The Block: WHAT CHANGED?
Take it public
Use a new situation to see what you can explain, support and revise.
Caseload 5 — Take it public
Essential question: How do you take a question public so people can trust it and act on it?
The basketball-court lights
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 — Petition screenshot
NPW practice document. “Keep the courts open! 412 signatures.”
What it establishes: Shows that a petition gathered 412 signatures for a general request.
What it cannot establish: Does not itself change park hours or show the exact proposal before the decision-maker.
SOURCE B — Parks advisory agenda
NPW practice document. Item 6: “Pilot proposal: lights off at 9 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. for 60 days. Advisory vote; parks director makes final administrative decision.”
What it establishes: Shows the specific proposal, pilot length, and decision chain.
What it cannot establish: Does not show how the advisory group will vote or what the director will decide.
SOURCE C — Public-comment instructions
NPW practice document. “Speakers: 2 minutes. Sign up by 5 p.m. Written comments accepted through noon the next day.”
What it establishes: Shows participation routes and deadlines.
What it cannot establish: Does not guarantee that a comment changes the decision.
Part A — Check
1. What does the petition do?
A. Automatically sets park hours
B. Shows support for a request
C. Overrides the parks director
D. Functions as a law
2. Who makes the final decision in Source B?
A. Every petition signer
B. The advisory group
C. The parks director
D. The school principal
3. What is the exact proposal?
A. Close the whole park forever
B. Lights off one hour earlier for a 60-day pilot
C. Ban basketball
D. Remove every court light
4. Which opening fits the public-comment setting best?
A. “You all hate young people.”
B. “I am commenting on Item 6, the 60-day proposal to turn court lights off at 9 p.m.”
C. “Everyone agrees with me.”
D. “My petition already won.”
5. What can Source C establish?
A. That public comment is guaranteed to win
B. How and when people may comment
C. How the director will decide
D. That 412 people live nearby
Part B — Explain
Explain the difference among petition, advisory vote, and final administrative decision in this scenario.
Part C — Use it
Write a two-minute-comment outline: 1) name Item 6; 2) give one observation or piece of evidence; 3) make one request within the parks director’s authority; 4) name one uncertainty or tradeoff you would want the pilot to measure.
Educator answer and scoring guidance
1. Correct answer: B. A petition is evidence of expressed support; it is not itself the decision.
2. Correct answer: C. Source B names the parks director.
3. Correct answer: B. The agenda narrows the proposal.
4. Correct answer: B. It names the item and proposal accurately.
5. Correct answer: B. It is a participation rule, not an outcome guarantee.
Strong constructed/performance response: Full-credit work keeps participation and authority separate, accurately names the 60-day pilot, and makes a request rather than claiming the petition already decided the issue.
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.