NY Middle School 6-8 Science Learning Standards
The first administration of the new NYS middle school grade 8 science exam, which assesses students on the performance expectations below, is planned for this June 2024 (per the NYSED science implementation roadmap).
MS. Structure and Properties of Matter
MS-PS1-1 | Atomic Composition of Simple Molecules
Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on developing models of molecules that vary in complexity. Examples of simple molecules could include ammonia and methanol. Examples of extended structures could include sodium chloride or diamonds. Examples of particulate-level models could include drawings, 3D ball and stick structures, or computer representations showing different substances with different types of atoms.
Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include valence electrons and bonding energy, discussing the individual ions composing complex structures, or a complete depiction of all individual atoms in a complex molecule or extended structure.
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MS-PS1-3 | Natural Resources
Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural
resources and impact society.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on natural resources that undergo a chemical process to form the synthetic material. Examples of new materials could include new medicine, foods, and alternative fuels.
Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to the qualitative interpretation of evidence provided.
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MS-PS1-4 | Thermal energy and phase changes
Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and phase (state)
of a substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on qualitative particulate- level models of solids, liquids, and gases to show that adding or removing thermal energy increases or decreases kinetic energy of the particles until a change of phase occurs. Examples of models could include drawings and diagrams. Examples of particles could include ions, molecules, or atoms. Examples of substances could include sodium chloride, water, carbon dioxide, and helium.
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MS-PS1-7 | Density
Use evidence to illustrate that density is a property that can be used to identify samples of matter.
Clarification statement: Emphasis should be on students measuring the masses and volumes of regular and irregular shaped objects, calculating their densities, and identifying the samples of matter.
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MS-PS1-8 | Natural Resources
Plan and conduct an investigation to demonstrate that mixtures are combinations of substances.
Clarification statement: Emphasis should be on analyzing the physical changes that occur as mixtures are formed and/or separated. Examples of common mixtures could include salt water, oil and vinegar, and air.
Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to separation by evaporation, filtration and magnetism.
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MS. Chemical Reactions
MS-PS1-2 | Chemical Reactions
Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to
determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
Clarification statement: Examples of chemical reactions could include burning of a wooden splint, souring of milk and decomposition of sodium bicarbonate.
Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to analysis of the following properties: density, melting point, boiling point, solubility, flammability, color change, gas production and odor.
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MS-PS1-5 | Conservation of Mass in Chemical Reactions
Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical
reaction and thus mass is conserved.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the law of conservation of matter and on physical models or drawings, including digital forms, that represent atoms.
Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include the use of atomic masses, balancing symbolic equations, or intermolecular forces.
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MS-PS1-6 | Design for Transfer of Thermal Energy
Undertake a design project to construct, test, and modify a device that either releases or absorbs
thermal energy during a chemical and/or physical process.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the design, controlling the transfer of energy to the environment, and modification of a device using factors such as type and amount of a substance. Examples of designs could include combining vinegar and baking soda, activating glow sticks at various temperatures and dissolving ammonium chloride or calcium chloride.
Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to the criteria of substance amounts, reaction time, and observed temperature changes.
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MS. Forces and Interactions
MS-PS2-1 | Newton's Third Law
Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding
objects.
Clarification statement: Examples of practical problems could include the impact of collisions between two cars, between a car and stationary objects, and between a meteor and a space vehicle.
Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to vertical or horizontal interactions in one dimension.
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MS-PS2-2 | Newton's First and Second Law
Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on
the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on balanced (Newton’s First Law) and unbalanced forces in a system (including simple machines), qualitative comparisons of forces, mass and changes in motion (Newton’s Second Law), frame of reference, and specification of units.
Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to forces and changes in motion in one-dimension in an inertial reference frame and to change in one variable at a time. Assessment does not include the use of trigonometry.
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MS-PS2-3 | Electric and Magnetic Forces
Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
Clarification statement: Examples of devices that use electric and magnetic forces could include electromagnets, electric motors, or generators. Examples of data could include the effect of the number of turns of wire on the strength of an electromagnet, or the effect of increasing the number or strength of magnets on the speed of an electric motor.
Assessment boundary: Assessment about questions that require quantitative answers is limited to proportional reasoning and algebraic thinking.
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MS-PS2-4 | Gravity
Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are
attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects and the distance between them.
Clarification statement: Examples of evidence for arguments could include data generated from simulations or digital tools; and charts displaying mass, strength of interaction, distance from the Sun, and orbital periods of objects within the solar system.
Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include Newton’s Law of Gravitation or Kepler’s Laws.
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MS-PS2-5 | Electric and Magnetic Fields
Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist
between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
Clarification statement: Examples of this phenomenon could include the interactions of magnets, electrically-charged strips of tape, and electrically-charged pith balls. Examples of investigations could include first-hand experiences or simulations. Emphasis should be on using arrows to represent the directions of forces.
Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to electric and magnetic fields, and is limited to qualitative evidence for the existence of fields.
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