Evidence sort and false results

Open your materials, follow the steps, then turn in your work.

Sort case evidence by strength and explain how false positives and false negatives change a decision.

Before lab work: Read the safety rules below and wait for your teacher’s approval. You may read the directions while you wait.

1. Open your materials

Use the materials named in the first step below. Open lesson resources.

2. Start the work

Sort the case test results into strong, moderate, and weak evidence with a one-word reason each.

Show all 5 required steps
  1. Sort the case test results into strong, moderate, and weak evidence with a one-word reason each.
  2. Identify one result that could be a false positive and one that could be a false negative.
  3. Explain in one sentence how each false result would change the patient's treatment.
  4. Decide which result you trust most and why.
  5. Submit your evidence sort and false-result analysis as your daily evidence.

Lost your place? Lost your place? You need your three-column sort: strong, moderate, weak, with a one-word reason on each. Have that, and go to the false-positive and false-negative pair.

Check your work before submitting

  • You'll be able to rank evidence by strength.
  • You'll be able to explain the consequence of a false positive or false negative.

Before lab work: read the safety rules

  • Wear the required PPE, keep the bench clear, handle equipment only as directed, and know where the eyewash, sink, and spill kit are before you start.
  • Human samples and data stay private: label with a code, never a name, and dispose of materials in the correct waste container, then wash your hands.

3. Turn in your work

DueCheck Schoology
Hand in
Evidence sort table (strong/moderate/weak with one-word reasons) plus two false-result sentences and a justification for the most trusted result.
How to submit and name your file

Use the submission route shown on today's page.

In Schoology, open your course and the assignment for this lesson. Attach your file, select Submit, and check that it appears in the submission.

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You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.

Find this lesson's Schoology assignments

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How this lesson connects

Keep using what you learned last class: Early screening lowers cost and mortality, so a test that only wealthy or well-insured patients can reach turns a medical advance into a driver of inequality. Today: The cost of a wrong result depends on the decision it feeds, so the same error rate is acceptable for screening and unacceptable for a surgical decision.

Optional: listen or watch a unit review
Optional unit study notebook
Tying the diagnostics unit together: from molecular test to patient result and clinical decision.
Open the notebook
Optional review video
Audio overviewVideo overviewMind mapStudy guideFlashcardsQuizData table
Need help? Warm-up, timing, and directions

💡 Big idea: The cost of a wrong result depends on the decision it feeds, so the same error rate is acceptable for screening and unacceptable for a surgical decision.

  1. 0-8Hook class vote; define and with genetic test examples
  2. 8-25Sort all case test results into strong, moderate, weak with one-word reason each
  3. 25-45Identify one candidate and one candidate from the sort
  4. 45-60Write one sentence per error type on how it would change the treatment decision
  5. 60-72State which result you trust most and justify; partner check logic
  6. 72-80Submit evidence sort and false-result analysis to the class site
Mr. Mendoza's 5-minute intro
  • Hook: Ask: which error is worse for a screening test, a or a ? Take a class vote and note the reasoning.
  • Why it matters: The sorting skill is used in clinical decision support, evidence-based medicine, and WebXam 072130 Biotech Research questions.
  • Today's work: You rank all case evidence by strength and then model how two error types propagate into treatment decisions.
  • Exit goal: Evidence sort and false-result analysis submitted before the bell.
Know by the end
  • A says disease is present when it is not; in genetic medicine it may lead to unnecessary preventive surgery or anxiety.
  • A says disease is absent when it is present; it may delay treatment until the disease progresses.
  • Evidence strength depends on sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility; a single positive SNP with low sensitivity is weak evidence alone.

PLTW connection and today's work

Open Activity 2.2.2 Reproductive Technology in myPLTW and sort the case test results by strength.

Today's stopping point: Annotated case packet should be done (Tuesday); evidence sort and false-result analysis due today.

PLTW activity titles identify the course connection. If your account will not open, use the posted materials for today and tell Mr. Mendoza. Do not mark an online activity complete unless you completed it.

Course connection

  • Activity 2.2.2 Reproductive Technology
Open Activity 2.2.2 Reproductive Technology in myPLTW

The mapping has not been confirmed inside myPLTW.

Use the turn-in directions at the top of this page. Do not create a second submission unless your teacher asks for one.

Show another explanation or a smaller first step

Need help? Choose a starting point

Run the lab
Sort every case result by strength with a reason each, identify one likely false positive and one likely false negative, and explain how each would change the patient's treatment.
Missed class? Start here
Sort just three results using the worked criteria on today's page, then do the false-result pair.

Finish the assigned lab safely before starting extra practice.

Lesson resources: reading, slides, and vocabulary
Socratic teaching slide deck

The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.

Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.

Carry forward

Early screening lowers cost and mortality, so a test that only wealthy or well-insured patients can reach turns a medical advance into a driver of inequality.

Daily take-home

The cost of a wrong result depends on the decision it feeds, so the same error rate is acceptable for screening and unacceptable for a surgical decision.

Inspect the analogy

A research team lays out its question, variables, controls, sampling plan, measurement record, and analysis before deciding what the data support.

  1. Which variable is changed or compared?
  2. Which conditions and measurements must stay consistent?
  3. Which conclusion is inside the study's evidence boundary?
Rule

Define variables, controls, sampling, units, and the analysis plan before interpreting a result; analysis cannot repair biased or inconsistent measurement.

Where it breaks

A well-organized classroom study can still be limited by , measurement quality, confounding, and the population represented.

Map the analogy to biology
  • Question and variable cards map to the study design.
  • Control and measurement cards map to fair, reproducible data collection.
  • The conclusion card maps to a bounded claim supported by the analysis.
Read this first

Driving question: Your case file has results of uneven quality. Which ones would you let a surgeon act on?

What you already know: Early screening lowers cost and mortality, so a test that only wealthy or well-insured patients can reach turns a medical advance into a driver of inequality.

New idea: The cost of a wrong result depends on the decision it feeds, so the same error rate is acceptable for screening and unacceptable for a surgical decision.

Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for Evidence sort and false results. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled testing, treatment, or biological process and identify where evidence limits the decision.

  1. Observe or measure the relevant feature in today's lesson.
  2. Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
  3. Apply this rule: Define variables, controls, sampling, units, and the analysis plan before interpreting a result; analysis cannot repair biased or inconsistent measurement.
  4. Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.

Real biomedical example: Your case file has results of uneven quality. Which ones would you let a surgeon act on?

What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.

What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.

Vocabulary:
  • : Identifying a disease by detecting specific DNA, RNA, or proteins in a sample, allowing precise diagnosis at the level of genes and molecules.
  • validity: How well a test or study actually measures what it claims to, so the conclusions truly reflect reality.
  • reliability: The degree to which a measurement, method, or person produces the same dependable result each time under the same conditions.
  • : A test result that signals a condition is present when it actually is not, a kind of error that can lead to needless worry or treatment.
  • : A test result that says a condition is absent when it is actually present, missing a true case.
  • : An organized roadmap of the steps, therapies, and goals a healthcare team will follow to manage or cure a patient's condition.

Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.

Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.

Evidence set and decision
E1 · Source fact

An uses selective binding and controls to produce a measurable signal, but performance, cross-reactivity, sampling, and the decision threshold limit what a result can establish.

Limit: A classroom result does not establish a clinical diagnosis or an exact target concentration unless the validated and support that use.

E2 · Teaching model

Define variables, controls, sampling, units, and the analysis plan before interpreting a result; analysis cannot repair biased or inconsistent measurement.

Limit: A well-organized classroom study can still be limited by , measurement quality, confounding, and the population represented.

E3 · Task criterion

You can rank evidence by strength.

Limit: E3 defines the classroom product or success criterion. It is not independent scientific evidence and cannot justify a clinical or causal claim.

PLTW-GEND-2026-11-10 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario

Your role: medical interventions team member

Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from today's lesson supports before submitting the labeled and result claim named on today's page.

  • Stop short of a diagnosis, because the classroom lacks the validated and that claim needs.
  • Rank each piece by its source and controls, then say how a or negative changes the plan.
  • Trust the clearest, most polished write-up, since a well-explained result reads like the strongest evidence.

Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the labeled and result claim.

Claim ceiling: Today's evidence supports a classroom claim about today's lesson. It cannot prove causation, diagnose a real patient, or justify action outside this room.

Composite case file · PLTW-GEND-2026-11-10

Reason for review: Your team must decide what the evidence from today's lesson supports before submitting the labeled and result claim named on today's page.

Context: False positives and false negatives cause different harms to different people, so the acceptable error rate depends on what the result will be used to do, not on the test alone.

Timeline:
  • T1: Sort the case test results into strong, moderate, and weak evidence with a one-word reason each.
  • T2: Identify one result that could be a and one that could be a .
  • T3: Explain in one sentence how each false result would change the patient's treatment.
  • T4: Decide which result you trust most and why.
  • T5: Submit your evidence sort and false-result analysis as your daily evidence.
Evidence records:
  • E1: An uses selective binding and controls to produce a measurable signal, but performance, cross-reactivity, sampling, and the decision threshold limit what a result can establish.
  • E2: Define variables, controls, sampling, units, and the analysis plan before interpreting a result; analysis cannot repair biased or inconsistent measurement.
  • E3: You can rank evidence by strength.

Measurements: Use only the measurements, units, graph, or counts supplied in today's task. No additional patient measurement is implied.

Figure finding: Teaching diagram for Evidence sort and false results. Trace the labeled testing, treatment, or biological process and identify where evidence limits the decision. This is a teaching model, not patient or experimental data.

Uncertainty: This is a composite classroom scenario. Missing history, measurements, or confirmation tests remain unknown and limit the conclusion.

Math moment
Formula or setup

Mean = sum of values / number of values. Median = middle ordered value. Range = maximum - minimum.

Worked parallel example

For 2, 4, 4, and 10: mean = 20 / 4 = 5, median = 4, and range = 10 - 2 = 8.

Units and reasonableness

Mean, median, and range keep the measurement unit. Order the values before finding the median.

Try it with today's data

Calculate the requested summary for today's supplied values, then write what it reveals and what it hides.

Design record
Criteria
  • The solution must address the stated need in today's lesson.
  • The decision must be supported by E1-E3.
  • The final product must make the success criteria visible.
Constraints
  • Complete the work inside the 80-minute block.
  • Use only supplied or teacher-approved materials and evidence.
  • Do not trade , accessibility, or privacy for speed.
Tradeoff weights
  • and evidence quality: must pass before scoring other criteria.
  • User need and effectiveness: highest scored criterion.
  • Time, cost, and ease of use: compare only after and effectiveness pass.

Test evidence: For each option, record the E1-E3 result that supports or fails each criterion. Do not assign a score without a named observation.

Iteration log
  1. Version or option tested
  2. Criterion met or missed
  3. Evidence ID and result
  4. Revision made
  5. Reason for the revision
Decision record
  1. Need and user
  2. Criteria and constraints
  3. Chosen option and evidence
  4. Test result
  5. Revision and reason
Watch the trap

Students often think Students rank evidence by how alarming it sounds rather than by how reliable it is.. The trap: A dramatic result from a low-sensitivity test is weak evidence, and a dull result from a well-validated one can be strong. Strength comes from sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility, not from how serious the named condition is.

Worked example · a parallel case (guides, does not reveal)
Evidence sort on a parallel case
Completes: Completes the evidence-sort task on a DIFFERENT case from today's, so it models the ranking and the false-result reasoning without handing over the sort students must do: every result ranked with a one-word reason, one plausible false positive and one false negative, the treatment consequence of each, and the result the student trusts most.

Parallel case, not today's case: a 9 year old arrives with a sore throat and fever. The clinic runs a rapid antigen test for group A streptococcus, sends a throat culture, and takes a history.

Result | Strength | One-word reason

Throat culture positive at 24 hours | Strong | Confirmatory

Rapid antigen test, positive | Strong | Specific

Rapid antigen test, negative | Moderate | Insensitive

Fever reported at home, no thermometer | Weak | Unmeasured

Sibling said to have had strep, undocumented | Weak | Hearsay

One result that could be a false positive: the rapid antigen test. It detects strep antigen, and a child who carries strep in the throat without being ill from it can test positive while a virus is causing today's sore throat.

How that would change the patient's treatment: the child takes antibiotics they do not need, carrying the side effects and the resistance cost, and the actual viral cause stops being investigated.

One result that could be a false negative: the rapid antigen test again, failing in the other direction. It is meaningfully less sensitive than culture, which is why a negative rapid test in a child is normally backed up by a culture rather than believed on its own.

How that would change the patient's treatment: untreated group A strep is the case that can go on to rheumatic fever, so a false negative nobody backs up is the more costly of the two errors here.

The result I trust most: the 24 hour culture. It grows the organism itself instead of detecting a fragment of it, and it is the reference standard the rapid test is measured against.

How to use this: today's case is not this one. Sort your own results with the same three questions. What does this test actually detect, which direction can it fail in, and what does the patient lose when it does?

Why this matters

This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: Completes the evidence-sort task on a DIFFERENT case from today's, so it models the ranking and the false-result reasoning without handing over the sort students must do: every result ranked with a one-word reason, one plausible false positive and one false negative, the treatment consequence of each, and the result the student trusts most.

Build yours step by step
  1. Name the variables and include units.
  2. Enter observations without changing the raw values.
  3. Check labels, calculations, and patterns before interpreting the data.
Change it for a new task

Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.

Also due today: Submit the evidence sort table and both false-result sentences on Schoology by end of period.

See the full worked example
Portal terms
CER:
Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
SOP:
Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
Tracker:
Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
myPLTW:
The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
This unit's vocabulary

Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.

Build your vocabulary · optional, for extra credit

Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, name the context clue or evidence that helped, then give one example from what you actually did in Evidence sort and false results. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.

molecular diagnosis
validity
reliability
false positive
false negative
treatment plan

Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.

Teacher-posted resources

Classroom documents for this lesson are posted in Schoology. Open Clever, then Schoology, and find each one by the name shown on its card.

Catch-up / reteachFor: Need extra support
MI 2.1.1 Genetic Counseling feedback rubric
worksheet/handoutPosted in Schoology
Open in Schoology

Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.

Placement rationale

Matched Unit 2 synthesis and by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-2_How-to-Screen-Your-Genes; keywords:genetic counseling, screening, testing. Score 154. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).

Extension / challengeFor: Ready to go deeper
Activity 2.1.1 Genetic Counseling Case Files
reading/referencePosted in Schoology
Open in Schoology

Use this after the required lesson work when you are ready for a harder application or a deeper connection.

Placement rationale

Matched Unit 2 synthesis and by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-2_How-to-Screen-Your-Genes; keywords:genetic counseling, screening, testing. Score 146. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).

Extension / challengeFor: Ready to go deeper
Genetic Counseling Case Study Workshop Summary
reading/referencePosted in Schoology
Open in Schoology

Use this after the required lesson work when you are ready for a harder application or a deeper connection.

Placement rationale

Matched Unit 2 synthesis and by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-2_How-to-Screen-Your-Genes; keywords:genetic counseling, screening, testing. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).

Sign in to Clever with your district Microsoft account to open Schoology or myPLTW. Follow today's posted steps. If myPLTW will not open, use the posted alternative and tell Mr. Mendoza. Turn in your completed work through the Schoology assignment.

Practice: try a question, then check your answer

Claim ceiling for this check: Today's evidence supports a classroom claim about today's lesson. It cannot prove causation, diagnose a real patient, or justify action outside this room.

Quick self-check · commit, then reveal

A screening test has high sensitivity and low specificity. Which error does it make more of, and why might that still be the right test to use first?

How sure are you?

Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.

Cumulative WebXam review · flash practice

Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.

Tap an answer to check it · nothing is recorded or graded
[Review: Reading the Family Tree: Genetic Testing Launch] A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is best described as which of the following?
[Review: From Sample to Bands: Comparing Testing Methods] Restriction enzymes are used in genetic testing because they
[Review: Editing the Code: Gene Therapy and Its Ethics] One major challenge that keeps gene therapy from being perfect is complete integration, which means
A genotype is BEST described as
Missed class or ready for more?
🔬 Pre-lab simulation

Run this before you touch the bench. It is built from the real lab procedure, so the decisions you make here are the ones you will make with the equipment in your hands.

The Screen Said Yes
Open the simulation →
Lab · prepare, conduct, complete
1Prepare
Pre-lab pass · clear all six to go to the bench
0/6

I can name the procedure's purpose and the evidence I will record. I can state today's specific hazards and the control for each. If this deck does not name them, I ask Mr. Mendoza before I touch anything. My data table is ready before materials are handled.

Finish the checklist before you handle any material.

Safety · specific to today's hazards
  • Wear the required PPE, keep the bench clear, handle equipment only as directed, and know where the eyewash, sink, and spill kit are before you start.
  • Human samples and data stay private: label with a code, never a name, and dispose of materials in the correct waste container, then wash your hands.
Review Lab Safety (rules, PPE, SDS, emergencies) and check your contract + test
2Conduct (Argument-Driven Inquiry)
  1. 1Before materials are handled, identify the purpose, variables or comparison, controls, measurement units, and stop-work condition.
  2. 2Sort the case test results into strong, moderate, and weak evidence with a one-word reason each.
  3. 3Identify one result that could be a false positive and one that could be a false negative.
  4. 4Explain in one sentence how each false result would change the patient's treatment.
  5. 5Decide which result you trust most and why.
  6. 6Submit your evidence sort and false-result analysis as your daily evidence.
  7. 7Record each result in the prepared table before interpreting it. Mark missing, repeated, or invalid results truthfully.
  8. 8Complete the named cleanup and waste route, remove PPE safely, wash hands when required, and confirm the station is ready for the next group.
Prepare this data table before materials are handled
Trial or sample IDIndependent conditionMeasured result with unitsObservation before interpretationQuality-control note
     
     
     
3Complete
Argue from your evidence, then compare what you predicted to what happened. Error analysis names a specific method limit, never "human error".
You predicted

Before the procedure, predict the result and cite the rule behind the prediction.

What actually happened

After the procedure, compare the result with the prediction and name one limitation or source of uncertainty.

Your lab report is graded on the rubric below, with extra weight on error analysis and method.
Where this leads: careers

What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.

What to do if you were absent
If YOU are absent

Today is individual work you can do from home: complete the same target above, then submit your Data table.

FOR A GRADE
Open Schoology

Go to Schoology to turn this in. Submit one PDF. Put your first and last name in the document header. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf. If you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.

If MR. MENDOZA is absent

Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:

MedlinePlus: How is genetic testing done and what do results mean?
Optional extra credit (async)

You've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home, including virtual labs, for extra credit. Each item shows its correct submission route.

Open the extra-credit track
How this is graded
For: Data table: Evidence sort table (strong/moderate/weak with one-word reasons) plus two false-result sentences and a justification for the most trusted result.
  • Complete
    Every required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
  • Accurate
    The science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
  • Scientific reasoning
    You explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
  • Professional communication
    Clear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
  • Submitted
    Go to Schoology to turn this in. Submit one PDF. Put your first and last name in the document header. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf. If you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.
  • Error analysis and method · counts double
    Name a specific limit of the method and how it moved your result, and compare what you predicted to what happened. "Human error" does not count; say what about the procedure or instrument caused it.