Work Sample & Commentary: Endocrine Feedback Exercise
The task
Students were given a data table showing a high school student’s blood glucose levels as measured hourly over a 24-hour period. They were asked to graph the data; to draw conclusions about regulatory response from the data; and to use their conclusions to make inferences about the effects of injected insulin on diabetes.

Circumstances of performance
This sample of student work was produced under the following conditions:
alone in a group
in class as homework
with teacher feedback with peer feedback
timed opportunity for revision

This work sample illustrates a standard-setting performance for the following parts of the standards:
a Life Sciences Concepts: The cell.
a Scientific Connections and Applications: Big ideas and unifying concepts.
c Scientific Connections and Applications: Health.
b Scientific Thinking: Use concepts from Science Standards 1–4.
c Scientific Tools and Technologies: Analyze data.
b Scientific Communication: Argue from evidence.


What the work shows

a Life Sciences Concepts: The student produces evidence that demonstrates understanding of the cell, such as…regulation and biochemistry.
The student understands that substances within the blood last for a finite time, and used this information to explain why regular injections of insulin are required to regulate diabetes.
This answer accurately explains what happens to sugar in the blood after a meal. It also points out that insulin is involved in the entry of glucose into various cells.

a Scientific Connections and Applications: The student produces evidence that demonstrates understanding of big ideas and unifying concepts, such as…change and constancy; and cause and effect.
The answers demonstrate an understanding that eating as well as normal and strenuous metabolic demands cause changes in blood sugar levels, and that the effects of those changes are regulatory responses to maintain homeostasis.

c Scientific Connections and Applications: The student produces evidence that demonstrates understanding of health, such as nutrition and exercise, [and] disease….
In the discussion of diabetes, the connection between the presence of insulin and the ability of the body to absorb glucose into cells is clearly stated.
The student accurately correlates the regulatory effect of injected insulin with the production of glycogen.

b Scientific Thinking: The student uses concepts from Science Standards 1–4 to explain a variety of observations and phenomena.
Concepts related to a are accurately applied in making inferences about the regulatory effects of injected insulin.
Concepts related to a are accurately applied in making inferences about the data in the table.

c Scientific Tools and Technologies: The student analyzes data using concepts and techniques in Mathematics Standard 4, such as…appropriate data displays.
The points on the graph are correctly plotted. The student chose appropriate scales and intervals for the graph, and the axes are correctly labeled. The use of a ruler or straight edge for drawing the axes and connecting lines would be recommended in a revision.
b Scientific Communication: The student argues from evidence, such as data produced…by others.
The students correctly interpret the data presented in the table, and use their conclusions to make inferences about the effects of injected insulin.