Science Task Prescreen

Task Title: Photosynthesis Rate Challenge: Optimizing Glucose Production

Grade: High School (9-12)

Date: 2026-04-16

SEP: Developing and Using Models

DCI: LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms

CCC: Energy and Matter

Task Purpose: The purpose of this task is to assess students’ ability to use a computational model (simulation) to identify patterns in energy and matter flow during photosynthesis and to construct a conceptual model of energy transformation.

Instructions

Before you begin: Complete the task as a student would. Then, consider any support materials provided to teachers or students, such as contextual information about the task and answer keys/rubrics.
Prescreen: Answer the following high-level questions to identify any major red flags (🚩) in your task. If you find one or more red flags, consider the purpose of the task and the evidence gathered to determine whether the task warrants a deeper dive.

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

Based on your assessment needs and the task purpose recorded above, make a recommendation about this task moving forward (choose one):

Warrants further review.
Should not be used.

Summary

Summarize your evidence and reasoning:

The task is anchored in the observable phenomenon of oxygen production in aquatic plants, framed within a professional scenario (AeroGrow startup) that creates a “need to know.” Students cannot answer the questions about saturation points or wavelength efficiency without interacting with the simulation and analyzing the resulting data. The task integrates the SEP (Developing and Using Models) with the DCI (LS1.C) and CCC (Energy and Matter) by requiring students to move from data collection to building a conceptual model of energy transformation. No red flags were identified.