Resources · Mastery
Mastery rubrics.
One rubric per unit, plus the three demonstration rubrics. Every rubric uses the same three levels — Not yet, Approaching, Mastered — so the bar is identical for every student.
Start here
How the rubrics work
The grading philosophy behind every rubric — decisions not points, a vocabulary published in advance, three tokens that absorb a bad day, and how unit mastery becomes a letter grade.
Unit rubrics
A mastery rubric for each of the eight units. Each one names exactly what a student must be able to do — not how many points they earned — to reach Mastered.
Unit 01
The Microscope: Parts, Care & Focusing
Naming the parts, carrying and storing the scope, setting illumination, and focusing cleanly from low power up.
Unit 02
Magnification, Resolution & Measurement
Objective powers, total magnification, the limits of resolution, and measuring a specimen with an ocular scale.
Unit 03
Preparing Wet Mounts
Building a clean wet mount — specimen thickness, the right drop of water, and lowering a coverslip without trapping bubbles.
Unit 04
Staining & Contrast Techniques
Iodine and methylene blue stains, working the iris diaphragm, and drawing contrast out of a faint specimen.
Unit 05
Plant Cells & Tissues Under the Scope
Cell walls, chloroplasts, and tissue layers in onion skin, leaf, and stem sections.
Unit 06
Animal Cells & Histology
Cheek cells, blood smears, and reading prepared histology slides of animal tissue.
Unit 07
Microorganisms: Protists, Algae & Bacteria
Finding, focusing, and identifying protists, algae, and bacteria in pond water and culture samples.
Unit 08
Micrography: Drawing, Scale & Imaging
Accurate specimen drawings, adding a scale bar, and capturing a clean field of view.
Demonstration rubrics
The three live demonstrations a student defends in person. These are the AI-proof assessments — you can't paste your way through any of them.
Demonstration
Specimen-prep defense
Preparing a clean wet mount or stained slide from scratch and defending every technique choice.
Demonstration
Timed microscopy identification
Finding, focusing, and identifying specified structures on prepared and wet-mount slides, against the clock.
Demonstration
Oral lab-notebook defense
Standing behind your own drawings, measurements, and technique notes out loud.