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 06 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Read a worked STR profile; make a disciplined comparison.
The student reports a match with its random-match probability (Page 4).
Profile, comparison, and match statistic 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 read the profile and report the match honestly. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Profile & method | ||
| DNA profile | STR profile | A set of STR marker values; distinguishes people, is not a picture of the whole genome |
| STR (short tandem repeat) | STR locus | A region repeated a variable number of times; the count differs between people |
| PCR amplification | polymerase chain reaction | Copies tiny amounts of DNA so a profile can be read; amplifies, does not compare |
| Gel electrophoresis | capillary electrophoresis | Separates DNA fragments by size; the separation step, not the copying |
| Reading & reporting | ||
| Random-match probability | RMP | The chance a random person shares the profile; a statistic, never 100% |
| Prosecutor's fallacy | transposed conditional | Confusing “rare profile” with “probably guilty” — the error to avoid |
| Contamination / degradation | sample compromise | Foreign or broken-down DNA; limits what the profile can support |
| Reference / exemplar sample | known sample | A known-source sample compared against the questioned profile |
The split between Proficient and Mastery is honest statistics: RMP conditions on an unrelated population model, not on guilt. Ask which loci are independent, which information is missing, and whether control or mixture problems make the simple calculation inapplicable.
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA structure & STR profiling | Confuses bases, alleles, and loci. | Describes variation but assumes every profile is unique. | Explains complementary DNA and inherited STR variation using fictional loci, distinguishing a profile from a whole genome or an identity guarantee. |
| Extraction, PCR & electrophoresis | Cannot outline the conceptual process. | Confuses amplification and size separation. | Explains extraction, PCR, controls, and electrophoresis with paper diagrams and a size ladder, without biological sampling or wet procedures. |
| Reading a profile & comparison | Selects only agreeing alleles. | Compares complete cards but forces a partial or mixture. | Records alleles independently before comparison; distinguishes consistent, excluded, partial/mixture inconclusive, and failed-control invalid outcomes under the stated model. |
| Match probability & statistics | Reports a probability of guilt from a match. | Multiplies frequencies without checking assumptions. | Calculates toy genotype frequencies and random-match probability; states population/independence assumptions, rejects duplicate-locus multiplication, and never equates RMP with guilt. |
| Sample integrity | Ignores contamination or missing data. | Notices defects but reports a firm source claim. | Explains contamination, degradation, dropout, relatedness, and transfer limitations; retains failed controls and separates source association from time or activity. |
| 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 | DNA structure & STR profiling | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Extraction, PCR & electrophoresis | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Reading a profile & comparison | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Match probability & statistics | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Sample integrity | 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.