HS-ESS2-7

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Construct an argument based on evidence about the coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the dynamic causes, effects, and feedbacks between the biosphere and Earth’s other systems, whereby geoscience factors control the evolution of life, which in turn continuously alters Earth’s surface. Examples include how the outgassing of water from Earth’s interior caused the development of Earth’s early oceans leading to the evolution of microorganisms and stromatolites; how photosynthetic life altered the atmosphere through the production of oxygen, which in turn increased weathering rates and allowed for the evolution of animal life; how microbial life on land increased the formation of soil, which in turn allowed for the evolution of land plants; or how the evolution of corals created reefs that altered patterns of erosion and deposition along coastlines and provided habitats for the evolution of new life forms.

Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of how the biosphere interacts with all of Earth’s other systems.

Note: this is a performance expectation for both HS Earth & Space Science and HS Biology. For biology, the focus is on "changes in the atmosphere from plants and other organisms related to carbon cycling and feedback mechanisms related to co-evolution". For Earth & Space Science, the focus is on "changes in the atmosphere from plants and other organisms along with feedback mechanisms" (as per the NYSED high school course maps).

Performance Level Descriptions

PLDs communicate the knowledge and skills expected of students to demonstrate proficiency in each Learning Standard. NYS assessments classify student performance into one of five levels.

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Level 1: Identify the correct example, from those provided, of the coevolution of two Earth’s systems and the effect on life on Earth.

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Level 2: Support a given argument by identifying the evidence for the coevolution of feedbacks between Earth’s systems and life on Earth.

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Level 3: Support a given argument by describing the evidence for the coevolution of feedbacks between Earth’s systems and life on Earth.

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Level 4: Construct an argument based on evidence about the coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth.

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Level 5: Compare and evaluate competing scientifically-based arguments in light of currently accepted explanations, new evidence, limitations, constraints, and ethical issues about the coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth.

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-ESS2-7.

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Assessment

What assessment of HS-ESS2-7 might look like on a NY state exam.

Biology

Exam	Cluster	Question
August 2026	The Permafrost Problem	Question 47
June 2026	Fossil Fuels: Out of Sight, but Not Out of Mind	Question 25
Sample clusters (Fall 2024)	Old Forest	Question 3

Earth & Space Science

Exam	Cluster	Question
August 2026	The Aral Sea Region	Question 28
January 2026	Evolution of Early Earth Systems	Question 10
	The Carboniferous Period	Question 46
	The Carboniferous Period	Question 48
	The Carboniferous Period	Question 49
August 2025	How Did Earth Get Its Water?	Question 22
	How Did Earth Get Its Water?	Question 23
June 2025	The Origin of Our Solar System	Question 30

NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-ESS2-7 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
  • Construct an oral and written argument or counter-arguments based on data and evidence.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• ESS2.D: Weather and Climate
  • Gradual atmospheric changes were due to plants and other organisms that captured carbon dioxide and released oxygen.
• ESS2.E: Biogeology
  • The many dynamic and delicate feedbacks between the biosphere and other Earth systems cause a continual co-evolution of Earth's surface and the life that exists on it.

Crosscutting Concepts

• Stability and Change
  • Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable.

Page contributors: Conrad Richman, Caroline Leonard

Earth and Space Science and Biology | HS. Earth's Systems