HS-ESS1-4

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HS-ESS1-5 →

Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on Newtonian gravitational laws governing orbital motions, which apply to human-made satellites as well as planets and moons.

Assessment boundary: Mathematical representations for the gravitational attraction of bodies and Kepler’s Laws of orbital motions should not deal with more than two bodies, nor involve calculus.

Reference Tables

Relevant reference tables:

• Solar System Objects Data Table

Assessment

What assessment of HS-ESS1-4 might look like on a NY state exam.

Exam	Cluster	Question
August 2026	Cyclic Patterns	Question 3
	Cyclic Patterns	Question 4
	Full Supermoon Events in 2024	Question 40
	Full Supermoon Events in 2024	Question 41
June 2026	The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)	Question 19
	Planetary Transits	Question 43
	Planetary Transits	Question 46
January 2026	The Moons of Pluto	Question 19
	The Moons of Pluto	Question 20
	Bennu	Question 33
	Bennu	Question 35
	Bennu	Question 36
August 2025	Telescopes and the History of the Universe	Question 14
	Telescopes and the History of the Universe	Question 15
	Earth-Moon History	Question 32
	Earth-Moon History	Question 34
June 2025	Our Sun – A Star	Question 3
	Our Sun – A Star	Question 4
	The Origin of Our Solar System	Question 27
Sample clusters (Spring 2024)	The Effect of The Moon on Earth	Question 5

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: Using mathematical reasoning and given data, predict the motion of an orbiting object in the solar system.

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Level 2: Identify a correct mathematical or computational representation that describes and/or predicts the motion of orbiting object(s) in the solar system.

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Level 3: Use a mathematical or a computational representation(s) to describe the motion of orbiting object(s) in the solar system.

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Level 4: Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system.

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Level 5: Use mathematical and computational analysis to predict the motions of orbiting bodies in the solar system and/or other parts of the universe.

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

• collision
• computational representation
• Earth
• elliptical orbits
• gravitational attraction
• human-made satellites
• Kepler's laws
• moon
• motion
• Newtonian gravity
• orbital motion
• orbiting objects
• planets
• satellites
• solar system
• universe

From released exam questions

• albedo – Jan 2026
• angular diameter – Aug 2025
• apogean spring tides – Aug 2026
• apogee – Aug 2026
• asteroids – Jan 2026
• atmosphere – June 2026
• brightness – June 2026
• carbon – Jan 2026
• celestial bodies – Jan 2026, June 2025
• dwarf planet – Jan 2026
• Earth’s orbit – Jan 2026, Aug 2025
• Earth’s rotation – Aug 2026
• eccentricity – Jan 2026, June 2025
• eclipse – Aug 2026
• extrasolar planets – June 2026
• geologic history – Aug 2026
• gravitational field strength – Aug 2025
• gravitational force – Aug 2026, Jan 2026
• growth lines – Aug 2026
• ice – Jan 2026
• infrared radiation – June 2026
• kinetic impactor – Jan 2026
• mass – Aug 2025, June 2025
• model – Aug 2026, June 2026, Jan 2026, Aug 2025, June 2025, Sample 2024
• neutron star – June 2026
• new moon – Aug 2026
• ocean – Aug 2026
• orbital period – Jan 2026, Aug 2025
• orbital speed – Aug 2026, Jan 2026, Aug 2025, June 2025
• orbital velocity – Aug 2026, June 2026, Sample 2024
• perigean spring tides – Aug 2026
• period of revolution – Jan 2026, Aug 2025, June 2025
• radiation – Jan 2026
• Saros series – Aug 2026
• solar eclipse – Aug 2026
• stars – June 2026
• supermoon – Aug 2026
• tidal bulge – Aug 2026
• tidal friction – Aug 2026
• tides – Aug 2026
• total solar eclipse – Aug 2026
• trajectory – Jan 2026
• transit – June 2026
• universal gravitational constant – Aug 2025
• visible light – June 2026
• Yarkovsky Effect – Jan 2026

NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-ESS1-4 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices

• Using Mathematical and Computational Thinking
  • Use mathematical or computational representations of phenomena to describe explanations.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System
  • Kepler’s laws describe common features of the motions of orbiting objects, including their elliptical paths around the sun. Orbits may change due to the gravitational effects from, or collisions with, other objects in the solar system.

Crosscutting Concepts

• Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
  • Algebraic thinking is used to examine scientific data and predict the effect of a change in one variable on another (e.g., linear growth vs. exponential growth).
• Interdependence of Science, Technology, and Engineering
  • Science and engineering complement each other in the cycle known as research and development (R&D). Many R&D projects may involve scientists, engineers, and others with wide ranges of expertise.

Page contributors: Conrad Richman, Caroline Leonard

Earth and Space Science | HS. Space Systems