High School Science Idaho Standards

Earth and Space Science

Life Science

Physical Science – Physics

Physical Science – Chemistry

Physical Science

Earth's Place in the Universe

Develop a model based on evidence to illustrate the life span of the Sun and the role of nuclear fusion in the Sun's core to release energy that eventually reaches Earth in the form of radiation.

Construct an explanation of the current model of the origin of the universe based on astronomical evidence of light spectra, motion of distant galaxies, and composition of matter in the universe.

Communicate scientific ideas about the way stars, over their life cycle, transform elements.

Use mathematical or computational representations to predict the motion of orbiting objects in the solar system.

Evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust and the theory of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks.

Apply scientific reasoning and evidence from ancient Earth materials, meteorites, and other planetary surfaces to construct an account of Earth's formation and early history.

Earth's Systems

Develop a model to illustrate how Earth's internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form continental and ocean‐floor features.

Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.

Develop a model based on evidence of Earth's interior to describe the cycling of matter by thermal convection.

Use a model to describe how variations in the flow of energy into and out of Earth's systems result in variations in climate.

Plan and conduct an investigation of how the chemical and physical properties of water contribute to the mechanical and chemical mechanisms that affect Earth materials and surface processes.

Develop a model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere.

Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth's systems and life on Earth.

Earth and Human Activity

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.

Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.

Illustrate relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.

Evaluate or refine a scientific or technological solution that mitigates or enhances human influences on natural systems.

Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based explanation of how climate variability can affect Earth's systems on a global and regional scale.

Communicate how relationships among Earth systems are being influenced by human activity.

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins which carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells.

Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis.

Use a model to illustrate the role of cellular division (mitosis) and differentiation in producing and maintaining complex organisms.

Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from sugar molecules may combine with other elements to form amino acids and/or other large carbon-based molecules.

Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed, resulting in a net transfer of energy.

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.

Use mathematical representations to support explanations that biotic and abiotic factors affect biodiversity at different scales within an ecosystem.

Construct an explanation using mathematical representations to support claims for the flow of energy through trophic levels and the cycling of matter in an ecosystem.

Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.

Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that changing the conditions of a static ecosystem may result in a new ecosystem.

Design, evaluate, and/or refine practices used to manage a natural resource based on direct and indirect influences of human activities on biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species' ability to survive and reproduce.

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

Ask questions to clarify relationships about the role of DNA and chromosomes in coding the instructions for characteristic traits passed from parents to offspring.

Make and defend a claim based on evidence that inheritable genetic variations may result from: (1) new genetic combinations through meiosis, (2) viable errors occurring during replication, and/or (3) mutations caused by environmental factors.

Apply concepts of probability and statistical analysis to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.

Biological Adaptation: Unity and Diversity

Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.

Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution, through the mechanism of natural selection, primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.

Apply concepts of probability and statistical analysis to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait.

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.

Evaluate models that demonstrate how changes in an environment may result in the evolution of a population of a given species; the emergence of new species over generations; or the extinction of other species due to the processes of genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, and natural selection.

Structure and Properties of Matter

Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.

Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.

Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the bulk scale to infer the strength of electrostatic forces between particles.

Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and the various modes of radioactive decay.

Communicate scientific and technical information about why the molecular-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.

Chemical Reactions

Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.

Develop a model to illustrate that the energy transferred during an exothermic or endothermic chemical reaction is based on the bond energy difference between bonds broken (absorption of energy) and bonds formed (release of energy).

Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.

Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the number and type of atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.

Energy

Ask questions to clarify the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be described either by a wave model or a particle model.

Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.

Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative positions of particles (objects).

Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).

Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

Analyze data to support the claim that Newton's second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.

Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system.

Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.

Use mathematical representations of Newton's Law of Gravitation and Coulomb's Law to describe and predict the gravitational and electrostatic forces between objects.

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that an electric current can produce a magnetic field and that a changing magnetic field can produce an electric current.

Communicate scientific and technical information about why the molecular-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.

Energy

Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.

Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative positions of particles (objects).

Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).

Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.

Waves

Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.

Evaluate questions about the advantages of using digital transmission and storage of information.

Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning behind the idea that electromagnetic radiation can be described either by a wave model or a particle model, and that for some situations one model is more useful than the other.

Evaluate the validity and reliability of claims in published materials of the effects that different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation have when absorbed by matter.

Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.HS-PSP-3.5 Students who demonstrate understanding can:

ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMMING

NETWORKS AND THE INTERNET

IMPACTS OF COMPUTING

DATA AND ANALYSIS

COMPUTING SYSTEMS

Identify and describe hardware components.

Identify and evaluate what computing system resources are required for a specific software program.

Identify the use of embedded computers in various applications.

Create or modify a program that uses different forms of input and output.

Identify how a high level programming language abstracts machine language in a computer program.

Create a model of how embedded systems sense, process, and interact in a given environment.

Use applicable data collection techniques for various scenarios.

Analyze the trade-offs among various compression algorithms.

Apply basic techniques for locating, collecting, and understanding the quality of data sets.

Analyze data and identify patterns through modeling and simulation.

Use data analysis to show the transformation from data to information to knowledge.

Use models and simulations to help formulate, refine, and test scientific hypotheses.

Compare and contrast the viewpoints on cybersecurity from the perspective of security experts, privacy advocates, and the government.

Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of security policies based on their usage of encryption and authentication strategies.

Convert between binary, decimal, octal, and hexadecimal representations of data.

Describe how real-world phenomena such as numbers, Strings, or images are represented as binary in a computer.

Demonstrate responsible digital citizenship (legal and ethical behaviors) in the use of technology systems and software.

Research, analyze, and present how computational thinking has enabled computing to revolutionize business, manufacturing, commerce and society.

Evaluate the accessibility of a computational artifact.

Describe how computer science shares features with creating and designing an artifact such as in music and art.

Understand the ecosystem of open- source software development and its impact on global collaboration.

Explain how computer science fosters innovation and enhances other career and disciplines.

Explain the social and economic implications associated with unethical computing practices.

Discuss trade-offs such as privacy, safety, and convenience associated with the collection and large-scale analysis of personal information.

Identify and evaluate the beneficial and harmful effects of computing innovations on behavior and culture.

Debate how the issues of equity, data access, and distribution of computing resources create a digital divide in a global society.

Debate laws and regulations that impact the development, security and use of software.

Understand and define artificial intelligence.

Research and explain the social, moral, ethical, and legal impacts of artificial intelligence systems and respective usage.

Explain how computer automation continues to transform society and the global economy (e.g. financial markets, transactions, predictions).

Illustrate the basic components of computer networks and protocols.

Analyze the issues that impact network functionality.

Describe the data flow that occurs when using Internet-based services.

Examine how encryption is essential to ensuring privacy and security over the internet.

Diagram the flow of execution and output of a given program.

Demonstrate an understanding of the software life cycle process.

Design and develop a software artifact by leading, initiating, and participating in a team.

Create collaborative software projects using Integrated Development Environments, or other collaborative tools.

Understand the positive and negative implications that arise when you add functionality to an existing program.

Demonstrate how diverse team collaboration improves the design and development of software products.

Compare a variety of programming languages available to solve problems and develop systems.

Analyze security issues that might lead to compromised computer programs.

Classify and define the different types of software licenses in order to understand how to apply each one to a specific software example.

Analyze the notion of intelligent behavior through the programs that learn and adapt, play games, do image recognition, perform text analysis, and control the behavior of robots.

Illustrate how mathematical and statistical functions, sets, and logic are used in computation.

Design algorithms using sequence, selection, iteration and recursion.

Describe the concept of parallel processing.

Explore issues surrounding mobile computing.

Explain the value of heuristic algorithms to approximate solutions for interactable problems.

Critically examine algorithms and design an original algorithm (e.g. adapt, remix, improve).

Classify problems as tractable, interactable, or computationally unsolvable.

Use variable scope and encapsulation to design programs with cohesive and modular components.

Decompose a complex problem using abstraction through methods and/or classes.

Demonstrate the value of abstraction to manage problem complexity.

Demonstrate code reuse by creating programming solutions using APIs and libraries.

Evaluate the qualities of a program such as correctness, usability, readability, efficiency, portability and scalability through processes such as debugging and code review.

Compare and contrast simple data structures and their uses.

Compare software development processes.