Biology claims and evidence

Performance expectations

Claims and evidence

In June 2024, the Office of State Assessment released the Educator Guide to the Regents Examination in Life Science: Biology. Below are the claims-and-evidence from the educator guide which provide further insight on the types of questions that might appear on the Regents exam.

Claim #1 (Structure and Function):
A student will be able to construct an explanation based on evidence that living things rely on systems that interact and the role of feedback mechanisms and homeostasis.

Evidence: A student demonstrates an understanding of structure and function by using science and engineering practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts related to interacting living systems, planning and conducting investigations, developing models and constructing explanations by:

• Identifying questions regarding phenomenon to investigate a feedback mechanism; HS-LS1-3
• Developing an investigation plan to collect evidence that answers a question about feedback mechanisms and homeostasis; HS-LS1-3
• Describing the change in a system, how the response will be measured, and how the response changes the system; HS-LS1-2
• Collecting relevant data to construct explanations; HS-LS1-3
• Using a variety of valid and reliable sources to show that living things rely on interacting systems; HS-LS1-2
• The interactions between systems provide specific functions; HS-LS1-2, HS-LS1-1
• Explaining that the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins; HS-LS1-1
• All cells contain genetic information in the form of DNA; HS-LS1-1

Claim #2 (Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystem):
A student will be able to develop and use models to construct and revise explanations based on evidence for the cycling of matter and transfer of energy within ecosystems.

Evidence: A student demonstrates an understanding of matter and energy in organisms and ecosystems by using science and engineering practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts related to developing and using models, constructing and revising explanations and using mathematical representations to support claims related to:

• Identifying and describing the energy and matter components of a model; HS-LS1-5, HS-LS1-7
• Describing the relationships between energy and matter components of a model; HS-LS1-6, HS-LS1-7
• Explaining the transformation of energy and changes of matter in an ecosystem; HS-LS2-3, HS-LS2-4, HS-LS1-5
• Using a variety of valid & reliable evidence; HS-LS1-6, HS-LS2-3
• Applying scientific ideas, principles, and/or evidence to explain how the components of matter can be rearranged and how energy changes within the system; HS-LS1-7, HS-LS1-6
• Revising the explanation based on new evidence; HS-LS1-6, HS-LS2-3
• Identifying and describing the components of the system; HS-LS2-5
• Describing how energy flow and the cycling of matter can be expressed as a mathematical relationship; HS-LS2-4
• Using the mathematical representations to support the claim; HS-LS2-4
• Using evidence to identify the components of a system and their relative concentrations to develop and use a model; HS-LS1-5, HS-LS2-5

Claim #3 (Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems):
A student will be able to construct an explanation based on evidence that living things rely on systems that interact.

Evidence: A student demonstrates an understanding of the interdependent relationships in ecosystems by using science and engineering practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts related to mathematical and/or computational representations, evaluate claims, evidence, and reasoning, and design, evaluate, and refine solutions by:

• Providing an explanation and factors that affect carrying capacity and factors that affect biodiversity at different scales; HS-LS2-1, HS-LS2-2
• Using mathematical representation to identify changes in ecosystems and support their explanation; HS-LS2-2
• Constructing an explanation that the degree of disturbance determines the degree of ecological change; HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-7
• Using reasoning to connect evidence to the degree of change in an ecosystem; HS-LS2-8, HS-LS2-2, HS-LS2-1
• Designing a solution to address environmental stability and biodiversity; HS-LS2-7, HS-LS2-2
• Evaluating potential solutions for maintaining stability, including a consideration of trade-offs in an ecosystem; HS-LS2-7
• Evaluating and critiquing the evidence of the causes and effects of group behaviors within an ecosystem; HS-LS2-8

Claim #4 (Inheritance and Variation of Traits):
A student will be able to ask questions and make and defend claims based on evidence about how hereditary information leads to variation in traits.

Evidence: A student demonstrates an understanding of inheritance and variation of traits by using science and engineering practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts related to using models, asking questions to clarify relationships, asking and defending claims, and applying concepts of statistics and probability by:

• Identifying relevant parts and processes of cellular systems; HS-LS1-4, HS-LS3-1
• Explaining the role of mitosis in the differentiation and development of a complex organism; HS-LS1-4
• Formulating testable questions that arise from examining a model that addresses the structure of DNA and chromosomes; HS-LS3-1, HS-LS3-2
• Describing the cause-and-effect relationship between DNA sequences and their functions; HS-LS3-1, HS-LS3-2
• Using concepts of statistics to link the evidence and claim that changes in DNA can cause variation; HS-LS3-3
• Use models to understand the structures and functions of the human reproductive systems; HS-LS1-8