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 public practice answers (not assessment keys): Unit 06 learning pathway.
The student demonstrates the following:
Five science criteria plus separately reported integration (Page 3).
Mount cheek cells; tour prepared tissue slides.
The student names each tissue on sight (Page 4).
Slide, tissue identified, and a labeled sketch 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 prepare the mount and name the tissue without being told. 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.
| Term | Accepted explanation | Distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Histology image | Prepared tissue image | Educational evidence here, not a diagnosis. |
| Nuclei density | Nuclei count per area | Requires calibrated area and source. |
| De-identified image | No personal identifiers | Do not upload or collect private health data. |
| Tissue pattern | Organization seen in the field | A pattern label is not a medical conclusion. |
| Criterion | Developing | Proficient | Mastery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparing a cheek-cell wet mount | Cannot collect or mount cheek cells, or floods the slide so nothing shows. | Gets cells on the slide but skips the stain, so the flat cells stay invisible. | Swabs gently, smears onto a slide, adds methylene blue, and covers it for a clean, stained wet mount of cheek cells (observed). |
| Identifying tissue types | Cannot tell one prepared tissue slide from another. | Names a tissue when told the slide but cannot recognize it unlabeled. | Identifies epithelial, muscle, nerve and connective tissue unlabeled from approved slides or images, cites the giveaway feature, and makes no diagnostic claim. |
| Orienting a thin section | Cannot find the tissue on a prepared slide or focuses on the mounting medium. | Finds the section but cannot tell top from bottom or which layer is which. | Scans a thin section on low power, centers it, and reads its orientation before climbing magnification. |
| Locating the nucleus & membrane | Cannot point to a nucleus or the cell's edge. | Finds the nucleus but confuses the cell membrane with a neighbor's. | Locates the nucleus and the thin cell membrane in a stained animal cell and notes the missing cell wall. |
| Comparing plant vs. animal cells | Cannot say how a cheek cell differs from an onion cell. | Names one difference but misses the wall, shape, or chloroplasts. | Contrasts wall, shape and chloroplasts, and separates that evidence from preparation, stain and model limits. |
| 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. |
The split between Proficient and Mastery is recognition, not recall: a mastered student names the tissue from the image, not the label. Ask “which tissue is this, and how do you know?”
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 | Preparing a cheek-cell wet mount | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 2 | Identifying tissue types | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 3 | Orienting a thin section | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 4 | Locating the nucleus & membrane | Dev / Prof / Mast | |
| 5 | Comparing plant vs. animal cells | 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.