HS-LS1-4

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Use a model to illustrate cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation.

Clarification statement: Emphasis should be on the outcomes of mitotic division and cell differentiation on growth and development of complex organisms and possible implications for abnormal cell division (cancer) and stem cell research.

Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include specific gene control mechanisms or recalling the specific steps of mitosis.

Regents Exam Questions

Released New York State Regents exam questions that assess HS-LS1-4 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 3
	Humongous Fungus	Question 14
	Frog Development	Question 26
January 2026 Biology Regents	Two Kinds of Twins	Question 2
August 2025 Biology Regents	Keratin – A Very Versatile Protein	Question 25
	The Human Journey from One Cell to 30 Trillion	Question 38
	The Human Journey from One Cell to 30 Trillion	Question 40
June 2025 Biology Regents	Nature or Nurture?	Question 47

Vocabulary

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

From this standard

• abnormal cell division
• cancer
• cell
• cellular division
• chromosome
• complex organism
• daughter cell
• differentiation
• fertilized egg
• gene
• genetic material
• growth and development
• matter
• mitosis
• multicellular organism
• organ
• parent cell
• stem cell
• system model
• tissue
• variant (gene variant)

From released exam questions

• amphibian – Aug 2026
• aquatic – Aug 2026
• blastocyst – Aug 2025
• body cell – Aug 2026, Aug 2025
• bone cell – Jan 2026
• cell types (nerve, liver, skeletal muscle, intestinal, cheek cells) – Aug 2026, Aug 2025
• central disc – Aug 2026
• cornea – Aug 2025
• DNA – Aug 2026, Jan 2026, Aug 2025, June 2025
• egg (egg cell) – Aug 2026, Jan 2026
• environmental factor – June 2025
• fertilization – Aug 2026
• fetus – Jan 2026, Aug 2025
• fruiting body – Aug 2026
• generation – Aug 2025
• genetic information – Aug 2026, Aug 2025
• genetic variation – Aug 2025
• genetically identical – Aug 2026
• genome – Aug 2025
• germination – Aug 2026
• growth and repair – Aug 2025
• inner cell mass – Aug 2025
• larva – Aug 2026
• life cycle – Aug 2026
• liver – Aug 2025
• lung cell – June 2025
• meiosis – Aug 2026
• metamorphosis – Aug 2026
• muscle – Jan 2026
• muscle cell – Jan 2026, Aug 2025
• mutation – Aug 2026
• nerve – Aug 2025
• nucleus – Aug 2025
• protein – Aug 2025
• regeneration – Aug 2026
• reproduction – Aug 2026
• reproductive cell – Aug 2026
• sex chromosomes (X and Y) – Aug 2025
• skin cell – Aug 2025
• somatic cell – Aug 2025
• specialized cell – Jan 2026, Aug 2025
• species – Aug 2025
• sperm – Aug 2026, Jan 2026
• spore – Aug 2026
• terrestrial – Aug 2026
• tumor – June 2025
• variation – Aug 2026
• zygote – Aug 2026

Performance Level Descriptions

Every Regents exam question on HS-LS1-4 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.

Level 1: Use a model to identify one result of cellular division (mitosis) or differentiation. Aug 2026 · Q14 Aug 2026 · Q3 Aug 2025 · Q38 Aug 2025 · Q40

Level 2: Use a model to identify one result of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation. Aug 2026 · Q26 Jan 2026 · Q2

Level 3: Use a model to describe the process of cellular division (mitosis) or differentiation. Aug 2025 · Q25 June 2025 · Q47

Level 4: Use a model to illustrate cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation.

Level 5: Revise a model based on evidence to illustrate cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation.

Notice: PLD levels!

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-LS1-4.

This section could be expanded upon. You can help out by adding to this section.

NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-LS1-4 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

• Developing and Using Models
  • Use a model based on evidence to illustrate the relationships between systems or between components of a system.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms
  • In multicellular organisms individual cells grown and then divide via a process called mitosis, thereby allowing the organism to grow. The organism begins as a single cell (fertilized egg) that divides successfully to produce many cells, with each parent cell passing identical genetic material (two variants of each chromosome pair) to both daughter cells. Cellular division and differentiation produce and maintain a complex organism, composed of systems of tissues and organs that work together to meet the needs of the whole organism.

Crosscutting Concepts

• Systems and System Models
  • Models (e.g., physical, mathematical, computer models) can be used to simulate systems and interactions - including energy, matter, and information flows – within and between systems at different scales.

Page contributors: Conrad Richman, Caroline Leonard

Biology | HS. Inheritance and Variation of Traits