Difference between revisions of "HS-LS4-2"

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(PLDs: add example released question per level (editor judgment))
(PLD table: list all released questions at each level, matching the questions-by-performance-level pages)
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| Level4 = Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential of species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
 
| Level4 = Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential of species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
 
| Level3 = Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution can involve: (1) the potential of species to increase in number, and/or (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, and/or (3) competition for limited resources, and/or (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
 
| Level3 = Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution can involve: (1) the potential of species to increase in number, and/or (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, and/or (3) competition for limited resources, and/or (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
−
| Example3 = [[Questions:A Seasonal Strategy for Survival#q5|June 2026 Question 5]]
+
| Example3 = [[Questions:A Seasonal Strategy for Survival#q5|June 2026 Question 5]], [[Questions:Australian Adaptations#q3|June 2026 Question 44]], [[Questions:Buzzy Bees#q2|June 2026 Question 29]], [[Questions:Strategies for Survival in Different Animal Species#q2|August 2025 Question 6]], [[Questions:Strategies for Survival in Different Animal Species#q5|August 2025 Question 9]], [[Questions:Limb Evolution#q3|June 2025 Question 30]]
 
| Level2 = Identify the explanation based on evidence that evolution is the result of genetic and/or environmental factor(s) or justify why the given explanation is correct or incorrect.
 
| Level2 = Identify the explanation based on evidence that evolution is the result of genetic and/or environmental factor(s) or justify why the given explanation is correct or incorrect.
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| Example2 = [[Questions:Zebra Coat Patterns#q3|January 2026 Question 43]]
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| Example2 = [[Questions:Star of the Tide Pool#q1|August 2026 Question 1]], [[Questions:Honeybee Behavior and Threats#q4|January 2026 Question 31]], [[Questions:Zebra Coat Patterns#q3|January 2026 Question 43]], [[Questions:Evolutionary Relationships Biology#q2|August 2025 Question 34]], [[Questions:Keratin – A Very Versatile Protein#q5|August 2025 Question 28]], [[Questions:Dinosaurs Evolution Sample Cluster#q1|June 2025 Question 1]], [[Questions:Drinking Water Is Just The Beginning!#q2|June 2025 Question 7]], [[Questions:Heads or Tails?#q2|June 2025 Question 12]]
 
| Level1 = Identify the evidence, from those provided, that supports the explanation that evolution is the result of a genetic and/or an environmental factor.
 
| Level1 = Identify the evidence, from those provided, that supports the explanation that evolution is the result of a genetic and/or an environmental factor.
−
| Example1 = [[Questions:Limb Evolution#q5|June 2025 Question 32]]
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| Example1 = [[Questions:Green and Black Frogs#q2|June 2026 Question 11]], [[Questions:Baboon Evolution#q2|January 2026 Question 34]], [[Questions:Limb Evolution#q5|June 2025 Question 32]]
 
}}
 
}}
  

Revision as of 08:05, 18 October 2026

← HS-LS4-1
HS-LS4-3 →

Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on using evidence to explain the influence each of the four factors has on number of organisms, behaviors, morphology, or physiology in terms of ability to compete for limited resources and subsequent survival of individuals and adaptation of species. Examples of evidence could include mathematical models such as simple distribution graphs and proportional reasoning.

Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include other mechanisms of evolution, such as genetic drift, gene flow through migration, and co-evolution.

Regents Exam Questions

Released New York State Regents exam questions that assess HS-LS4-2 are listed here by exam and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.

Exam Cluster Question
August 2026 Biology Regents Star of the Tide Pool Question 1
June 2026 Biology Regents A Seasonal Strategy for Survival Question 5
Green and Black Frogs Question 11
Buzzy Bees Question 29
Australian Adaptations Question 44
January 2026 Biology Regents Honeybee Behavior and Threats Question 31
Baboon Evolution Question 34
Zebra Coat Patterns Question 43
August 2025 Biology Regents Strategies for Survival in Different Animal Species Question 6
Strategies for Survival in Different Animal Species Question 9
Keratin – A Very Versatile Protein Question 28
Evolutionary Relationships Question 34
June 2025 Biology Regents Drinking Water Is Just The Beginning! Question 7
Heads or Tails? Question 12
Limb Evolution Question 30
Limb Evolution Question 32
Biology sample clusters (Spring 2024) Dinosaurs-Evolution Question 1

Vocabulary

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

From this standard
  • adaptation
  • behavior
  • claim
  • competition
  • correlation (versus cause)
  • empirical evidence
  • environmental factor
  • evolution
  • gene
  • genetic information
  • genetic variation
  • investigation
  • limited resources
  • migration
  • morphology
  • mutation
  • natural selection
  • physiology
  • population
  • proliferation
  • reproduction
  • reproduction potential
  • resources
  • sexual reproduction
  • species
  • survival
  • trait
  • variation
From released exam questions
Implied by this standard
  • convergent evolution – Aug 2025 Evolutionary Relationships asks why sharks (fish) and marine mammals evolved similar body shapes, without naming the idea.
  • selection pressure (environmental pressure) – implied by "competition for an environment’s limited supply of the resources"

Performance Level Descriptions

Every Regents exam question on HS-LS4-2 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.

Level 1: Identify the evidence, from those provided, that supports the explanation that evolution is the result of a genetic and/or an environmental factor. June 2026 Question 11, January 2026 Question 34, June 2025 Question 32
Level 2: Identify the explanation based on evidence that evolution is the result of genetic and/or environmental factor(s) or justify why the given explanation is correct or incorrect. August 2026 Question 1, January 2026 Question 31, January 2026 Question 43, August 2025 Question 34, August 2025 Question 28, June 2025 Question 1, June 2025 Question 7, June 2025 Question 12
Level 3: Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution can involve: (1) the potential of species to increase in number, and/or (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, and/or (3) competition for limited resources, and/or (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment. June 2026 Question 5, June 2026 Question 44, June 2026 Question 29, August 2025 Question 6, August 2025 Question 9, June 2025 Question 30
Level 4: Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential of species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
Level 5: Construct an explanation based on evidence obtained from a variety of reliable sources that natural selection is a process leading to biological evolution of a species, primarily caused by four factors: (1) the potential of species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
Notice: PLD levels!

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-LS4-2.

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NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-LS4-2 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices
  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
    • Construct an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students’ own investigations, models, theories, simulations, peer review) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • LS4.B: Natural Selection
    • Natural selection occurs only if there is both (1) variation in the genetic information between organisms in a population and (2) variation in the expression of that genetic information – that is, trait variation – that leads to differences in performance among individuals.
  • LS4.C: Adaptation
    • Evolution is a consequence of the interaction of four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for an environment’s limited supply of the resources that individuals need in order to survive and reproduce, and (4) the ensuing proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in that environment.
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. Natural Selection and Evolution
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