What is This Website?

What are the P-12 Science Standards?

The NY P-12 Science Learning Standards are a new set of learning standards for science classes from pre-K to grade 12 in NY public schools. The standards are largely based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a set of learning standards published in 2013 that have been increasingly adopted by states nationwide. The design of the NGSS was based on three guiding dimensions called Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts. The philosophy behind the NGSS is that science education should engage students in scientific thinking through explorations and investigations of real-world phenomena. For more info about NGSS, click here.

In the set of new P-12 standards, a handful of them are Life Science standards. The high school Life Science Standards are categorized under 5 topics:

• • Structure and Function
• • Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems
• • Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
• • Inheritance and Variation of Traits
• • Natural Selection and Evolution

The Life Science: Biology exam assesses two extra topics:

• • Earth's Systems
• • Engineering Design

For more info about the NY P-12 standards, click here.

How is the New Life Science: Biology Exam Different?

The NY Life Science: Biology exam is a 3-hour assessment with 45 to 55 questions (mix of multiple-choice and open-ended). The questions are organized into groups called clusters. Each cluster is anchored on a specific real-world phenomenon. Sample cluster questions released by the NY Education Department used coral bleaching and the Devonian extinction as the anchoring phenomena. In a cluster, students are expected to interpret multiple stimuli (readings, graphs, tables, or images) that are related to the cluster's phenomeon. Students need to apply their biology knowledge, reading comprehension abilities, and critical thinking skills to arrive at the answer for each question.

If you are familiar with the Living Environment exam, you would notice that the old exam focuses on recall of biology facts and concepts. The Living Environment exam questions are more straightforward, and the answers to passage-related questions are often found directly in the passage. In contrast, the Life Science: Biology exam requires students to think at a higher cognitive level. Students need to have a firm understanding of foundational biology concepts on top of strong reading skills and analytcal skills. They need to connect the information given in the readings and other stimuli to determine the correct answers to the questions. Overall, the new exam emphasizes less on recall of biology facts and more on scientific reasoning.

For more information about the new exam, click here.

Who Made This Website?

Hi there!

I'm Zhuo, a former math and biology teacher from New York City. In 2019, I graduated with a BA in Biology and began teaching at charter schools in the city. During my time as a teacher, I was curious about the growing integration of technology in everyday life. Driven by my curiosity, I eventually left the teaching profession to study computer technology.

Despite transitioning to a different field, I still feel passionate about public education and the need for innovative solutions. I heard about the implementation of the new Life Science: Biology exam, and I suspected that many teachers feel unsure how to prepare their students for the exam. Inspired by the recent rise of AI-based technology to help teachers design their lessons, I made this tool to give NYS teachers a helping hand in preparing their students for the new exam. Hope you enjoy using this website!