Staples High School
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Problem-Solving Rubric
for
Level of Achievement

    As part of the N.E.A.S.C. (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation process, Staples High School set forth 15 Expectations for Student Learning (11 Academic, 2 Civic, and 2 Social).  The full N.E.A.S.C. Report can be found on the Westport Public Schools website.  These expectations have also become a part of the Staples High School Graduation Requirements, given the State of Connecticut's directive to provide a means for students to achieve an alternate standard should they fail to meet standard on parts of the C.A.P.T.  Although many of these expectations fall under the domain of the Science Department, one of these expectations, in particular, is particularly important to the department.  This is the 7th Academic Education Expectation, which states that "students will be competent problem solvers."

7. Each Student will be a competent problem solver.

To that end a student will:

· Identify and define a problem
· Understand the relevant issues presented by a problem
· Identify and locate the relevant information needed to solve the problem
· Develop a logical approach leading to a valid conclusion
· Collect and analyze data
· Clearly communicate the results

    To help students to meet this expectation, a rubric to that effect has been designed, on a four point scale, to show the level of a student's achievement:

RUBRIC

                   A Student will . . .   

4

Evidence exceeds Standard

· . . . accurately identify and insightfully define all aspects of a problem.

· . . . identify and locate a variety of appropriate tools and information needed to solve a problem.

· . . . effectively analyze relevant data.

· . . . develop and evaluate working hypotheses using multiple procedures.

· . . . clearly and effectively communicate results.

 

3

Evidence meets Standard

· . . . accurately identify and define a problem.

· . . . identify and locate some appropriate tools and information needed to solve a problem.

· . . . analyze relevant data.

· . . . develop and evaluate a working hypothesis using some procedures.

· . . . clearly communicate results

 

2

Evidence approaches Standard

· . . . identify and define only part of a problem neglecting some important issues.

· . . . demonstrate limited awareness of appropriate tools and information needed to solve a problem.

· . . . superficially analyze or lack relevant data.

· . . . struggle to develop a working hypothesis and procedures.

· . . . give incomplete or confused explanations of both the process and results. 

 

1

No Evidence of meeting Standard

· . . . misunderstand the problem.

· . . . demonstrate no awareness of appropriate tools and information needed to solve a problem.

· . . . ignore, misinterpret or misuse data.

· . . . not develop a working hypothesis and procedures.

· . . . not communicate results.

 

     Individual teachers will have different methods of indicating that a student has met the standard above.  In some cases a teacher may clearly indicate such with a score of 1 through 4.  In other cases, teachers may indicate which scores on lab reports, for example, are the equivalent of scores on the four point scale.