1. Elementary School Teachers: Teaching, Understanding and Using Statistics Anna E. Bargagliotti 1 & Derek Webb 2 1 University of Memphis, 2 Bemidji State University Overview Guiding Questions Interweaving factors related to elementary teacher preparation in statistics Data and data-driven decision-making are being set as the gold- standard throughout business, education, and policy “I am a deep believer in the power of data to drive our decisions. Data gives us the road map to reform. It tells us where we are, where we need to go, and who is most at risk.” Arnie Duncan, 2009 “We find that firms that adopt data-driven decision making have output and productivity that is 5-6% higher than what would be expected.” Brynjolfsson, Hitt, Kim, 2011 It is therefore crucial for us as educators to consider how we can prepare a population that can make sense of data, i.e., a statistically literate population Statistical literacy refers to the ability to think and reason in the presence of uncertainty General Framework On the Job Data Teacher Preparation Recommendations Contact Information Comparison Common Core NCTM Standards Student Learning Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000) Organizes K-12 mathematics content into five content standards Dedicates the standard “Data Analysis and Probability” to statistical content Decomposes Data Analysis and Probability strand into four sub- standards that divided into expectations for Pre-K-2 and 3-5 grade- band Student Learning Policy & Regulations On the Job Requirements GAISE: A Pre-K-12 Curriculum Framework (2005) Provides an overarching outline for statistics education in K-12 Defines a statistically literate person to be one that can formulate questions, collect data, analyze data, and interpret results Presents a three-level framework (levels A, B, and C) corresponding to the depth of coverage within each component Level A and B may be pertinent to elementary grades Derek Webb Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science Bemidji State University Dwebb@bemidjistate.edu Anna E. Bargagliotti Dept. of Mathematical Sciences University of Memphis abargag@yahoo.com The Common Core Standards (2010) Unify K-12 education across the US for math and English Language Arts Deemphasizes statistics in the elementary grades Introduces statistics in middle school and continues through high school Contains the strand “Measurement and Data” in the elementary grades under which a few statistical concepts are described The Approaches of GAISE, NCTM, and Common Core Differ CC covers a small subset of the concepts outlined by GAISE Main difference lies in the approach GAISE focuses on student’s overall statistical literacy CC focuses on ensuring that students can perform specific tasks related to statistics NCTM standards are much broader and all encompassing than the other two documents E.g., the first standard alone encompasses most of the GAISE components NCTM not as explicitly decomposed as GAISE NCTM standards set large broad goals for statistical learning by listing a general set of tasks NCTM standards allude to having students explore their own statistical thinking process While taking into consideration the GAISE report, the NCTM Standards, the CC, and the district data reports, elementary teachers are required to navigate through numerous statistical concepts both in and outside the classroom In light of the differences and similarities found among the way these influential and important documents approach statistics, elementary school teachers must at the very least understand all of the tasks presented throughout the documents be aware of the different approaches and be comfortable switching among the documents have a general understanding of the process of thinking statistically understand how to use data to inform their teaching Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001), all states have to produce an Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) report Every state, school system, and school is then in turn issued a Report Card The Report Card lists the subjects and the assessments that are included in the evaluation of the specific state These reports contain an enormous amount of statistical information Teachers are expected to use these data to inform their teaching Here is a sample report card from the state of TN: How do we ensure students in the elementary grades gain the skills necessary to become statistically literate as they mature? What statistical content should students learn in the elementary grades? What should elementary teachers know about statistics in order to be prepared to teach this content? Our Goals: (1) Take inventory of existing documents addressing our guiding questions, (2) Compare these documents to see whether there are overall themes, (3) Shed light on the type of data teachers encounter as part of their jobs, and (4) Offer recommendations for future work with elementary teacher preparation Common Core State Standards