Maximum Score - 5 Points

Point Criteria: Blue dot and Red dot A

• 1 point for each reasonable description.

  Acceptable descriptors:

  didn't move didn't blur stayed as a dot nothing

  stayed the same didn't wear out didn't come out it got wet

  didn't come off didn't spread out it got soaked it didn't change

Standard: The student describes what happens when water reaches each dot.

Point Criteria: Yellow dot and Red dot B

• 1 point for each reasonable description.

  Acceptable descriptors for movement:

  climbed up moved smudged touched the top color went up

  absorbed to the top spread out ran raised reached the top

  smeared moved upward got bigger blurred moved off the circle

  Acceptable descriptions for color change:

***No credit is given if the student only states that either Red dot B or Yellow dot changed.

Point Criteria:

• 1 point for a reasonable comparison of the red dot and the other dots on the paper.
  Acceptable descriptors of comparison:

• One dot used permanent ink and the other didn't.
• They were different solutions.
• One dot is water color and the other isn't.
• They were different markers or inks.
• They are made of different stuff.
• One is washable and the other isn't.
  UNacceptable answers:

• They were different.
• One moved and one didn't.

NYS Alternative Assessment in Science Project
NSF Grant #MDR-9154506
Copyright, April, 1996
The State University of New York
The State Education Department
Albany, New York 12234