High School Science

ACT Readiness Standards in Science

Example(s) of Related Utah Science Standards

What could this look like in practices in grades 9–12?

Category

30% of the science subtest questions are in this category.

EMI 402. Identify key assumptions in a model. EMI 404. Identify similarities and differences between models. EMI 501. Determine which simple hypothesis, prediction, or conclusion is, or is not, consistent with two or more data presentations, models, and/or pieces of information in text. EMI 502. Determine whether presented information, or new information, supports or contradicts a simple hypothesis or conclusion, and why.

Biology Standard V Objective 2 e. Review a scientific article and identify the research methods used to gather evidence that documents the evolution of a species. Biology Standard III Objective 2 e. Compare the structure and function of organ systems in one organism to the structure and function in another organism (e.g., chicken to sheep digestive system; fern to peach reproductive system). Chemistry Standard VI Objective 1 d. Design and conduct an experiment to determine the factors (e.g., agitation, particle size, temperature) affecting the relative rate of dissolution.

• Have students communicate the findings of an experiment and compare conclusions with peers. • Have students formulate hypotheses, predictions, or conclusions by comparing and contrasting several different sets of data from different experiments. • Have students evaluate the merits of a conclusion based on the analysis of several sets of data. • Have students compare and contrast the utility and accuracy of different models.

Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results (EMI) Questions on EMI ask students to judge the validity of scientific information and formulate conclusions and predictions based on the provided information. These questions comprise about 25-35% of the science subtest.

* Italicized sections indicate direct alignment of the Utah Science Standard to the ACT

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