Science Assessment ~ Ideas ~ In a scientific argument, claims about the natural world should be supported or refuted by evidence, and by reasoning that justifies why the evidence supports or refutes the claim.

Key Idea: In a scientific argument, claims about the natural world should be supported or refuted by evidence, and by reasoning that justifies why the evidence supports or refutes the claim.

Sub-Ideas
Items & Student Performance
Misconceptions
NGSS

Students should be able to:

Identify statements that provide evidence in support of a claim.
Identify statements that provide clear and valid evidence and good reasons to support a claim.
Identify claim, evidence, and reasoning statements.
Identify valid reasoning to justify why given evidence supports a claim.
Provide evidence and reasoning to support a scientific claim.
Construct a scientific argument that includes a claim about a natural phenomenon, evidence in the form of scientific data that supports the claim, and reasoning that uses appropriate scientific principles and justifies why the data count as evidence for the claim.

Percent of students answering correctly (click on the item ID number to view the item and additional data)
Item ID Number	Knowledge Being Assessed	Pre-Test	Post-Test (Control)	Post-Test (Treatment)
EH022003	If GFP (green fluorescent protein), is found only in muscle cells of a frog, it is because the GFP gene is turned on only in those cells. (Choose sound reasoning to justify why given evidence supports a claim.)	60%	67%	75%
CA045002	Recognize evidence and reasoning statements to support the claim that sharks and dolphins share a common ancestor.	60%	64%	67%
CA043004	Recognize a valid argument that supports the claim that chimpanzees and gorillas have a more recent common ancestry than chimpanzees and orangutans because their average genetic similarity is greater.	48%	56%	61%
EH021003	If offspring carry an allele that is not present in the body cells of its parents, then the allele resulted from a mutation in the sex cells of one of the parents. (Identify sound reasoning.) (MC1R gene in mice)	48%	47%	57%
CA042002	Similar skeletal features (in dogs and fish) indicate a common ancestor. (Identify claim, evidence, and reasoning.)	47%	41%	43%
EH020003	If offspring carry an allele that is not present in the body cells of its parents, then the allele resulted from a mutation in the sex cells of one of the parents. (Identify sound reasoning.) (MC1R gene in mice)	42%	N/A	N/A
CA047002	The fact that fish cells and algae both have DNA can be used as evidence that they share a common ancestor. (Identify valid evidence and sound reasoning to support a claim.)	39%	49%	58%
CA041002	Similar skeletal features in organisms (chimpanzees and gorillas) indicate a common ancestor.	39%	49%	46%
CA044002	Recognize a statement that provides evidence for the claim that algae and yeast share a common ancestor.	29%	17%	26%
EN064004	Write an argument to support the claim that natural selection is occurring in a population of finches based on data presented in a graph.	27%	N/A	N/A
CA043005	Write an argument using correct evidence and sound reasoning to support a claim that chimpanzees and gorillas have a more recent common ancestry than chimpanzees and orangutans because their average genetic similarity is greater.	18%	22%	25%
EN100001	Use evidence provided in graphs and sound reasoning to explain if the process of natural selection caused the change in the leg-length ratio of anoles and their offspring born in two different environments.	N/A	28%	35%

No misconceptions are associated with this idea in the selected project.

NGSS Statements
Code	Statement
SEP7 HS	Evaluate the claims, evidence, and/or reasoning behind currently accepted explanations or solutions to determine the merits of arguments.
LS3.A HS	Each chromosome consists of a single very long DNA molecule, and each gene on the chromosome is a particular segment of that DNA. The instructions for forming species' characteristics are carried in DNA. All cells in an organism have the same genetic content, but the genes used (expressed) by the cell may be regulated in different ways. Not all DNA codes for a protein; some segments of DNA are involved in regulatory or structural functions, and some have no as-yet known function.