High School Investigation Report Rubric – 14-15 Version 1.0
Version Notes:
Level of Detail: This is the first version of the investigation rubric for the 14-15 school year. It is intentionally general at this point since we do not yet have
student work, and some rows have more detail than others Over the course of the year, as student work is produced and analyzed, the rubric will evolve and details
will be added.
PBA Rubric Alignment: The PBA Rubric has been used in the humanities for argumentative writing in secondary courses and is now being introduced to
elementary humanities. There are similarities between portions of the PBA rubric and this rubric. There are also content specific differences. Certain terms such
as claim, evidence, analysis, and reasoning have specific meanings in science and are defined within the Next Generation Science Standards. When these
differences are important, they are noted.
Math Rubric Alignment: The math rubric is also in development. When appropriate, there is alignment between the math rubric and the investigation report
rubric. Both rubrics will develop over time along with the PBA rubric and there may be changes made for future iterations of each rubric to align.
Usage: The above three sections would be completed for a full investigation report. Depending on the goals of a particular investigation, the focus of the
investigation report may only include portions of these three sections. Therefore on the rubric, for any given report, only use the rows relevant for the assignment.
The lab report consists of three basic sections:
1. The Introduction and Research/Guiding Question
2. The Method
3. The Argument
The Introduction and Research/Guiding Question:
In this section, the student will provide background information, describe the goal of the study, state the research/guiding question, and connect the
research/guiding question to the background information. If applicable to the question, the background information should be used to develop a hypothesis (a
tentative explanation for a set of observations) that can be tested. A prediction and a hypothesis are not the same statement, but a hypothesis can be used to make a
prediction.
The Method:
The student will explain the methods used to answer the question and/or test their hypothesis. When applicable the student should identify their variables
(independent, dependent, controlled). The methods include both the specific (reproducible) steps and the materials needed. When applicable, the methods for data
analysis are also included in this section.
The Argument:
In this section, the student will provide their argument with all three essential components: claim, evidence, and reasoning The claim will provide a valid answer
to the guiding question of the investigation. The claim will be supported by genuine and sufficient evidence (data, an analysis of the data, and an interpretation of
the analysis). In addition to written evidence, evidence will be displayed graphically in a format appropriate to the grade level, typically in the form of graphs or
diagrams generated on a computer. The student will also provide reasoning, a justification of why the evidence is important. The inclusion of the evidence will be
defended by a specific concept already learned or by naming the underlying assumptions. When applicable the student will state whether their hypothesis and/or
prediction was supported by their evidence and explain why.
Element
Introduction
Strand
Criterion
Background
Information
Goals
Research/Guiding
Question
Hypothesis
Prediction
Section 1: Introduction and Guiding Question
Key Questions
1
2
3
Did the author provide
enough background
information about the
concept, theory, law, or
model underlying the
investigation?
Did the author describe
the goal of the study?
Did the author make the
research/guiding
question explicit and
explain how it connects
to the background
information?
Did the author develop a
hypothesis that is a
tentative explanation
using the background
information?
Did the author make a
prediction from their
hypothesis?
Not present
Partially present
Fully present
Not present
Partially present
Fully present
Not present
Partially present
Fully present
Not present
Partially present
Fully present
Not present
Partially present
Fully present
Not present
Partially present
Fully present
Not present
Partially present
Fully present
Section 2: Method
Method
Steps for Data
Collection
Data
Did the author describe
the method he/she used
to gather data and
explain how the method
helped him/her answer
the guiding question?
Did the author explain
what data (quantitative
or qualitative) was
collected (or used) and
why that data was
collected (or used)?
4
Notes
Steps for Data
Analysis
Variables
Argument
Did the author describe
how he or she analyzed
the data and explain why
the analysis helped
him/her answer the
research/guiding
question?
Did the author describe
their experimental design
(naming independent,
dependent, and
controlled variables) and
provide for a fair test?
Not present
Partially present
Fully present
Not present
Partially present
Fully present
Fully present
Word Choice
Identification of
investigation type
Partially present
Did the author use the Not present
correct term to
describe his/her
investigation (i.e.,
experiment, systematic
observation,
interpretation of a
data set)?
Section 3: The Argument
Claim
Sufficiency
Did the author provide
an answer to the
research/guiding
question (the claim)?
The claim does
not answer the
research/guiding
question or is
missing.
Accuracy
Did the author provide
an accurate answer to
the research/guiding
question (the claim)?
The claim is
completely
inaccurate.
Sufficiency
Did the author support
his or her claim with
evidence (analyzed data
and interpretation of the
The claim is
unsupported by
evidence.
Evidence
The claim
addresses the
research/
guiding
question, but
indirectly and/or
by addressing
only a small
part of the
research
question.
The claim is
partially
accurate, but
with significant
inaccuracies.
Includes
evidence that
supports part of
the claim and
The claim
answers and
addresses most
of the research/
guiding
question. There
is a basic
answer to the
question.
The claim
answers the
research/
guiding question
and addresses
all parts of the
research
question with
clarity.
The claim is
mostly accurate.
The claim is
completely
accurate.
Includes
multiple pieces
of evidence to
support most of
There is enough
evidence to
support the
entire claim and
The PBA rubric
uses both claim
and assertion. On
the PBA rubric,
assertions are part
of a claim. On an
investigation
report, the claim
is the overall
answer to the
guiding question
and is most
similar to the
usage of claim on
the PBA rubric.
It is appropriate
to name to
students that a
claim is similar to
an assertion.
Evidence is
different from
data. Data is
evidence that has
been analyzed. In
Genuine Evidence
Presentation of
Evidence
Reasoning
(Justification)
Reasoning
analysis)?
 Is there enough
evidence to
support the
claim?
Does the author have
high quality evidence?
 Were sources of
measurement
error explained?
 Was the analysis
of the data
appropriate and
free from
errors?
 Was the
author’s
interpretation of
the analysis
valid?
Did the author present
the evidence in an
appropriate manner by:
 Including a
correctly
formatted and
labeled graph
(or table);
 Using correct
metric units
(e.g., m/s, g, ml,
etc.); and,
 Referencing the
graph or table in
the body of the
text?
Did the author include
reasoning, a justification
of the evidence that:
 Explains why
the evidence is
important?
 Defends the
inclusion of the
evidence with a
specific science
research/guiding
question, but
leaves
significant parts
unsupported.
Some relevant
data is used to
support the
claim. The
establishment of
a relationship,
pattern, or trend
to support the
claim may be
missing or be
significantly.
the claim and
most of the
research/guiding
question.
answer all parts
of the
research/guiding
question.
Mostly relevant
data is used to
establish a
relationship,
pattern, or trend
to support the
claim, but there
may be some
inaccuracies.
Relevant data is
used to establish
a clear
relationship,
pattern, or trend
to accurately
support the
claim.
Not present
Partially present
Fully present
The evidence is
left to stand by
itself or there is
only a simple
statement about
how the
evidence
supports the
claim with no
explanation of
There is an
attempt to
explain how the
evidence
supports the
claim, but there
may be
significant
inaccuracies
and/or missing
Explains how
the evidence
supports the
claim, but there
may be minor
inaccuracies
and/or missing
explanation.
The claim is
supported either
by inferences
only or by
irrelevant data.
Explains why
the evidence
was included,
how the
evidence
supports the
claim, and does
so by
connecting back
to a scientific
science, analysis
is used to bring
out the meaning
of data and their
relevance so that
they may be used
as evidence.
Reasoning in
science is distinct
from analysis. In
science, we use a
scientific
principle and/or
our stated
assumptions
when connecting
the evidence to
the claim. This
can also be
Rebuttal
Rebuttal
Word Choice
Scientific Word
Choice
concept or by
discussing an
underlying
assumption?
Did the author discuss
the arguments made by
other groups by:
 Describing some
of the claims
made by other
groups?
 Describing how
well the other
claims align with
his or her claim?
 Critiquing the
evidence
provided for the
other claims?
Did the author use
scientific terms
(hypothesis vs.
prediction, data vs.
evidence) and phrases
(supports vs. proves)
correctly?
how.
explanation.
principle or by
naming
assumptions.
Does not
recognize that
an alternative
explanation
exists and does
not provide a
rebuttal or
makes an
inaccurate
rebuttal.
Recognizes
alternative
explanations
and provides
appropriate but
insufficient
counter
evidence and
reasoning in
making a
rebuttal.
Recognizes
alternative
explanations
and provides
appropriate and
sufficient
counter
evidence and
reasoning when
making
rebuttals.
Explanation is
entirely
colloquial or
imprecise; OR,
misuses
academic and
content
vocabulary in a
way that
impacts
accuracy of
response
Attempt is made
to use provided
and/or nonprovided
academic and
content
language but it
is used
inaccurately and
imprecisely at
times (including
the use of
multiple vague
pronouns).
Provided
academic and
content
language is used
accurately and
precisely.
Attempt is made
to use nonprovided
language (when
appropriate).
There may be at
most one vague
pronoun used.
Or, all provided
language is not
used for
explanation, but
clarity is
maintained.
thought of as
justification.
This row should
only be used
when specifically
called for by the
task.
Provided and
non-provided
(when
appropriate)
academic and
content
language is used
accurately and
precisely.
Pronouns are
use
appropriately.
Language
Note: This section is in development. The Language section of the PBA rubric can potentially be used for evaluating language on investigation reports.
Organization: Is each
section easy to follow?
Do paragraphs include
multiple sentences? Do
paragraphs begin with a
topic sentence?
Grammar: Are the
sentences complete? Is
there proper subjectverb agreement in each
sentence? No run-on
sentences.
Conventions: Did the
author use appropriate
spelling, punctuation,
paragraphing and
capitalization?
Word Choice: Did the
author use the
appropriate word (there
vs. their, to vs. too, etc.)
Appendix A: NGSS Grade Band Expectations
Grade Band
Asking Questions
Planning and
Carrying Out
Investigations
Analyzing and
Interpreting Data
Analyzing and
Interpreting Data
Using Mathematics
and Computational
Thinking
Constructing
Explanations and
Designing Solutions
Engaging in
Argument from
Evidence
9-12 (Grade
12 is the
NGSS
endpoint for
these
expectations)
Ask questions
- that arise from careful
observation of
phenomena, or
unexpected results, to
clarify and/or seek
additional information.
- that arise from
examining models or a
theory, to clarify and/or
seek additional
information and
relationships.
- to determine
relationships, including
quantitative relationships,
between independent and
dependent variables.
to clarify and refine a
model, an explanation, or
an engineering problem.
Evaluate a question to
determine if it is testable
and relevant.
Ask questions that can
be investigated within the
scope of the school
laboratory, research
facilities, or field (e.g.,
outdoor environment)
with available resources
and, when appropriate,
frame a hypothesis based
on a model or theory.
Ask and/or evaluate
questions that challenge
the premise(s) of an
argument, the
interpretation of a data
set, or the suitability of a
design.
Define a design
problem that involves the
development of a process
or system with interacting
components and criteria
and constraints that may
include social, technical,
and/or environmental
considerations.
Plan an investigation or test
a design individually and
collaboratively to produce data
to serve as the basis for
evidence as part of building
and revising models,
supporting explanations for
phenomena, or testing
solutions to problems.
Consider possible
confounding variables or
effects and evaluate the
investigation’s design to ensure
variables are controlled.
Plan and conduct an
investigation individually and
collaboratively to produce data
to serve as the basis for
evidence, and in the design:
decide on types, how much,
and accuracy of data needed to
produce reliable measurements
and consider limitations on the
precision of the data (e.g.,
number of trials, cost, risk,
time ), and refine the design
accordingly.
Plan and conduct an
investigation or test a design
solution in a safe and ethical
manner including
considerations of
environmental, social, and
personal impacts.
Select appropriate tools to
collect, record, analyze, and
evaluate data.
Make directional hypotheses
that specify what happens to a
dependent variable when an
independent variable is
manipulated.
Manipulate variables and
collect data about a complex
model of a proposed process or
system to identify failure
points or improve performance
relative to criteria for success
or other variables.
Plan an investigation or test a
design individually and
collaboratively to produce data to
serve as the basis for evidence as
part of building and revising
models, supporting explanations
for phenomena, or testing
solutions to problems. Consider
possible confounding variables
or effects and evaluate the
investigation’s design to ensure
variables are controlled.
Plan and conduct an
investigation individually and
collaboratively to produce data to
serve as the basis for evidence,
and in the design: decide on
types, how much, and accuracy
of data needed to produce
reliable measurements and
consider limitations on the
precision of the data (e.g.,
number of trials, cost, risk, time
), and refine the design
accordingly.
Plan and conduct an
investigation or test a design
solution in a safe and ethical
manner including considerations
of environmental, social, and
personal impacts.
Select appropriate tools to
collect, record, analyze, and
evaluate data.
Make directional hypotheses
that specify what happens to a
dependent variable when an
independent variable is
manipulated.
Manipulate variables and
collect data about a complex
model of a proposed process or
system to identify failure points
or improve performance relative
to criteria for success or other
variables.
Create and/or revise a
computational model or
simulation of a phenomenon,
designed device, process, or
system.
Use mathematical,
computational, and/or
algorithmic representations of
phenomena or design
solutions to describe and/or
support claims and/or
explanations.
Apply techniques of algebra
and functions to represent and
solve scientific and
engineering problems.
Use simple limit cases to
test mathematical expressions,
computer programs,
algorithms, or simulations of a
process or system to see if a
model “makes sense” by
comparing the outcomes with
what is known about the real
world.
Apply ratios, rates,
percentages, and unit
conversions in the context of
complicated measurement
problems involving quantities
with derived or compound
units (such as mg/mL, kg/m3,
acre-feet, etc.).
Make a quantitative and/or
qualitative claim regarding the
relationship between
dependent and independent
variables.
Construct and revise an
explanation based on valid
and reliable evidence obtained
from a variety of sources
(including students’ own
investigations, models,
theories, simulations, peer
review) and the assumption
that theories and laws that
describe the natural world
operate today as they did in
the past and will continue to
do so in the future.
Apply scientific ideas,
principles, and/or evidence to
provide an explanation of
phenomena and solve design
problems, taking into account
possible unanticipated effects.
Apply scientific reasoning,
theory, and/or models to link
evidence to the claims to
assess the extent to which the
reasoning and data support the
explanation or conclusion.
Design, evaluate, and/or
refine a solution to a complex
real-world problem, based on
scientific knowledge, studentgenerated sources of evidence,
prioritized criteria, and
tradeoff considerations.
Compare and evaluate
competing arguments or
design solutions in light of
currently accepted
explanations, new evidence,
limitations (e.g., trade-offs),
constraints, and ethical issues.
Evaluate the claims,
evidence, and/or reasoning
behind currently accepted
explanations or solutions to
determine the merits of
arguments.
Respectfully provide
and/or receive critiques on
scientific arguments by
probing reasoning and
evidence, challenging ideas
and conclusions, responding
thoughtfully to diverse
perspectives, and determining
additional information
required to resolve
contradictions.
Construct, use, and/or
present an oral and written
argument or counterarguments based on data and
evidence.
Make and defend a claim
based on evidence about the
natural world or the
effectiveness of a design
solution that reflects scientific
knowledge and studentgenerated evidence.
Evaluate competing design
solutions to a real-world
problem based on scientific
ideas and principles,
empirical evidence, and/or
logical arguments regarding
relevant factors (e.g.
economic, societal,
environmental, ethical
considerations).