The Block: WHAT CHANGED?
Find who's responsible
Use a new situation to see what you can explain, support and revise.
Caseload 3 — Find who's responsible
Essential question: Who has authority here, and how do you know?
“The state banned phones”
New transfer scenario. Read the source set before answering. Do not assume that a familiar word such as “policy,” “law,” “ban,” “scholarship,” or “petition” tells you who has authority or what happened.
Source set
SOURCE A — Student post
NPW practice document. “The STATE banned phones. Teachers can take yours for the whole year now.”
What it establishes: Shows a circulating claim.
What it cannot establish: Does not identify a law, policy, date, or enforcement rule.
SOURCE B — District handbook update
NPW practice document, district-issued. “Beginning October 1, phones must remain silenced and stored during instructional periods. Repeated violations follow the existing progressive-discipline process. Devices are returned according to school procedure.”
What it establishes: Shows the district rule and start date.
What it cannot establish: Does not show whether state law required the district to adopt it.
SOURCE C — State education department FAQ
NPW practice document. “State law requires districts to publish a student-device policy. Districts determine the specific storage and enforcement procedures within the law.”
What it establishes: Shows the state requirement and that districts set specific procedures.
What it cannot establish: Does not tell you the exact procedure at this student’s school.
Part A — Check
1. Which statement is most precise?
A. State law sets every confiscation length.
B. The state requires a district policy; the district sets specific procedures.
C. Teachers can keep any device forever.
D. There is no state role.
2. What kind of rule is Source B?
A. District policy/handbook rule
B. Federal statute
C. Private contract
D. Personal preference
3. Who can clarify the school’s device-return procedure?
A. A random creator
B. The school/district office responsible for the procedure
C. The state governor personally
D. A classmate
4. What can Source A establish?
A. That a claim is circulating
B. That the claim is legally correct
C. That the state wrote the handbook
D. That the school changed every discipline rule
5. What should you find next if your phone was taken?
A. The school’s device-return procedure and any notice you received
B. A viral video from another state
C. A petition before reading the rule
D. Nothing; all phone rules are identical
Part B — Explain
In 4–6 sentences, separate the state’s role from the district’s role. Use Source B and Source C. Then name one fact you would need before explaining a specific confiscation.
Part C — Use it
Build a “Who decides?” mini-map with three boxes: state, district, school. Put one responsibility in each box using the sources. Add a fourth box labeled “still need to check” for the local return procedure.
Educator answer and scoring guidance
1. Correct answer: B. Source C separates the state requirement from district implementation.
2. Correct answer: A. It is a district-issued rule.
3. Correct answer: B. The local implementation procedure belongs to the school/district.
4. Correct answer: A. A social post can establish what someone said, not whether it is accurate.
5. Correct answer: A. The next useful source is the local procedure that applies to the specific situation.
Strong constructed/performance response: Strong responses do not flatten “state law” and “district policy” into the same thing. They identify Source C as the general state-level requirement and Source B as the district’s specific rule.
Score Part B and Part C with the master analytic rubric. Do not award or remove points for a learner’s political, institutional, or personal preference. Score the quality of source use, reasoning, authority/process understanding, scope, and communication.