NYSTCE Field 160 Biology Test Design and Framework

NYSTCE Field $160$ Biology: Test Design and Structure

• Total Testing Time: The total time allocated for the Biology examination is $195\,\text{minutes}$.

• Assessment Format: The test is comprised of two primary sections:     * Selected-Response Items: Approximately $90$ items, accounting for $80\%$ of the total test score. The estimated response time for this section is up to $135\,\text{minutes}$.     * Constructed-Response Item: One scenario-based item focusing on pedagogical content knowledge, accounting for $20\%$ of the total test score. The estimated response time is up to $60\,\text{minutes}$.

• Constructed-Response Requirements: Candidates must describe an instructional strategy to guide all students toward a learning goal, assess understanding, and identify specific student strengths and needs.

• Three-Dimensional Approach: Instruction must integrate disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices to explain phenomena and solve real-world problems.

• Research-Based Definition: In this framework, "research-based" refers to practices proven effective through systematic observation, rigorous data analysis, reproducible results, and publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Competency $0001$: Structure and Function of Cells and Molecules

• Weight: Approximately $15$ selected-response items, representing $13\%$ of the test score.

• Characteristics of Life: Knowledge of life's cellular basis and the ability to respire; comparison of prokaryotic, eukaryotic, plant, and specialized cells.

• Cellular Components: Analysis of organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum, cell wall, and cell membrane and their interactions to sustain the cell as a whole.

• Transport and Homeostasis:     * Passive and Active Transport: Movement of matter and energy through membranes.     * Feedback Mechanisms: Roles of positive and negative feedback in regulation.     * Cellular Communication: Examples include the endocrine system and embryonic development.

• Cell Life Cycle: Processes of mitosis, meiosis, fertilization, and cell differentiation. Significant focus on normal and abnormal cell division in both unicellular and multicellular organisms.

• Biochemistry:     * Bonds: Formation and breaking of chemical bonds.     * Biomolecules: Structures and properties of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.     * Water: Unique properties of water and their biological significance.

• Enzymes: Analysis of structure, function (using models), and variables affecting activity.

• Scientific Investigation: Safe practices for examining things under microscopes and observing cells in hypotonic or hypertonic solutions.

• Engineering Design: Criteria, modeling, and constraints (cost, safety, reliability, aesthetics, social/environmental impacts) in cell biology applications (e.g., pharmaceutical development).

Competency $0002$: Structure and Function of Organisms

• Weight: Approximately $15$ selected-response items, representing $14\%$ of the test score.

• Unicellular and Microscopic Entities: Characteristics of viruses, prokaryotes, and protists.

• Hierarchical Organization:     * Plants and Fungi: Systems for nutrient uptake, water delivery, and response to stimuli.     * Animals and Humans: Digestion, circulation, excretion, and movement.

• Human Reproduction and Development:     * Systems: Structures, functions, and disorders of the reproductive system.     * Technologies: In vitro fertilization, cloning, and stem cell research (embryonic and adult).     * Life Span: Processes from fertilization through aging.

• Homeostasis and Disease:     * Failure of Homeostasis: Connection between homeostatic failure and disease states.     * Immune Response: Mechanisms used by the human body to fight infection.     * Preventative Technology: Vaccinations and antibiotics.

• Safety and Ethics: Guidelines for the handle, storage, and disposal of scientific equipment; ethical considerations for working with living organisms; and responding to classroom accidents.

Competency $0003$: Matter and Energy

• Weight: Approximately $15$ selected-response items, representing $13\%$ of the test score.

• Photosynthesis and Respiration:     * Inputs and Products: Tracking chemical elements as they recombine.     * Chemiosmosis: ATP production in both chloroplasts and mitochondria.     * Types of Respiration: Aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration, and fermentation.

• Metabolism: Biochemical pathways for the anabolism and catabolism of major biomolecules to store or release energy.

• Ecosystem Dynamics:     * Trophic Levels: Cycling of matter and flow of energy through producers, consumers, and decomposers.     * Energy Inefficiency: Mathematical modeling of energy transfer loss between levels (e.g., pyramids of biomass).

• Biogeochemical Cycles: Transfer of carbon, nitrogen, and water between abiotic and biotic components.

• Investigations: Measuring oxygen consumption in respiration or the effect of environmental factors on transpiration rates.

Competency $0004$: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

• Weight: Approximately $15$ selected-response items, representing $13\%$ of the test score.

• Population Ecology: Factors affecting carrying capacity and growth rates, such as resource availability, disease, and generation length.

• Interactions: Patterns of competition, predation, and symbiosis.

• Behaviors: Influence of individual and group behaviors (hunting, herding, migrating) on survival and reproduction.

• Stability and Resilience: Predictions of ecosystem responses to disturbances (e.g., ecological succession).

• Human Impact: Solutions for reducing impacts from urbanization and invasive species; evaluation of cost-benefit trade-offs.

• Investigations: Experiments such as analyzing algal density under nutrient shifts or the effects of acid rain on seedlings.

Competency $0005$: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

• Weight: Approximately $15$ selected-response items, representing $14\%$ of the test score.

• Molecular Genetics:     * Structure: DNA and RNA.     * Central Dogma: Replication, transcription (mRNA, tRNA, rRNA), and translation in protein synthesis.     * Genetic Code: Universality of the code across organisms.

• Gene Expression: Regulation by internal and external factors and the implication that not all genes are expressed in every cell.

• Inheritance Patterns:     * Classical Genetics: Laws of dominance, segregation, and independent assortment.     * Non-Mendelian: Codominance, sex-linkage, and multiple alleles.     * Meiosis: Chromosomal behavior and recombination leading to heritable variation.

• Genetic Engineering:     * Tools: Restriction enzymes, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), gel electrophoresis.     * Applications: Transgenic plants and animals in medicine and agriculture.     * Implications: Ethical, legal, social, and economic (ELSE) considerations.

• Mathematics in Genetics: Application of probability and statistics to genotypic and phenotypic frequencies.

Competency $0006$: Evolution and the Unity and Diversity of Life

• Weight: Approximately $15$ selected-response items, representing $13\%$ of the test score.

• Evidence for Evolution: Embryology, biochemistry, anatomy, molecular biology, and the geologic/fossil record.

• Mechanisms of Evolution: Potential for population growth, heritable variation, competition, and differential survival trait-based.

• Population Genetics: Hardy-Weinberg principle implementation to determine genotype frequencies.

• Speciation: Factors like geographic and reproductive isolation and genetic drift.

• Evolutionary Patterns: Comparison of gradualism and punctuated equilibrium.

• Taxonomy: Basic principles and criteria (morphology, molecular biology) for classification into major taxa, domains, and kingdoms; interpretation of phylogenetic trees and cladograms.

• Unity and Diversity: Recognition of common components (cell membrane, carbon-based molecules, DNA) shared despite varying physical forms.

Competency $0007$: Pedagogical Content Knowledge

• Weight: $1$ constructed-response item, representing $20\%$ of the test score.

• Instructional Design: Creating culturally relevant instruction that connects prior understanding to new biology concepts.

• Implementation: Applying three-dimensional instruction (DCI, CCC, SEP) and research-based strategies to ensure safety and effectiveness.

• Assessment:     * Assess student readiness for new learning goals.     * Evaluate learning and growth for diverse learners.     * Identify apparent student strengths and needs to inform instruction.