in the near future. This publication will be a forum in which CAPEs can share their challenges and the best practice solutions they have come up with. Access to this ezine will be restricted to members in good standing of APENS.

What Organizations have Endorsed the Adapted Physical Education National Standards?

APENS is currently winning endorsements from a variety of National organizations (see below). This growing recognition forms the backbone of a program to gain professional recognition and commensurate compensation from school districts across the nation. Currently, 13 States have recognized APENS, with Alaska being the latest to do so.1. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance

  1. American Association for Active Lifestyles and Fitness
  2. Adapted Physical Activity Council
  3. National Association for Sport and Physical Education
  4. American Association of School Administrators
  5. National Association of State Directors of Special Education
  6. National Association of Secondary School Principals

Adapted Physical Education National Standards-2nd Edition

apens book coverIn every field, standards provide a guiding light in terms of the basic knowledge, skills, and attitudes a professional should have. For physical educators of students with disabilities, Adapted Physical Education National Standards, Second Edition, is the essential resource to understanding and delivering top-quality adapted physical education.

This text is the only complete guide to the adapted physical education national standards (APENS). Every adapted physical educator must know these standards in order to pass the APENS exam and become a certified adapted physical educator (CAPE).

Purchase the book online www.humankinetics.com/

Study Guide

study guideNeed some help studying for the exam? Would you like some sample questions for the various standards? Need to know what resources you should review for specific standards?

This 75-page book provides suggestions on how to study for each standard, presents sample test items with explanations for each answer, and recommends other resources for additional information.

In addition to helping you study, the Guide is a valuable reference source for each of the 15 areas covered by the Standard. As you encounter challenges in the classroom or the gym, the Guide provides a means of quickly locating the most up-to-date source material for dealing with them.

Order your copy of the APENS Study Guide

by sending a check or money order in the amount of $12.00 (which includes postage and handling) made out to APENS.

Online Course

New Mexico State University College of Education is proud to offer PEP 558 Adapted Physical Education National Standards Professional Preparation.

This online graduate course was created to provide aspiring adapted physical educators an opportunity to prepare for the Adapted Physical Education National Standards (APENS) exam. The APENS are fifteen identified competencies that an adapted physical educator should be familiar with when teaching physical education to children with disabilities.

Course participants will:
• chat with APE experts from around the nation
• explore the APE online community
• discuss with colleagues real-life occurrences during the service delivery of APE
• review downloadable materials covering APENS-related content
• prepare for the APENS exam with quiz questions that are similar to the actual test

For more information on registration and general assistance please contact course professor Scott J. Pedersen, Ph.D., CAPE at (575) 646-2071 or pedersen@nmsu.edu.