HS-ESS3-2

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Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the conservation, recycling, and reuse of resources (such as minerals and metals) where possible, and on minimizing impacts where it is not. Examples include developing best practices for agricultural soil use, mining (for coal, tar sands, and oil shales), and pumping (for petroleum and natural gas). Science knowledge indicates what can happen in natural systems—not what should happen.

Regents Exam Questions

Released New York State Regents exam questions that assess HS-ESS3-2 are listed here by exam and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.

Exam	Cluster	Question
August 2026 Earth and Space Sciences Regents	Carbon Emissions in Industry	Question 27
June 2026 Earth and Space Sciences Regents	Iceland Hotspot	Question 4
January 2026 Earth and Space Sciences Regents	Rubber Ducks and Pacific Ocean Trash	Question 9
	Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State	Question 17
	Energy and Mineral Resources	Question 43
August 2025 Earth and Space Sciences Regents	The Power of Water	Question 10
	Dams and Flood Mitigation	Question 36
June 2025 Earth and Space Sciences Regents	Mining and Use of Lithium	Question 31

Vocabulary

Terms from the Earth & Space Science Glossary that come from this standard or from the released exam questions that assess it.

From this standard

• agricultural soil use
• argument
• coal
• competing design solutions
• conservation
• constraints
• cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics
• cost-benefit ratios
• costs and benefits
• design solution
• energy and mineral resources
• minerals
• mining
• natural gas
• natural resources
• natural systems
• new technologies
• oil shales
• petroleum
• recycling
• resource extraction
• reuse
• social, cultural, and environmental impacts
• sustainability
• tar sands

From released exam questions

• atmosphere – Aug 2026
• biodiversity – Jan 2026
• biomass – Aug 2026
• carbon dioxide – June 2025
• dams – Aug 2025
• Earth – Aug 2026
• Earth’s surface – Jan 2026
• emissions – Aug 2026, June 2025
• Energy Return on Investment (EROI) – Aug 2025
• fossil fuels – Aug 2026
• kiln – Aug 2026
• lava – June 2026
• lava flows – June 2026
• life cycle emissions – June 2025
• model – Jan 2026
• ocean – Jan 2026
• oxygen – Aug 2026
• plastic pollution – Jan 2026
• power grid – Aug 2025
• quarry – Jan 2026
• reclamation – Jan 2026
• river – Jan 2026, Aug 2025
• river discharge – Aug 2025
• tailpipe emissions – June 2025
• volcanic eruptions – June 2026

Performance Level Descriptions

Every Regents exam question on HS-ESS3-2 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.

Level 1: Given a design solution, identify the benefit(s)/costs of developing or managing or utilizing energy or (mineral) resources. Jan 2026 · Q17 Aug 2025 · Q36 Aug 2025 · Q10

Level 2: Evaluate given design solutions for developing or managing or utilizing energy or (mineral) resources based on cost‐benefit ratios. Aug 2026 · Q27 June 2025 · Q31

Level 3: Evaluate competing design solutions for developing or managing, or utilizing energy or (mineral) resources based on cost-benefit ratios. June 2026 · Q4 Jan 2026 · Q43 Jan 2026 · Q9

Level 4: Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.

Level 5: Design a solution for developing, managing, and utilizing energy or mineral resources based on cost‐benefit ratios taking into consideration social, ethical, environmental, or geopolitical issues.

Notice: PLD levels!

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-ESS3-2.

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

NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-ESS3-2 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 competing design solutions to a real-world problem based on scientific ideas and principles, empirical evidence, and logical arguments regarding relevant factors (e.g. economic, societal, environmental, ethical considerations).

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• Natural resources: All forms of energy production and other resource extraction have associated economic, social, environmental, and geopolitical costs and risks as well as benefits. New technologies and social regulations can change the balance of these factors.
• Developing possible solutions: When evaluating solutions, it is important to take into account a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, and to consider social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

Crosscutting Concepts

• Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World: Engineers continuously modify these systems to increase benefits while decreasing costs and risks
• Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World: Analysis of costs and benefits is a critical aspect of decisions about technology.
• Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World: Science and technology may raise ethical issues for which science, by itself, does not provide answers and solutions.
• Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World: Science knowledge indicates what can happen in natural systems—not what should happen. The latter involves ethics, values, and human decisions about the use of knowledge.
• Many decisions are not made using science alone, but rely on social and cultural contexts to resolve issues.

Page contributors: Conrad Richman, Caroline Leonard

Earth and Space Science | HS. Human Sustainability