Assessment Commentary

Secondary Science
Task 3: Assessment Commentary
TASK 3: ASSESSMENT COMMENTARY

Respond to the prompts below (no more than 10 single-spaced pages, including prompts) by typing your responses within
the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Commentary pages exceeding the maximum will not be
scored. Attach the assessment you used to evaluate student performance (no more than 5 additional pages) to the end of this
file. If you submit feedback as a video or audio clip and your comments to focus students cannot be clearly heard, attach
transcriptions of your comments (no more than 2 additional pages) to the end of this file. These pages do not count toward
your page total.
1. Analyzing Student Learning

a. Identify the specific learning objectives measured by the assessment you chose for
analysis.
[I chose to use several assessments for analysis. This learning segment takes place as an
introduction to genetics and so there is not a formal quiz on this material. I chose to use the pre-
assessment compared to the home worksheets and bell worksheets which were assigned daily.
As a part of my analysis I left out the three labs that I also used during this unit because the labs
are graded on a 0 or 100 pass/fail type system. My pre-assessment bell worksheets and home
worksheets covered four learning objectives;
A. Students will be able to use Punnett squares to make predictions about how genes are
passed from parent to offspring.
B. Students will be able to predict the phenotype and genotype of offspring using a given
cross.
C. Students will be able to interpret data and use it to make predictions about types of
dominance and linked traits.
D. Students will be able to use their prior knowledge of meiosis and Mendels laws to create
gametes from given chromosomes.
These objectives help to introduce the students to the concept of genetics and to make
connections to this complex topic and themselves. These objectives will help me to introduce
content related to the following New York State Living Environment Regents Standards;
Key Idea 2: Organisms inherit genetic information in a variety of ways that result in continuity
of structure and function between parents and offspring.
Performance Indicator 2.1: Explain how the structure and replication of genetic material
results in offspring that resemble their parents.
Major understandings:
2.1b Every organism requires a set of coded instructions for specifying its traits. For
offspring to resemble their parents, there must be a reliable way to transfer
information from one generation to the next. Heredity is the passage of these
instructions from one generation to another.
2.1c Hereditary information is contained in genes, located in the chromosomes of
each cell. An inherited trait of an individual can be determined by one or by many
genes, and a single gene can influence more than one trait.
2.1h Genes are segments of DNA molecules.
2.1f In all organisms, the coded instructions for specifying the characteristics of the
organism are carried in DNA.
Performance Indicator 2.2: Explain how the technology of genetic engineering allows
humans to alter genetic makeup of organisms.
Major understandings:
2.2a For thousands of years new varieties of cultivated plants and domestic animals
have resulted from selective breeding for particular traits.
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]
b. Provide a graphic (table or chart) or narrative that summarizes student learning for your
whole class. Be sure to summarize student learning for all evaluation criteria submitted
in Assessment Task 3, Part D.
[
Students showed significant improvements between the pre-assessment and final bell work
assignment on all four objectives. Lab data was collected and reviewed to collect assessment
data but was not graded due to the 0 or 100 pass/fail lab score policy. On the homework for day
two the students scored much lower than on the previous and following assessments on the
same objectives. I believe this was due to the confusion between normal dominance and the
other types of dominance that we covered that day. Students used the more complicated
Punnett square for a simpler problem. This issue was resolved in the beginning of class on day
three which drastically improved scores on the following assessment. Some objectives were
assessed more often than others in this segment because they were introduced earlier, but
objectives C and D are repeated more often throughout the entire genetics unit.]
c. Use evidence found in the 3 student work samples and the whole class summary to
analyze the patterns of learning for the whole class and differences for groups or
individual learners relative to
conceptual understanding,
use of scientific practices during inquiry, AND
development of an evidence-based explanation or reasonable prediction about a real-world
phenomenon.
Consider what students understand and do well, and where they continue to struggle
(e.g., common errors, confusions, need for greater challenge).
[Conceptual understanding:
Student success improved for each objective each time it was assessed with the exception of
homework on day two. The students will continue to be assessed on the same objectives
throughout the entire unit however only the assessments given during the learning segment are
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shown in the chart. Students performed better on the objectives the more they were exposed to
them and because of this the students performed better on objectives A and B than C and D.
The class as a whole was quite successful at creating Punnett squares and using them to
predict genotype and phenotype (Objectives A and B). Students could make inferences about
possible ratios of offspring when given an uncertain cross. Students could also derive ratios of
different types of offspring when given a cross. Two of the three students I chose to show work
for correctly distributed the parent alleles to create offspring genotypes in the Punnett square.
Student #1 was able to correctly infer his genotype based on dominance but became
inconsistent after many successful tries. Student #1 was clearly unsure of what genotype was
because he incorrectly wrote the physical characteristic, or phenotype, when he was asked for
genotype on question six of the lab. On the same question Student #2 appears to be more
confused than Student #1 because he did not simply mix up two similar words but instead
randomly guessed words that he thought may have the same meaning as genotype, which was
not the question asked. Student #3 correctly used phenotype and genotype in both his
inferences about his own genotype and his Punnett square.
Many students struggled with understanding the differences between a completely dominant
Punnett square and an incomplete or co-dominant Punnett square (Objective C). This
misunderstanding led many students to use the wrong square on both their homework and their
lab for day two. Students clearly knew how to distribute the gametes in the Punnett square and
most could also use the Punnett square to correctly predict the phenotype and genotype of a
cross. Only a few students continued to mix up genotype and phenotype past the third day of
this unit. However, many students struggled with the differentiating between the different types
of dominance. Students could usually give an example of what each was but when they were
asked to use data collected to differentiate between the types many students got lost. Students
also struggled with using context clues and table information to identify the type of dominance
occurring. Students failed to notice data trends that pointed to one type of dominance or another
and also missed clues in the reading which were vital to determining which type to use when
making inferences. This confusion is evident in the work of Student #2 and Student #3 think that
an x-linked trait can only show up in one gender. Student #2 shows little to no effort on the
discussion questions, which for this student indicates that he is lost and needs to come in for
individual help with the assignment. Student #1 on the other hand, clearly understands the
concept of x-linked dominance which he explains well in his answer to question three of the lab.
Students also struggled with explaining why the genes from the parents split when creating
offspring or why they recombined when forming offspring (Objective D). These foundational
concepts were retaught several times during later lessons in the genetics unit but it is clear that
within this segment their understanding is not clear. Students could not explain why the alleles
separated independently from each other. Again this is a concept that was only introduced in
this segment and was later clarified with a deeper explanation to help foster understanding. This
learning objective was not covered yet in the lab on day two so it is not shown in my student
work samples.
Use of scientific practice through inquiry:

Most students were able to make predictions about complete dominance based on the class
data. Students were collecting group and class data which was then compared to national data.
Students discussed why the national data was different from the class data and used the data
as a whole to make inferences about whether or not a trait was dominant. The students then
had to determine what their genotype was. Most students were successful with this, Student #3
correctly inferred all of his genotypes in the lab and Student #1 correctly inferred the majority of
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his genotypes. However, Student #2 did not complete this section of the lab because, as
indicated in the lab questions, he was confused on what genotype and phenotype were.
Students graphed the results of the data that they collected in terms of male/female dominant or
recessive. Students then used these graphs to help them determine if a trait was sex linked or
not. Most students correctly graphed the information but some students did not label or title their
graph and left out some information.
Students were also asked to use their own personal traits and derive the genotypes of their
parents backwards through a Punnett square in the lab for day 2. This was very difficult for
many of the students. Students were given an open ended question where they had to really
think critically about how to derive the answer. Many students were able to complete the square
and distribute the alleles correctly but many of the students did not take into account the
phenotypes that actually exist within their families. This data is indicated by the chart under
objective A for lab day 2. Consistent with the Chart data, all three of my focus students had
issues with their Punnett square (lab question 6).
Reasonable prediction about a real world phenomenon:

The class as a whole was good at making predictions about genetics using a Punnett square.
Students had success predicting the genotype and phenotype of crosses. Based on their
Punnett squares, some students also had success making predictions about parental genotypes
when given the genotypes or phenotypes of the offspring. In the class discussion during the lab
on day 2 most students were successful with making predictions about whether a trait was
dominant or recessive based on the data that they collected. This is consistent with Student #1
and Student #3s answers for lab question 1. Students were less successful however with
making higher level predictions and inferences about how multiple genes or genes that display
different types of dominance were passed down. Students increased their success with this over
the course of the unit as a whole but during this segment of the unit the students were definitely
struggling as indicated by objectives C and D on the chart.]
d. If a video or audio work sample occurs in a group context (e.g., discussion), provide the
name of the clip and clearly describe how the scorer can identify the focus student(s)
(e.g., position, physical description) whose work is portrayed.
[ ]
2. Feedback to Guide Further Learning
Refer to specific evidence of submitted feedback to support your explanations.
a. Identify the format in which you submitted your evidence of feedback for the
3 focus students. (Delete choices that do not apply.)
Written directly on work samples or in separate documents that were provided to the focus
students
[I provided my students with feedback in written form directly on their lab packets. I chose to use
a short answer format for the lab questions because it allows for a better measure of their
understanding and vocabulary use.]
b. Explain how feedback provided to the 3 focus students addresses their individual
strengths and needs relative to the learning objectives measured.
[Student #1 is an exchange student from Germany and an English language learner. This
student showed significant strengths in his ability to derive his possible genotype from his
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phenotype as shown in the chart on page 2 of the lab The student got almost all of the
genotypes correct but then faltered on a few near the bottom. I supported this strength by
stating Wow great job! It looks like you really have a handle on writing genotypes, just make
sure you stay strong until the end! this strength is representative of learning objective B where
students are required to predict the phenotype and genotype of offspring. This actually goes
above and beyond this because students are usually given the genotypes of the parents but in
this case the student had to use his own phenotype and the dominant trait to figure out his
possible genotypes. This student showed a clear understanding of these steps also in his
answer to question 3 where he was asked How could you figure out your exact genotype? this
student responded by saying that you could figure out the genotype by evaluating if it is
dominant or recessive and by looking if it is true or false for me. This student is an English
language learner so he struggles with syntax but his concept is good. I applauded this students
good work by saying Great answer! You remembered to include both steps in your
explanation! This supports the students strength of supporting his answers with evidence.
Again I support this strength by response to the students answer to question 4 where I state
Great job using examples to explain your answer!
Student #1 struggles with consistency. In many of his labs he does well in the beginning and
can perform the operations correctly but makes silly mistakes. This student made these types of
mistakes on his graph on page 3, table on page 2 and Punnett square on page 4. I pointed out
these silly mistakes using questions such as Is this a dominant phenotype? What is a
genotype and statements such as Be careful! and Woops! as well as Always double check
to see if all of your data will fit or use pencil to graph!
Student #2 is the lowest level student in the class both in effort towards assignments and
reading level. This student often does not turn in assignments at all or turns in incomplete
assignments. This student was successful with calculating his frequencies but did not keep
consistent rounding so my comment was Great job calculating frequencies! Always make sure
you round to the same place for all your answers! This student was also successful with using
the correct scale for his graph so for this I praised the student with Great scale for your graph!
You remembered to use as much space as possible without going over! This student also
followed the directions for the lab which included using pencil so again I praised this student by
saying Thank you for reading the directions and always using pencil on labs! Although
graphing was not a specific learning objective for this unit it is a vital skill for the course as a
whole and is represented in the NYS living environment standards.
Student #2 struggled with completing this assignment. None of the sections of the lab were
finished and it was apparent that the student put little effort into the lab questions. This student
struggled with the very basic definitions of phenotype and genotype as indicated by the chart on
page 2 of the lab. I attempted to get the student thinking in the right track with cues such as
Phenotype is a trait not a letter and You need your phenotype to figure this out. Phenotypes
should look just like the ones we did during the group work! the student also did not complete
his table on page three and because of this he did not create an accurate graph which he also
failed to label. Again I attempted to steer this student into the right direction using cues such as
You did not do the math on this section! Subtract the # from the total to find the missing
values! and Always title and label your graphs please! On the lab questions the student also
struggled with answering the questions completely and supporting with explanations. Again I
asked the student questions to get him thinking on the right path. Some of these questions
included How do you know what genes you have? How can you find out? What traits only
show up in females? Why? Explain your answer with evidence! Although this student
performed the basic operation of the Punnett square correctly he did not use genotypes that
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showed him as an offspring of a cross that could be his parents. This student stated that his
sister and mother both also have blue eyes so his cross should have included the recessive
genotype for one parent, in this case his mother, and a heterozygous genotype for his father.
This cross would have created 50% blue eyed children. This student also knew that the
phenotype and genotype outcomes were 50% of each but he did not list the phenotypes or
genotypes. To help the student work through these problems I asked questions such as If your
mom has blue eyes what genotype would she have? What is a genotype 50% of what? Make
sure to write your entire answer! along with ques such as This cross doesnt create any blue
eyed children! and This adds up to more than 100%! This student was clearly confused so I
also asked this student to see me in person several times on his paper so I was sure that he
wouldnt struggle with something he clearly needed help with.
Student #3 was one of my higher level students. This student is planning on taking higher level
science classes in the upcoming years and so I always try to make sure to ask this student
higher level questions in order to make sure that this student is still challenged and taught to the
highest level that he can be. This student is very consistent with his work which is shown by his
perfect table on page two of the lab. To support this student and ensure that he continues to do
his best work I praise the student with statements such as Fantastic job calculating frequency
and rounding correctly! and Yes! You seem to really understand the concept of writing
genotypes!
On page three of the lab I try to encourage this Student #3 to show me his best work in my
comment Great bar graph! Your scale was a good use of space and shading in the bars makes
them much easier to see. Work on creating more descriptive titles for your graph! as well as
This is a histogram so there should be spaces between the categories! I also asked this
student for more information than some other students when I asked Yes! What else could you
look at? for question 2 on page 4 of the lab where his answer was correct but I knew that he
could handle going more in depth. On question three I wanted to make sure that the student
understood that sex linked does not necessarily mean only appears in one trait. I wanted this
student to be more specific and state that sex linked means that it is a part of the sex
chromosomes. To bring this student to this higher level I asked Does it? What would a female
have to get to be colorblind? The student also had a very good response for question 5 which
asked why more people dont have 6 fingers even though its dominant. This student responded
with a doctor removes any extra fingers at birth which is true but I wanted to know the genetic
reason behind why so I prompted this student with the question Yes this is true but why arent
more people born with 6 fingers? This student also did very well on his Punnett square and
although his square is technically correct because it does include his trait as a possible outcome
the student contradicts his answer for question 4 where he states that his siblings are left
handed. Again I prompted this student to bring his level of thinking up by creating a square that
not only included his phenotype but the phenotypes of his siblings too.]
c. Describe how you will support each focus student to understand and use this feedback
to further their learning related to learning objectives, either within the learning segment
or at a later time.
[In order for students to learn from the feedback I provide students are required to revise their
work and turn it in for a grade. In this class students are not given a grade on labs until they are
completely correct. Students are encouraged to come in during a common free time in the
school day called Advisement. Many students utilize both this time and afterschool time to get
help with labs and other work. Because of this policy I do not give the students the correct
answers in my feedback because I would prefer that the students learn from their mistakes
through revising their work.
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If many students are getting the same question wrong on the labs I make sure to take some
time and cover it in class. When I do this I make sure to break the question down piece by piece
and ask lots of questions in order to get an idea of what part the students misunderstood. I
always try to do a similar problem on the board and sometimes have students come up and
perform different examples of problems which are also similar to the question that they
struggled with. For this class I took some time out during class to clarify question 6 on the lab
which included deriving parental genotypes using your phenotype and their phenotypes and
using those to make a cross in which they (the individual students) are the offspring. This was a
very high level question and many of the students needed it to be broken down into steps before
they could truly understand how to do it.
If a student is asked to see me on their paper or if a student resubmits a paper that is not
completely correct the student must come in to receive help with the assignment. This policy
stops kids from giving up on a question or copying an answer from a friend instead of learning
the concept. When students come in for extra help they are provided with manipulatives,
drawings on the board, extra explanation or analogies and cues to get them on the right track.
Students are asked simple questions first to help me to gain a base point from which to help
each of them. If students are lost with the simple concepts I add in extra scaffolding that helps
them bring their level of understanding up to meet the rest of the class. This scaffolding may
include anything from defining vocal words to breaking down concepts into smaller easier to
understand pieces. ]
3. Evidence of Language Understanding and Use
When responding to the prompt below, use concrete examples from the video clips and/or
student work samples as evidence. Evidence from the clips may focus on one or more
students.
You may provide evidence of students language use from ONE, TWO, OR ALL
THREE of the following sources:
1. Use video clips from Instruction Task 2 and provide time-stamp references for
evidence of language use.
2. Submit an additional video file named Language Use of no more than 5
minutes in length and cite language use (this can be footage of one or more
students language use). Submit the clip in Assessment Task 3, Part B.
3. Use the student work samples analyzed in Assessment Task 3 and cite
language use.
a. Explain and provide concrete examples for the extent to which your students were able
to use or struggled to use the
selected language function,
vocabulary and/or symbols, AND
syntax or discourse
to develop context understandings.
[Selected language function:
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The language function I chose for this learning segment was infer. The students made many
inferences all throughout this learning segment, both verbally and written. In my student work
samples in the table on page 2 of the lab the students were required to make inferences about
their possible genotypes using information gathered from class data as well as their own
personal phenotypes. Students had to use the correct symbols for the genotypes and also had
to understand how to derive them from the information that they gathered. Students 2 and 3 did
very well with this section of the lab and showed a clear understanding of the concept. Student
#2 however definitely struggled with making inferences though it appears that this student
struggled because of his limited understanding of the basic unit vocab words.
Students also had to gather evidence from the table that they created in order to make
inferences about whether or not any of the traits were sex linked during question 3 of the lab.
Student #1 had the best answer for this question. In his answer this student used evidence from
the graph to correctly make a prediction about which trait was sex linked and also linked it to a
specific chromosome which he supported with details. Student #2 correctly figured out which
trait was sex linked but did not understand that when a trait is linked to the X chromosome it can
be inherited by both males and females. On this same question Student #2 made little effort with
his one word answer which does not answer the question.
A third time that students were required to make inferences in this lab was in the Punnett square
in question 6. Students were required to use their knowledge of their families phenotypes along
with the genotypes that correlate with those phenotypes in order to create a Punnett square that
could represent their family. This was a very high level question which involved the students
thinking backwards about already complex concepts.
Vocabulary/symbols:
Vocabulary words that the students were required to know, understand and be able to use
included the following; allele, DNA, dominant allele, gene, genotype, heredity, heterozygous,
homozygous, hybrid, inheritance, phenotype, Punnett square, recessive allele, trait, Law of
Dominance, incomplete dominance, complete dominance, codominance, sex-linked dominance,
Law of Dominance, Law of Independent Assortment, Law of Segregation. Students were also
required to understand how to use the Punnett square as a symbol for meiosis and fertilization
and how to use letters as symbols of single alleles and two letters as a symbol of a genotype.
Students defined the terms on day one, they were asked questions involving these vocabulary
words many times throughout the unit and were also encouraged to use these vocab words in
their answers to short answer questions. In question 2 of the lab Student #1 had a great answer
where he used the specific example of colorblindness as well as one of the vocab words in his
answer. In this answer the student also demonstrated his understanding that genes are on
chromosomes.
Syntax:
Students were required to use syntax on their short answer responses on their homework
assignments and lab assignments. Students also should have supported any short response
answers with appropriate examples or other evidence. Students were expected to define explain
and use vocab words in their responses to different assessments. During the lab on day one
students were required to define a list of vocabulary words using complete sentences. In the
student work samples for the table on the second page of the lab students were expected to use
letters as symbols for genotype where a capital letter indicates a dominant allele and a
lowercase letter represents a recessive allele. Students should always write the dominant allele
first and the recessive afterwards when both are present. Students also must use correct syntax
when they are unsure of the exact genotype. If a trait is displayed as dominant but the parental
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phenotype is unknown then the student must put a capital letter followed by a _ symbol. This
indicates that the student understands that further information is required in order to know the
exact genotype. Student #1 clearly struggles with his sentence structure as indicated by his
short answer responses to the lab questions in the student work samples. This student uses
sentence fragments, misplaced punctuation and odd phrasing in his responses but thankfully it
does not interfere with the correctness of the content inside of his answers it simply makes his
answers harder to read. Because Student #1 is an ELL student I suggested that he work on
wording sentences and supporting details in his ELL classroom. Student #2 also struggles to
use full sentences but from my knowledge of the students other work as well as the other
evidence presented in his lab this appears to be caused by lack of effort and not lack of
understanding of the sentence structure itself. Student #3 performed best when it came to
sentence structure as well as writing genotypes correctly. Not only did this student have few
grammatical errors compared to the other focus students, but he also supported his answers
with sufficient detail.]
4. Using Assessment to Inform Instruction
a. Based on your analysis of student learning presented in prompts 1bc, describe next
steps for instruction:
For the whole class
For the 3 focus students and other individuals/groups with specific needs
Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different
strategies/support (e.g., students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners,
struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic
knowledge, and/or gifted students needing greater support or challenge).
[Based on the whole class data most students have a good understanding of Punnett squares
as well as phenotype and genotype but their understanding of other types of dominance and
relating meiosis and the formation of gametes to these. These are two concepts that will
continue to be worked on in the following weeks of the unit. Meiosis is a topic that is heavily
covered and recovered because it is a very large portion of the regents exam and so the
students understanding of this topic is vital.
Some students continue to struggle with the phenotype genotype concept and for these
students I will work independently and/or in small groups during the free advisement period or
after school. I collected data for each student and watched for students who did not improve
from one assessment to another. These students were asked to come in during advisement and
work on clarifying their misunderstandings as well as to receive some extra practice to ensure
that they were confident with these concepts. ]
b. Explain how these next steps follow from your analysis of student learning. Support your
explanation with principles from research and/or theory.
[Small group instruction is an example of RTI tier 2. Small group instruction has been proven to
help students who are otherwise struggling to become more successful. By tracking the class as
a whole as well as students as individuals I can figure out what topics need to be retaught as
well as what topics need to more to tier 2 or 3 or RTI. When re-teaching t the entire class I
would use more scaffolding and breaking down of the concept as well as continued checks for
understanding to ensure that students are confident before I move on. ]

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Task 3: Assessment Commentary

TASK 3: ASSESSMENT COMMENTARY

1. Analyzing Student Learning

Use of scientific practice through inquiry:

Reasonable prediction about a real world phenomenon:

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