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 03 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Compare questioned and known samples side by side.
The student states class vs. individual out loud (Page 4).
Technique, observations, and honest limits kept distinct.
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 run the comparison and state its honest limits. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer & comparison | ||
| Trace evidence | transferred trace | Small transfers — hair, fiber, glass, soil — left by contact |
| Locard's exchange principle | every contact leaves a trace | Predicts what transfers, so you know what to look for |
| Comparison microscope | dual-stage microscope | Places questioned and known samples side by side in one view |
| Characteristics & limits | ||
| Class characteristics | group traits | Narrow to a group — consistency with a source, not identity |
| Individual characteristics | unique traits | Point to a single source; rare in trace evidence |
| Refractive index | RI; how light bends | A measurable physical property for comparing glass |
| Cross-section | fiber profile | A fiber's shape in slice — a comparison feature, not an ID |
| Questioned vs. known | unknown vs. reference | Evidence of unknown origin compared to a control sample |
Ask which sources remain compatible, which assumptions support the comparison, and how background or secondary transfer changes the account. Similar class properties cannot be converted to a unique source; repeated readings are not new specimens.
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locard's exchange principle | Treats detection as proof of direct contact. | Names transfer but ignores background or nondetection. | Distinguishes direct, secondary, and background transfer; compares conditioned detection frequencies and explains why nondetection does not exclude contact. |
| Hair comparison & its limits | Identifies a person from a hair image. | Compares morphology but overstates its specificity. | Labels hair structures in supplied microscopic images and explains why morphology alone cannot identify a person; DNA is a separate, limited analysis. |
| Fiber comparison | Selects a source from color alone. | Compares properties but omits alternative compatible sources. | Compares material, color, cross-section, dimensions, and supplied dye evidence; retains the full compatible set and distinguishes class consistency from identity. |
| Glass & soil analysis | Ignores units and reading limits. | Compares values without uncertainty or source limits. | Compares supplied refractive-index/density intervals and soil-layer fractions as class evidence, without handling shards or claiming a unique location. |
| Comparison microscopy & documentation | Omits scale, controls, or the original record. | Repeats readings but counts them as new specimens. | Retains scaled image comparisons, blind initial readings, means/ranges, and specimen IDs; explains within-source variation, dependency, and unresolved differences. |
| 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 | Locard's exchange principle | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Hair comparison & its limits | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Fiber comparison | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Glass & soil analysis | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Comparison microscopy & documentation | 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.