Science Task Prescreen
Task Title: Mystery in the Lab: Forensic Chromatography & Poison Analysis
Grade: High School
Date: April 19, 2026
SEP: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
DCI: PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter
CCC: Patterns
Task Purpose: To assess students’ ability to plan and conduct a forensic investigation using chromatography to infer the intermolecular strengths (electrical forces) between molecules of a solute and different solvents.
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 uses a strong forensic scenario (toxic dyes in food) that requires students to apply chemistry concepts (polarity, IMF) to a specific, measurable result (Rf values). It integrates the microscopic and macroscopic views to bridge the gap between particle-level behavior and observed physical separation.