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 05 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Declare the supplied diagram/record alternative before instruction; no partner examination.
The student traces the signal through the reflex arc (Page 4).
Test setup, response, and interpretation kept distinct.
Judge each criterion as Developing, Proficient, or Mastery, not by adding points. Mastery requires interpreting the declared evidence and defending the pathway; supplied records do not certify test administration. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Neuron & signal | ||
| Neuron | nerve cell | Dendrites in, axon out; the cell body integrates |
| Action potential | nerve impulse | The electrochemical signal that travels down the axon |
| Chemical synapse | transmitter-mediated junction | Calcium-dependent release and receptor response; the cleft is part of the junction. Electrical synapses also exist |
| Myelin | myelin sheath | Insulating wrap that speeds the signal along the axon |
| Pathways & senses | ||
| CNS | central nervous system | Brain and spinal cord |
| PNS | peripheral nervous system | Nerves outside the CNS; carries signals to and from it |
| Reflex arc | (none) | Receptor → sensory neuron → integration → motor neuron → effector |
| Special senses | (none) | Vision, hearing, smell, taste, balance — each has its own receptor |
| Segment conduction | distance / latency difference | Common downstream delays must cancel; convert ms to s before calculating m/s |
| Whole reaction time | stimulus-to-response time | Includes sensing, processing, and motor delay; not nerve conduction time |
| Equilibrium potential | single-ion Nernst model | Depends on ion ratio and temperature; not automatically a real cell’s resting voltage |
The split between Proficient and Mastery is tracing the pathway: not just naming the parts of a reflex arc, but putting them in order from receptor to effector. Ask “what fires first, and what does it reach next?”
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neuron structure & electrical signaling | Confuses neuronal parts or ion-channel and pump roles. | Labels the neuron but needs help with gradients, channel sequence, or refractory behavior. | Labels the neuron and explains ion-channel action potentials and gradient maintenance; interprets the selected electrical model without equating a single-ion equilibrium value with a whole-cell voltage. |
| Synapses & neurotransmission | Cannot distinguish a chemical synapse from axonal conduction. | Names transmitter release but needs help linking calcium, receptors, and response. | Explains calcium-dependent release and receptor response at a chemical synapse, its usual functional direction, and why electrical synapses prevent a universal one-way-gap claim. |
| CNS & PNS: brain and spinal cord | Cannot separate the central from the peripheral nervous system or locate the major brain regions. | Divides CNS from PNS but confuses the major brain regions or their jobs. | Distinguishes CNS from PNS, locates the major brain regions and the spinal cord on a model, and states what each region does. |
| Reflexes, senses & homeostatic control | Cannot trace a sensor-to-effector pathway or identify special-sense receptors. | Names pathway parts but needs help ordering them or explaining modulation. | Traces receptor, sensory input, integration, motor output, and effector; links special senses to receptors and compares autonomic feedback with spinal integration and brain modulation. |
| Reflex & timing evidence | Cannot interpret the assigned response record or pathway. | Reads a timing value but confuses whole response with segment conduction or omits units. | Defends the declared record/model or approved demonstration, distinguishes reaction from conduction time, and uses the supplied distance, latency differences, and uncertainty at the agreed level. |
| 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 | Neuron structure & electrical signaling | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Synapses & neurotransmission | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | CNS & PNS: brain and spinal cord | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Reflexes, senses & homeostatic control | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Reflex & timing evidence | 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.