Use these targets, vocabulary, rubrics, examples, and score sheet with the instructor's approved lesson and procedure. This is an assessment companion, not a complete lesson or safety authorization.
Student lessons, data, and worked answers: Unit 01 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
A measured sketch, scale photographs, and a sealed evidence log — done live.
The student reasons from the evidence aloud (Page 4 anchors).
Contemporaneous record of the search, the sketch, and the custody log.
You are making a decision, not adding up points. For each criterion, decide whether the work is Developing, Proficient, or Mastery — the column language tells you which. A criterion counts as mastered only when the student can both do the work at the scene and defend the honest limits of the conclusion. Each student has three tokens per term; each token retries one rubric criterion. Approved accommodations, equipment failures, and approved absences are handled separately and do not consume these tokens.
Accept listed synonyms; use the distinction column to resolve near-matches.
| Canonical answer | Accepted synonyms | Common confusion / discriminator |
|---|---|---|
| The scene | ||
| Primary scene | scene of the act | Where the act itself occurred; secondary scenes are linked locations |
| Secondary scene | linked scene | Tied to the act but not where it happened (e.g. a disposal site) |
| Evidence marker | numbered marker; placard | Numbers an item in place before it is photographed or moved |
| Locard’s exchange principle | every contact leaves a trace | The reason to look for transferred trace at all |
| Documentation | ||
| Contemporaneous notes | on-the-spot notes; timed notes | Written at the scene, dated and timed — not reconstructed later |
| Scale photography | L-scale photo; photo with a ruler | An L-scale in frame lets a viewer judge true size |
| Measured sketch | to-scale sketch; scene diagram | Item positions fixed by measurement to two reference points |
| Chain of custody | custody log | An unbroken, signed record of everyone who held an item |
| Handling & integrity | ||
| Contamination | cross-contamination | Foreign material added after the fact; degrades what an item can show |
| Evidence packaging | bagging; sealing | Each item isolated in its own labeled, sealed container |
| Known vs. questioned | reference vs. unknown | A control sample compared against evidence of unknown origin |
| Report vs. verdict | analyst reports; court decides | The analyst states what evidence shows; guilt is the court’s call |
Work down the criteria one at a time. Ask the student to reason it out rather than recall — “what does your sketch actually let you claim?” The honest limit (what the documentation supports, and what it does not) is where Proficient and Mastery separate. Retaining a supplied gap with a reasoned limitation can be Mastery; repairing it by invention cannot.
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systematic scene observation & search | Grabs what stands out without a record. | Searches but omits boundaries or absent items. | Records a defined paper-scene search, present and absent items, and detection limits without inferring an event from absence alone. |
| Contemporaneous notes & documentation | Reconstructs notes from memory. | Records facts but omits times or overwrites corrections. | Keeps dated, timed observations separate from inference; retains original notes, independent audits, and dated corrections. |
| Sketch & scale photography | Omits measurements or scale. | Records scale but miscalculates positions or uncertainty. | Draws a scaled sketch with north arrow and coordinates, checks paper-item scale images, and reports distances with reading bounds. |
| Evidence recognition, collection & packaging | Mixes items or loses their labels. | Labels items but omits package cross-references. | Isolates harmless paper items in coded envelopes, linking notes, images, sketch, and mock handoffs while explaining contamination controls. |
| Chain of custody | Invents or ignores missing handoffs. | Finds a gap but treats it as proof of tampering. | Audits signatures and interval coverage, retains unresolved gaps, and distinguishes custody integrity from truth, guilt, and the court’s admissibility decision. |
| Integration (cross-domain) | Makes no supported connection between the source and the science. | Uses the source but needs help connecting evidence, writing, or limitations to the science. | Independently connects History, Reading, and Writing using a cited source, appropriate evidence, a limitation, and a scientific explanation. |
Read these before you grade. They show what Mastery and Developing actually sound like, plus the edge cases where you should coach rather than decide on the spot.
Student: ______________________________________ Date: _______________ Guide: _________________________
| # | Criterion | Decision | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Systematic scene observation & search | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Contemporaneous notes & documentation | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Sketch & scale photography | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Evidence recognition, collection & packaging | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Chain of custody | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 6 | Integration (cross-domain) | Dev / Prof / Mast |
☐ No ☐ Yes — for criterion: __________
Tokens left this term after this session (choose one): ☐ 3 ☐ 2 ☐ 1 ☐ None left
Dev = Developing · Prof = Proficient · Mast = Mastery · Unsure between two levels? Circle the lower one and note what a re-do would need.