Performance Expectations

LS3 help students formulate answers to the questions: “How are characteristics of one generation passed to the next? How can individuals of the same species and even siblings have different characteristics?” The LS3 Disciplinary Core Idea from the NRC Framework includes two subideas: Inheritance of Traits, and Variation of Traits. Students are able to ask questions, make and defend a claim, and use concepts of probability to explain the genetic variation in a population. Students demonstrate understanding of why individuals of the same species vary in how they look, function, and behave. Students can explain the mechanisms of genetic inheritance and describe the environmental and genetic causes of gene mutation and the alteration of gene expression. Crosscutting concepts of patterns and cause and effect are called out as organizing concepts for these core ideas.

Calculation Method for DCI

Disciplinary Core Ideas are larger groups of related Performance Expectations. So the Disciplinary Core Idea Grade is a calculation of all the related Performance Expectations. So click on the Performance Expectation name below each Disciplinary Core Idea to access the learning targets and proficiency scales for each Disciplinary Core Idea's related Performance Expectations.