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 Released Items for the 2024 & 2025 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)
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 were administered for the first time in June 2025. The regents Examinations in Physical Science: Chemistry and Physical Science: Physics will be administered for the first time in June 2026. Similar to the Elementary- and Intermediate-level Science Tests, the Regents Examinations are written tests consisting of multiple-choice and constructed-response questions.
Additionally, the Earth and Space Sciences Reference Tables (ESSRT), 2024 edition, and the Reference Tables for Physical Setting: Chemistry and Physical Science : Physics are to be used in the classroom. The Reference Tables 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 is 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, are 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)
The three required Investigations for Physical Setting: Chemistry and the primary performance expectation measured by each are:
Structures and Properties of Matter: The Fast and the Fragrant – Evaporation and Intermolecular Forces (PE: HS-PS1-3)
Structures and Properties of Matter: Bend and Stretch – Structure and Function of Designed Materials (PE: HS-PS2-6)
Chemical Reactions: Just a Drop – Properties of Acids and Bases (PE: HS-PS1-11)
The three required Investigations for Physical Setting: Physics and the primary performance expectation measured by each are:
Forces and Interactions: Induction Junction – What is your Function? (PE: HS-PS2-5)
Energy: Wheels to Watts – Converting Energy and Maximizing Efficiency (PE: HS-PS3-3)
Energy: Thermal Tales – The Story of Energy and Calorimetry (PE: HS-PS3-4)
All Regents 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.