Science Task Prescreen
Task Title: The Energy Cost of Chemical Change
Grade: High School (9-12)
Date: 2026-04-18
SEP: Developing and Using Models
DCI: PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter, PS1.B: Chemical Reactions
CCC: Energy and Matter
Task Purpose: To assess students’ ability to use a molecular model to explain how net energy changes in a chemical reaction are a function of bond breaking (absorption) and bond forming (release).
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):
- [x] Warrants further review.
- [ ] Should not be used.
Summary
Summarize your evidence and reasoning:
The task is centered on a comparative phenomenon (methane vs. water splitting) that directly leverages the simulation’s features. Students must interact with the model (SEP) to collect energy data, reason about the relationship between bond changes and net energy (DCI), and apply the conservation of energy (CCC) to a new scenario (Haber Process). There are no obvious red flags; the task requires active sense-making rather than rote recall.