⚛️ Chromatography & Chemical Analysis — printable rubric packet (Forensic Science Unit 04). Print 8.5×11 portrait. Every page is designed for clipboard use while you grade at the bench.
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▲ Page 1 — Unit overview
Bright Minds Forensic Science · Course Pack
Chromatography & Chemical Analysis — Unit Packet
Overview
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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 04 learning pathway.

Unit learning targets

The student demonstrates the following:

How this unit is assessed

Mastery rubric

Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).

Chromatography lab

Separate an unknown, calculate Rf, compare to a known.

Oral check

The student states presumptive vs. confirmatory (Page 4).

Lab notebook

The run, the Rf values, and the honest limit kept distinct.

How to read a Bright Minds rubric

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 separation 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.

▲ Page 2 — Key terms
Chromatography & Analysis · Vocabulary
Key Terms — What Counts as Correct
Vocabulary
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Accept listed synonyms; use the distinction column to resolve near-matches.

Canonical answerAccepted synonymsCommon confusion / discriminator
Separation
Chromatographyseparation techniquePulls a mixture apart by how fast components move
Mobile / stationary phasemoving vs. fixed phaseThe solvent carries components across the fixed medium
Rf valueretention factorDistance moved ÷ solvent distance — a repeatable number, not a color
Testing & limits
Presumptive testscreening testNarrows possibilities; a positive is not an identification
Confirmatory testidentifying testEstablishes identity; needed before you claim what it is
Controlknown standard; blankRun alongside so a result can be trusted
Questioned vs. knownunknown vs. referenceEvidence of unknown origin compared to a standard
Consistent, not identicalconsistent withWhat a presumptive comparison can honestly report
Grading it at home

The split between Proficient and Mastery is presumptive vs. confirmatory: a second nonspecific result does not establish specificity. Ask for the blank, reference, hidden QC, and the valid calibration range before accepting a concentration or identification claim.

▲ Page 3 — Mastery rubric
Chromatography & Analysis · Mastery Rubric
Six Criteria — Developing / Proficient / Mastery
Rubric
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CriterionDevelopingProficientMastery
Chromatography principles & the Rf valueCannot explain separation or define the ratio.Computes a ratio without a valid origin/front.Explains mobile/stationary phases; computes dimensionless per-run Rf values, repeated-reading spread, and invalid-front cases from supplied diagrams.
Ink & dye separationIdentifies ink from appearance alone.Compares one band or solvent only.Compares two-band mixtures with references across both supplied solvent conditions; retains compatible and excluded references without asserting unique identity.
Presumptive vs. confirmatory testingTreats a screen as a final identification.Names confirmation but ignores specificity.Distinguishes screening from validated confirmation; explains co-migration, interference, and why repeating the same screen is not independent confirmation.
Analyzing an unknown systematicallyGuesses a concentration or identity.Uses a calibration without blank correction or range checks.Fits the supplied standard curve, subtracts the blank, calculates unknown concentration and QC recovery, and rejects extrapolation or human-effect claims.
Technique, controls & documentationOmits controls or original readings.Records controls without acting on failure.Retains coded paper measurements, independent readings, blank/reference status, and failed runs; distinguishes arithmetic checks from empirical method validation.
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.
What “Mastery” requires
The student interprets supplied chromatograms and detector records and defends controls, per-run ratios, calibration limits, and remaining alternatives.
What does not pass
Treating a positive presumptive test as a final identification is Developing on criterion 3 — a presumptive result screens, it does not confirm.
▲ Page 4 — Anchor exemplars
Chromatography & Analysis · Calibration
Anchor Exemplars — To Calibrate Your Ear
Anchors
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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.

Separation and calibration — synthetic records

▶ Mastery
“Q has S1 means 0.40 and 0.70, fitting A and B. Its S2 means 0.205 and 0.50 fit only A among these references. Q’s detector estimate is 4 arbitrary units after blank subtraction; QC recovery is 93.3333%. None uniquely identifies a substance.”
▶ Developing
“The colors spread out, so it’s the same pen. The presumptive test turned positive, so that proves what it is.”

Integration — measurement and interpretation

▶ Mastery
“NIJ’s toxicology research goals separate measurement from interpreting an effect. Instrument-based evidence goes beyond appearance, but our co-migrating S1 bands show why specificity and validation still matter. Arbitrary units say nothing about impairment.”
▶ Developing
“Chemists have tested for poisons for a long time.” (No link to why the test mattered or its limits.)

Edge cases — coach, don’t fail

▶ Band read as an ID
Reads a matching band as an identification. Coach: a matching Rf is a presumptive comparison — consistent, not confirmed. Common, fixable.
▶ No control run
Runs the plate but skips the known standard or control. Coach: without a control the Rf can’t be trusted; not yet on the technique criterion until controls are in.
▲ Page 5 — Score sheet (clipboard)
Chromatography & Analysis · Score Sheet
Unit Score Sheet — One per student
Score Sheet
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Student: ______________________________________    Date: _______________    Guide: _________________________

Mastery criteria — circle one per row

#CriterionDecisionNotes
1Chromatography principles & the Rf valueDev / Prof / Mast
2Ink & dye separationDev / Prof / Mast
3Presumptive vs. confirmatory testingDev / Prof / Mast
4Analyzing an unknown systematicallyDev / Prof / Mast
5Technique, controls & documentationDev / Prof / Mast
6Integration (cross-domain)Dev / Prof / Mast

Chromatography — technique check

Used a token this session?

☐ 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.