HS-LS4-5 | Environmental Change and Evolution

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Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on determining cause and effect relationships for how changes to the environment such as deforestation, fishing, introduction of invasive species, application of fertilizers, drought, flood, and the rate of change of the environment affect distribution or disappearance of traits in species.

Assessment

What assessment of HS-LS4-5 might look like on a NY state exam.

Exam Cluster Question
August 2026 Colorful Guppies Question 20
A Tale of Two Squirrels Question 22
A Tale of Two Squirrels Question 24
June 2026 Buzzy Bees Question 31
Australian Adaptations Question 43
August 2025 Driving the Florida Panther to Extinction Question 44
Sample clusters (Fall 2024) Old Forest Question 2
Old Forest Question 4
Sample clusters (Spring 2024) Dinosaurs-Evolution Question 2
Dinosaurs-Evolution 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: Identify the evidence that supports that a change in an environmental condition may cause changes in species.
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Level 2: Identify a claim supported by evidence that a change in an environmental condition may cause changes in a species or justify if the provided evidence supports or does not support a claim that conditions may cause changes in species.
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Level 3: Explain how the provided evidence supports a claim that environmental conditions may cause a change in species such as (1) increases in the number of individuals, and/or (2) the emergence of new species over time, and/or (3) the extinction of species.
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Level 4: Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.
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Level 5: Evaluate the evidence and generate an argument defending/refuting a claim that changes in environmental conditions may cause situations which result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.

Vocabulary

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

From this standard
  • adaptation
  • argument
  • claim
  • correlation (versus cause)
  • deforestation
  • diverge
  • drought
  • ecosystem disruption
  • empirical evidence
  • environmental change
  • evolution
  • extinction
  • fertilizer
  • fishing
  • flood
  • habitat loss
  • invasive species
  • population
  • rate of change
  • species
  • species emergence
  • trait
From released exam questions

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-LS4-5.

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NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-LS4-5 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
    • Evaluate the evidence behind currently accepted explanations or solutions to determine the merits of arguments.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • LS4.C: Adaptation
    • Changes in the physical environment, whether naturally occurring or human induced, have thus contributed to the expansion of some species, the emergence of new distict species as populations diverge under different conditions, and the decline – and sometimes the extinction – of some species.
    • Species become extinct because they can no longer survive and reproduce in their altered environment. If members cannot adjust to change that is too fast or drastic, the opportunity for the species' evolution is lost.
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. Natural Selection and Evolution
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