HS-PS2-6

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Communicate scientific and technical information about why the particulate-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the attractive and repulsive forces that determine the functioning of the material. Examples could include why electrically conductive materials are often made of metal, flexible but durable materials are made up of long chained molecules, and pharmaceuticals are designed to interact with specific receptors.

Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to provided particulate structures of specific designed materials.

Note: this performance expectation integrates traditional science content with engineering through a Practice or Disciplinary Core Idea.

Regents Exam Questions

Released New York State Regents exam questions that assess HS-PS2-6 are listed here by exam and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.

Exam	Cluster	Question
August 2026 Chemistry Regents	The Great American Solar Eclipse	Question 13
	Semiconductors	Question 17
	Safe Transport of Drinking Water	Question 46
June 2026 Chemistry Regents	The Accidental Development of Breathable, Waterproof Fabric	Question 17
	Chip Bag: PFAS vs PLA Plastics	Question 34
	Chip Bag: PFAS vs PLA Plastics	Question 36
	All About Aluminum	Question 42
Chemistry sample clusters (Spring 2025)	Smartphone Chemistry	Question 2

Vocabulary

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

From this standard

• atom
• atomic scale
• attraction
• attractive force
• bulk scale
• component (of a system)
• contact force
• designed material
• electric charge
• electrical force
• electrically conductive material
• long-chained molecule
• matter
• metal
• optimize
• particulate-level structure
• properties
• receptor
• repulsion
• repulsive force
• structure and function
• system
• transformation

From released exam questions

• acidic – Aug 2026
• alloy – Aug 2026
• atomic radius – Aug 2026
• bond – Aug 2026, June 2026
• compound – June 2026
• conductivity – June 2026
• conductor – Sample 2025
• corrosion – June 2026
• cross-linking – June 2026
• crystal – Aug 2026
• density – June 2026
• ductility – June 2026
• electrical conductivity – June 2026
• electron – June 2026
• element – Aug 2026, June 2026
• energy – Aug 2026
• evidence – Aug 2026
• force – June 2026
• heat – Aug 2026
• inorganic – Aug 2026
• intermolecular forces – June 2026
• ion – Sample 2025
• ionization energy – Aug 2026
• malleability – June 2026
• mass – June 2026
• mobile electrons – June 2026
• molecule – Aug 2026, June 2026
• n-type and p-type semiconductors – Aug 2026
• organic – Aug 2026
• oxide – Aug 2026
• particle – Aug 2026
• physical property – June 2026
• polymer – June 2026
• radiation – Aug 2026
• semiconductor – Aug 2026
• valence shell – June 2026
• water vapor – June 2026

Implied by this standard

• metallic bond – implied by "electrically conductive materials are often made of metal"

Performance Level Descriptions

Every Regents exam question on HS-PS2-6 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.

Level 1: Use information to identify a particulate-level structure or function of a designed material. Aug 2026 · Q17 June 2026 · Q17

Level 2: Use information to describe how the particulate-level structure of designed material(s) supports its function. Aug 2026 · Q13 June 2026 · Q42 June 2026 · Q36

Level 3: Use scientific or technical information to explain how the particulate-level structure is important to the functioning of designed material(s). Aug 2026 · Q46 June 2026 · Q34 Sample · Smartphone Chemistry Q2

Level 4: Communicate scientific and technical information about why the particulate-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.

Level 5: Compare, integrate, and evaluate scientific and technical information about the structure and function of various designed materials at the particulate-level to optimize the functionality of a product.

Notice: PLD levels!

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-PS2-6.

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

NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-PS2-6 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

• Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
  • Communicate scientific and technical information (e.g. about the process of development and the design and performance of a proposed process or system) in multiple formats (including orally, graphically, textually, and mathematically).

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• PS2.B: Types of Interactions
  • Attraction and repulsions between electric charges at the atomic scale explain the structure, properties, and transformations of matter, as well as the contact forces between material objects.
• PS1.A Structure and Properties of Matter (secondary to HS-PS2-6)
  • The structure and interactions of matter at the bulk scale are determined by electrical forces within and between atoms.

Crosscutting Concepts

• Structure and Function
  • Investigating or designing new systems or structures requires a detailed explanation of the properties of different materials, the structures of different components, and connections of components to reveal its function and/or solve a problem.

Page contributors: Conrad Richman, Caroline Leonard

Chemistry and Physics | HS. Structure and Properties of Matter