HS-LS2-8 | Group Behavior and Survival

From NY Science Standards Wiki
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Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on: (1) distinguishing between group and individual behavior, (2) identifying evidence supporting the outcomes of group behavior, and (3) developing logical and reasonable arguments based on evidence. Examples of group behaviors could include flocking, schooling, herding, and cooperative behaviors such as hunting, migrating, and swarming.

Assessment

What assessment of HS-LS2-8 might look like on a NY state exam.

Exam Cluster Question
August 2026 Parrots and Biodiversity Question 41
June 2026 Buzzy Bees Question 30
January 2026 Keystone Species Rule Question 13
Honeybee Behavior and Threats Question 29
Baboon Evolution Question 35
August 2025 Strategies for Survival in Different Animal Species Question 5

Performance Level Descriptions

PLDs communicate the knowledge and skills expected of students to demonstrate proficiency in each Learning Standard. NYS assessments classify student performance into one of five levels.

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Level 1: Identify the evidence that supports the role of group behavior on an individual's and/or species chance to survive and/or reproduce.
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Level 2: Describe the evidence that supports the role of group behavior on an individual's and the species' chance to survive and reproduce.
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Level 3: Evaluate the evidence to make/support a claim regarding the role of group behavior on an individual's or species' chance to survive and/or reproduce.
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Level 4: Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individuals and species' chances to survive and reproduce.
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Level 5: Evaluate the evidence and develop an argument based on the cause-and-effect relationship of group behavior on individuals and species' chances to survive and reproduce.

Vocabulary

Terms from the Biology Glossary that come from this standard or from the released exam questions that assess it.

From this standard
  • argument
  • behavior
  • claim
  • cooperative behaviors
  • correlation (versus cause)
  • empirical evidence
  • flocking
  • group behavior
  • herding
  • hunting
  • individual behavior
  • migration
  • schooling
  • species
  • survival
  • swarming
From released exam questions

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-LS2-8.

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NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-LS2-8 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices
  • Engaging in Argument From Evidence
    • Evaluate the evidence behind currently accepted explanations or solutions to determine the merits of arguments.
  • Scientific Knowledge is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence
    • Scientific argumentation is a mode of logical discourse used to clarify the strength of relationships between ideas and evidence that may result in revision of an explanation.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior
    • Group behavior has evolved because membership can increase the chances of survival for individuals and their genetic relatives.
Crosscutting Concepts
  • Cause and Effect
    • Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects.
Page contributors: Conrad Richman, Caroline Leonard
Biology | HS. Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
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