High School Science

In this High School Biology science performance assessment, students investigate the physiological and cellular changes brown bears undergo during hibernation — and demonstrate their understanding by analyzing data and developing models of energy and matter flows.

• Part 1 (~30 min, individual or collaborative) — Students analyze data on brown bear physiological variables (heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature, and weight) during and out of hibernation to identify patterns and make connections to cellular processes.

• Part 2 (~30 min, individual) — Students develop individual explanatory models illustrating how matter and energy flow via cellular respiration during the bears' active and hibernating states.

NGSS Performance Expectations: HS-LS1-7, HS-LS2-3

PADI Principles Emphasized: Identity and Inclusion, Relationships

In this High School science performance assessment, students listen to and connect with stories of people and animals impacted by climate change — and demonstrate their understanding by analyzing local data and developing systemic feedback models to evaluate real-world solutions.

• Part 1 (~45 min, individual/partners) — Students watch and analyze videos to connect with the personal stories of individuals experiencing the health and environmental impacts of climate change.

• Part 2 (~45 min, individual/collaborative) — Students analyze climate infographics and collaboratively co-construct a "Gotta Have It" checklist to build individual feedback loop models mapping the relationships between human activity, greenhouse gases, air quality, and human health.

• Part 3 (~45 min, whole class/individual) — The class establishes real-world criteria and constraints to evaluate or refine a proposed public policy solution (such as air quality monitoring initiatives in overburdened communities).

NGSS Performance Expectations: HS-ESS3-4 (with supporting dimensions in HS-ESS2.D, HS-ESS3.D, and ETS1.B)

PADI Principles Emphasized: Student Voice & Agency, Relationships, Groundednes

In this High School Chemistry performance assessment, students explore the molecular structures of opioids and opioid antagonists — and demonstrate their understanding by using electronegativity trends and 3D molecular structures to explain how naloxone reverses opioid overdoses at the cellular level.

• Part 1 (~90 mins, individual) — Students calculate electronegativity differences to determine bond character, annotate dipole shifts and partial charges on a morphine molecule, and model its electrostatic attraction to the amino acids lining the receptor's binding pocket.

• Part 2 (~90 mins, individual) — Students evaluate changes in molecular geometry and partial charges across morphine, oxycodone, and oxymorphone to explain variations in binding affinity, ultimately modeling how naloxone's unique shape blocks receptors without activating them.

NGSS Performance Expectations: HS-PS1-1, HS-PS1-3

PADI Principles Emphasized: Groundedness, Identity and Inclusion