Performance Task Evaluation

The purpose of this performance task evaluation is to evaluate a student in my field experience based on a rubric that has been provided. During my field experience, I had the opportunity to observe a student in an AP Biology class during a genetics lab activity. The teacher provided students with two cards, one big A (dominant) and one little a (recessive). The students were instructed to go around the class and perform random mating by flipping the cards and documenting the results. At the end of the lab, the students were provided with a worksheet to write down their documentation and perform some mathematical questions. The students initially had written a hypothesis so this was their experiment to conduct, which lead to an opportunity for the students to come up with a conclusion on whether or not the experiment supported their hypothesis.

Understanding: 3

The student did very well with conducting the class experiment and using his knowledge of genetics to identify the different genotypes and phenotypes. He was able to answer a majority of the questions on the worksheet provided at the end of the experiment. He provided an explanation for why he believed that the experiment did not support the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. The student was provided with a 3 for his lack of understanding on some of the questions from the worksheet. He lacked understanding of the material since he was engaging in personal discussions at the time the teacher provided a step-by-step explanation. He did demonstrate understanding most of the information, but there was just a small issue that needed to be addressed.

Planning and Execution: 3

The student was able to utilize all available resources to address the experiment and worksheet. The student used the collected documentation from the experiment to complete the worksheet that had step-by-step questions. The student was able to solve problems by clearly understanding the purpose of the experiment and how it provided feedback for the worksheet assignment. The student utilized tables and charts to correctly perform the mathematical questions. I provided the student with a 3 because he made a mockery of the experiment during the process. He is a very smart young man, but though the idea of an experiment that involved “mating” for the purpose of genetics involved jokes. He could have been more proactive in helping his fellow peers who had difficulties.

Communication: 4

The student demonstrated a clear explanation of his hypothesis, the experiment, and his conclusion. He accurately used mathematical and scientific representation in the worksheet. He provided clear mathematical and scientific terminology and notation regarding genetics. The student was provided with a 4 considering he provided clear explanations during class discussions and use the worksheet efficiently.

Persistence: 3

The student did require some help on the questions from the worksheet, but he did work hard on the experiment. He managed to complete the assignment and worksheet in a timely manner. This student was provided with a 3 because even though he worked independently to complete tasks, he did need some help.