Common Core Algebra II: Students' Heights

Patrick Honner does a wonderful Regents recap over on his blog. In today's post, he discusses this statistics question from the June 2017 NYS Algebra II Regents exam. I started this as a comment on his post, but it of course got a little too out of hand for a comment.

So here is my response. These are the many things I dislike about question 15 and how I would make it better.

Common Core Algebra II: A Truckload of Oranges?

Can someone please explain to me WTH "The Orange" question (#26) from the January 2017 Common Core Algebra II Regents was asking?

This question is... just, wow. Where do I even begin?

U.S. Census Bureau: Statistics in Schools

The U.S. Census Bureau unveiled its newly updated Statistics in Schools program for K-12 teachers and students earlier this month. Using current and historical data, the Census Bureau program provides teachers the tools to help students understand statistical concepts and improve their data analysis skills. There are free online activities and other resources available in geography, history, social studies, sociology, as well as math.

It looks good.

Statistical Questions

What makes a question a statistical question? Furthermore, what makes a good statistical question?

The Common Core State Standards (6.SP.A.1) describes it like this:

... one that anticipates variability in the data related to the question and accounts for it in the answers. For example, “How old am I?” is not a statistical question, but “How old are the students in my school?” is a statistical question because one anticipates variability in students’ ages.

This statistics standard is slated for 6th grade students¹, but I recently heard a more effective explanation of what a statistical question is that will be relevant for middle school, high school, and college statistics. It also defines what makes a statistical question a good one, which the Common Core definition does not.

Common Core Algebra II: Music and Gender

In Fall 2015, NYS released a set of sample questions for the new Common Core Algebra II Regents. They included this question regarding independence. I've done similar questions like this with my AP Statistics students. Here, I outline how I would improve and present this question to Algebra II students. In fact, I've created two enhanced versions of this problem.

Ebola Math

Like many others, I've been intently following the recent news stories about Ebola: the outbreak in West Africa, the cases in the U.S., as well as the ongoing reports about the research in the scientific community regarding treatment and a future vaccine. This media attention provides teachers a unique opportunity to discuss relevant course content with a current-event context. Students, no doubt, will be interested in learning about it from an academic perspective. The topic lends itself nicely to many approachable topics in high school math, statistics, biology, health, and social studies classes. It also can be a great way to introduce students to some basics of epidemiology, virology, medical ethics, and biostatistics.

Here are some great resources available for teachers and students who wish to use Ebola and infectious diseases as a context for learning.