Science Task Prescreen
Task Title: Conservation of Mass: The Unbroken Chain of Atoms Grade: High School Date: 2024-05-20 SEP: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking DCI: PS1.B: Chemical Reactions CCC: Energy and Matter Task Purpose: To assess students’ ability to use mathematical representations (balanced equations and mass calculations) to support the claim that atoms and mass are conserved during chemical reactions.
Instructions
Before you begin, review the full task description and any accompanying materials. Then complete the prescreen checklist below.
- Answer all questions based on the current version of the task, not on how it could be improved.
- Focus on whether a typical student would need to make sense of the scenario and use reasoning with core ideas and practices to complete the task.
- If you mark any 🚩 (red flag) items “Yes,” briefly describe your concern in the Summary section.
- Use the Recommendation section to indicate whether this task should move forward for full review or be set aside.
Prescreen Questionnaire
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is there a phenomenon or problem driving the task? | [x] | [ ] 🚩 |
| 2. Can the majority of the task be answered without using information provided by the task scenario? | [ ] 🚩 | [x] |
| 3. Can significant portions of the task be answered successfully by using rote knowledge (e.g., definitions, prescriptive or memorized procedure)? | [ ] 🚩 | [x] |
| 4. Does the majority of the task require students to use reasoning to successfully complete the task? | [x] | [ ] 🚩 |
| 5. Does the task require students to use some understanding of disciplinary core ideas to successfully complete the task? | [x] | [ ] 🚩 |
| 6. Do students have to use at least one science and engineering practice to successfully complete the task? | [x] | [ ] 🚩 |
| 7. Are the dimensions assessed separately in the majority of the task? | [ ] 🚩 | [x] |
| 8. Is the task coherent and comprehensible from the student perspective? | [x] | [ ] 🚩 |
Recommendation
- Warrants further review.
- Should not be used.
Summary
Summarize your evidence and reasoning: The task is grounded in a compelling real-world phenomenon (burning wood losing mass). Students cannot simply state the definition of conservation of mass; they must actively collect data from three simulation reactions, balance equations, and compute mass values to verify that total mass remains constant. The task requires reasoning (SEP: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking) to connect atom counts to mass values. The DCI (PS1.B Chemical Reactions) is essential because students must understand that atoms are rearranged, not destroyed. The CCC (Energy and Matter) is integrated as students track matter transformation through combustion. The dimensions are assessed in an integrated manner throughout the data collection and CER phases. No red flags are present.