Assessment Information
NYSED Science Timeline for New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards Implementation
Colleagues - Please see the information below from NYSED Office of Standards and Instruction and Office of State Assessment
Elementary-Level Science (Grade 5) and Intermediate-Level Science (Grade 8) Examinations aligned to the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards (NYSP12SLS)
The Office of State Assessment has posted Sample Questions for the new Elementary-Level Science (Grade 5) and Intermediate-Level Science (Grade 8) Examinations aligned to the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards (NYSP12SLS).
The Office of State Assessment has posted Released Items for the 2024 Elementary-Level Science (Grade 5) and Intermediate-Level Science (Grade 8) Examinations.
The new Elementary-Level Science (Grade 5) and Intermediate-Level Science (Grade 8) Examinations measure the 3 dimensions of the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards and were first administered in Spring 2024.
Additional resources for these examinations are available on the Office of State Assessment’s New York State Grades 3-8 Science Learning Standards page.
Questions regarding the new Elementary-Level and Intermediate-Level Science Examinations may be directed to the Office of State Assessment at 518-474-5902 or emscassessinfo@nysed.gov.
Required Investigations for the Elementary- and Intermediate-level Science Tests
The Elementary- and Intermediate-level Science Tests were administered in Grades 5 and 8, respectively, for the first time in Spring 2024. These tests are designed to measure knowledge and skills contained in New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards. To prepare for these tests with authentic, hands-on laboratory experience, students will participate in a series of required activities called Investigations. There are 4 investigations each for Elementary-Level Science and Intermediate-Level Science.
The four required Investigations for Elementary-level Science and the primary performance expectations measured by each are:
Structure and Properties of Matter: What’s in the Bag? (PE: 5-PS1-4)
Weather and Climate: Cloud in a Bottle (PE: 3-ESS2-3)
Energy: Light It Up (PE: 4-PS3-4)
Life Cycles and Traits: Circle of Life (PE: 3-LS1-1)
The four required Investigations for Intermediate-level Science and the primary performance expectations measured by each are:
Structures and Properties of Matter: All Mixed Up (PE: MS-PS1-8)
Energy: Cool It! (PE: MS-PS3-4)
Weather and Climate: Air Mass Matters (MS-ESS2-5)
Structure Function and Information Processing: It’s Alive? (MS-LS1-1)
Information about the investigations and the classroom materials list are included in the attached memo. All Buffalo Public grade 5 and 8 teachers have been supplied with the required materials to facilitate these investigations with their classes.
Questions can be directed to the Office of State Assessment - emscassessinfo@nysed.gov.
High School-Level Science (Life Science-Biology and Earth and Space Science) Examinations aligned to the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards (NYSP12SLS):
The Regents Examinations in Earth & Space Sciences and Life Science: Biology will be administered for the first time in June 2025. Similar to the Elementary- and Intermediate-level Science Tests, the Regents Examinations will be written tests consisting of multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The Office of State Assessment has posted sample clusters of questions designed to help prepare students for the new assessments in Biology and Earth & Space Sciences.
Additionally, the Earth and Space Sciences Reference Tables (ESSRT), 2024 edition should be used in the classroom beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. The first examination for which these tables will be used is the June 2025 Regents Examination in Earth and Space Sciences. The ESSRT contains information that students are expected to locate and apply in multiple contexts to be used as evidence, in support of developing conceptual understanding of the three dimensions referenced in the Performance Expectations (PE), but not necessarily memorize.
There will no longer be a Performance Test (Earth Science) or Laboratory Activities for Part D (Living Environment). Instead, authentic, hands-on scientific and engineering experiences, called Investigations, will be part of the assessment strategy for high school science. Like the written tests, the Investigations are aligned with the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards but provide the opportunity for performance-based assessment of students’ science knowledge and skills. The Investigations are designed to be embedded into classroom instruction and assessment.
The three required Investigations for Earth and Space Sciences and the primary performance expectation measured by each are:
Space Systems: Unearthing Mars – A Historical Perspective (PE: HS-ESS1-4)
Earth’s Systems: The Ripple Effect – The Work of Water Across New York State Surfaces (PE: HS-ESS2-5)
Weather and Climate: The Sky is the Limit – Decoding Weather Conditions (PE: HS-ESS2-8)
The three required Investigations for Life Science: Biology and the primary performance expectation measured by each are:
Structure and Function: Balancing Act – Exploring Feedback and Homeostasis (PE: HS-LS1-3)
Inheritance and Variation of Traits: Unraveling the Mystery of Lactose Intolerance (PE: HS-LS3-3 & HS-LS1-1)
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: For the Birds – Designing Solutions (PE: HS-LS-2-7)
Information about the investigations and the classroom materials list are included in the attached memo. All Biology and Earth & Space Science Lab teachers will be supplied with the required materials to facilitate these investigations with their classes.
Questions can be directed to the Office of State Assessment at emscassessinfo@nysed.gov.