What Is the Shop, Eat, Move! Assessment?
The Shop, Eat, Move! (SE&M) assessment is a comprehensive, schoolbased program designed to evaluate middleschool students knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to nutrition, physical activity, and food safety. Developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in partnership with health and education experts, the assessment helps teachers, administrators, and health professionals identify strengths and gaps in students health literacy.
The tool is ageappropriate for grades 68, aligns with national health education standards, and can be administered online or on paper. Results guide curriculum planning, targeted interventions, and communitywide health initiatives.
Key Components of the Assessment
The SE&M assessment is divided into three interactive modules:
- Shop Focuses on foodproduct knowledge, reading nutrition labels, and understanding where foods come from.
- Eat Measures dietary choices, portion awareness, and the ability to make healthier meal selections.
- Move Evaluates physicalactivity habits, knowledge of fitness concepts, and attitudes toward regular movement.
Tip: Each module contains a mix of multiplechoice questions, scenariobased items, and shortanswer prompts, keeping students engaged while providing detailed data.
How to Implement the Assessment in Your School
1. Preparation
- Secure access to the online platform (or request paper packets from the USDA).
- Train teachers or health staff on administration procedures and scoring guidelines.
- Schedule a single 45minute period for each grade level to ensure consistency.
2. Administration
- Provide a brief overview to students, emphasizing that the assessment is not graded.
- Ensure a quiet environment and remind students to answer honestly.
- If using paper, collect answer sheets promptly to maintain confidentiality.
3. Data Management
- Upload electronic responses to the SE&M portal for automatic scoring.
- For paper results, enter data into the provided spreadsheet template.
- Generate individual and aggregate reports for teachers, counselors, and parents.
4. FollowUp
- Hold a debrief session with teachers to interpret findings.
- Identify priority areas (e.g., low labelreading skills) and plan targeted lessons.
- Share summary results with families through newsletters or parentteacher meetings.
Reading the Results
The assessment provides three main score categories for each module:
- Knowledge Correct answers to factual items.
- Attitudes Likertscale responses reflecting beliefs about food and activity.
- Behaviors Selfreported frequency of healthy choices.
Scores are benchmarked against national averages. A score below the 40th percentile suggests a need for instructional reinforcement, while scores above the 80th percentile indicate strong proficiency.
Example: If 45% of 7thgrade students score low on the Read Nutrition Labels item, a targeted lesson on label literacy can be scheduled before the next assessment cycle.
Additional Resources & Support
- Official SE&M Website Downloadable lesson plans, activity kits, and parent guides.
- CDCs Youth Fitness Resources Complementary tools for movement education.
- Nutrition.gov Accurate, ageappropriate nutrition information.
- Local health department outreach Many districts partner with community health workers for handson cooking demonstrations.
By incorporating the Shop, Eat, Move! assessment into the regular healthcurriculum cycle, schools can create a datadriven culture of wellness that empowers students to make informed choices now and throughout their lives.
