MS-LS3-1 - Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism.

Clarification Statement - Emphasis is on conceptual understanding that changes in genetic material may result in making different proteins.

Assessment Boundary - Assessment does not include specific changes at the molecular level, mechanisms for protein synthesis, or specific types of mutations.

8.MS-LS3-1 - Develop and use a model to describe that structural changes to genes (mutations) may or may not result in changes to proteins, and if there are changes to proteins there may be harmful, beneficial, or neutral changes to traits.

Clarification Statement - An example of a beneficial change to the organism may be a strain of bacteria becoming resistant to an antibiotic. A harmful change could be the development of cancer; a neutral change may change the hair color of an organism with no direct consequence.

Assessment Boundary - Specific changes at the molecular level (e.g., amino acid sequence change), mechanisms for protein synthesis, or specific types of mutations are not expected in state assessment.