Physical Science: Chemistry · Chemical Reactions

HS-PS1-6Equilibrium

Performance expectation

Refine the design of a chemical system by specifying a change in conditions that would produce increased amounts of products at equilibrium.

What NYSED says about assessing it

Clarification statement

Emphasis is on the application of Le Chatelier's Principle and on refining designs of chemical reaction systems, including descriptions of the connection between changes made at the macroscopic level and what happens at the molecular level. Examples of designs could include different ways to increase product formation including adding reactants or removing products.

Assessment boundary

Assessment is limited to specifying the change in only one variable at a time. Assessment does not include calculating equilibrium constants and concentrations.

The three dimensions

Every item written to HS-PS1-6 has to assess all three dimensions together, not the content alone. This is the structural change that made older practice material stop matching the exam.

Science & engineering practice

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Disciplinary core ideas
  • PS1.B: Chemical Reactions
Crosscutting concepts
  • Stability and Change

Performance levels

What a student at each level can do with HS-PS1-6. These drive how a cluster spreads difficulty across its items.

Summarised by ScienceIQ from the NYSED Performance Level Descriptions for Physical Science: Chemistry. These are our wording, not the Department’s — the official descriptions are the authority.

L1
NYS Level 1

Identify a change in conditions that modifies reactants or products at equilibrium.

L2
NYS Level 2

Identify a modification and describe its effect on equilibrium amounts.

L3
NYS Level 3

Explain how a design or condition change affects reactants or products at equilibrium.

L4
NYS Level 4

Refine a chemical system design by specifying changes that increase product amounts.

Related performance expectations

Generate a cluster for HS-PS1-6

Phenomenon stimulus, connected items across the required types, answer key, rubric and figures drawn deterministically from a structured spec — in the format your students will sit.