HS-LS3-1

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Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.

Clarification statement: Emphasis should be on the distinction between coding and non-coding regions of DNA.

Note: this is a NYSED-specific performance expectation that is different from the Next Generation Science Standards.

Regents Exam Questions

Released New York State Regents exam questions that assess HS-LS3-1 are listed here by exam and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.

Exam	Cluster	Question
August 2026 Biology Regents	Human Variations in Eye Color	Question 12
	Colorful Guppies	Question 17
June 2026 Biology Regents	Green and Black Frogs	Question 10
	Tailless Humans	Question 21
	Caffeine’s Effect on the Body	Question 41
January 2026 Biology Regents	Two Kinds of Twins	Question 4
	Space Invader	Question 6
	A Hard Pest to Manage	Question 20
	Zebra Coat Patterns	Question 41
June 2025 Biology Regents	Heads or Tails?	Question 11
	Heads or Tails?	Question 14
	Nature or Nurture?	Question 43
Biology sample clusters (Spring 2024)	Prostaglandins	Question 4

Vocabulary

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

From this standard

• cell
• chromosome
• claim
• coding region
• correlation (versus cause)
• DNA
• DNA code
• empirical evidence
• gene
• gene expression
• gene regulation
• genetic information
• non-coding region
• parents and offspring
• protein
• species
• structure and function
• trait

From released exam questions

• allele – June 2026
• amino acid – June 2025
• amino acid sequence – Aug 2026
• amphibian – June 2025
• aquatic – Jan 2026
• atmosphere – June 2026
• average – June 2025
• bind (to a receptor) – June 2026
• body cell – June 2026, Jan 2026
• burrow – June 2025
• coloration – Jan 2026
• DNA sequence – Aug 2026, Jan 2026
• environmental factor – Jan 2026, June 2025
• enzyme – June 2026
• epigenetic change – Jan 2026
• frequency – Jan 2026
• gamete – Jan 2026, Sample 2024
• gel electrophoresis – Jan 2026
• generation – Aug 2026, Jan 2026
• growth rate – Jan 2026
• identical twins – Jan 2026
• infection – June 2025
• larva – Jan 2026
• leaf – Jan 2026
• limb bud – June 2025
• migration – Jan 2026
• mutation – Aug 2026, Jan 2026, June 2025
• pesticide – Jan 2026
• photosynthesis – Jan 2026
• pigment – June 2026
• population – Aug 2026, June 2026, Jan 2026
• predation – Aug 2026
• predator – Aug 2026
• primate – June 2026
• probability – Aug 2026
• prostaglandin receptor – Sample 2024
• radiation (radioactive) – June 2026
• resistance (to a pesticide or treatment) – Jan 2026
• resources – Jan 2026
• sex cell – June 2025
• skin – June 2026
• skin cell – June 2026, Jan 2026
• stem – Jan 2026
• stomach – June 2025
• variation – Aug 2026, June 2026, Jan 2026, Sample 2024
• white blood cell – Sample 2024

Performance Level Descriptions

Every Regents exam question on HS-LS3-1 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.

Level 1: Identify a question, from those provided, about the role of DNA and/or chromosomes in the passing of traits from parents to offspring. June 2026 · Q21 Jan 2026 · Q20 Jan 2026 · Q6 Jan 2026 · Q4 Jan 2026 · Q41 June 2025 · Q11 June 2025 · Q14 June 2025 · Q43 June 2025 · Q4

Level 2: Identify a question, from those provided, about the role of DNA and/or chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring. Aug 2026 · Q17 Aug 2026 · Q12 June 2026 · Q41 June 2026 · Q10

Level 3: Ask a question to clarify the role of DNA and/or chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.

Level 4: Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.

Level 5: Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of non-coding and coding regions of DNA, and chromosomes that pass the instructions for characteristic traits from parents to offspring.

Notice: PLD levels!

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-LS3-1.

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

NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-LS3-1 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

• Asking Questions and Defining Problems
  • Ask questions that arise from examining models or a theory to clarify relationships.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• LS1.A: Structure and Function
  • All cells contain genetic information in the form of DNA molecules. Genes are regions in the DNA that contain the instructions that code of the formation of proteins.
• LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits
  • Each chromosome consists of a single very long DNA molecule, and each gene on the chromosome is a particular segment of that DNA. The instructions for forming species' characteristics are carried in DNA. All cells in an organism have the same genetic content, but the genes used (expressed) by the cell may be regulated in different ways. Not all DNA codes for a protein; some segments of DNA are involved in regulatory or structural functions, and some have no as-yet known function.

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. Inheritance and Variation of Traits