In all grades, the gathering, display and interpretation of data is a rich opportunity for the Standards of Mathematical Practice.  These standards capture the heart of what it means to do mathematics, and lessons that engage learners in them are mathematically rich.

Elementary School Statistics

While the Common Core and Michigan State Standards have few explicit statistics standards, to represent and interpret data is a consistent standard from grades 1 through 5. Furthermore, statistical reasoning provides opportunities for meaningful mathematical contexts for number and operations, and for measurement on topics of interest to the learners. Statistical reasoning also has a strong synergy with the expectations in the Next Gen and Michigan Science Standards.  A statistics poster is a project that can motivate and celebrate the learning of elementary students.

Support websites and documents:

• Elementary standards: Measurement and Data, Categorical Data (K-3) and Measurement Data
• Next Gen Science Standards

Middle and High School

Formal introduction to statistical reasoning begins in Grade 6 (MS and HS), with learning goals on variability, central tendency, gathering and analyzing data, using technology to build meaningful display and much more. More importantly, we know the importance of statistical reasoning in 21st century society, both for modern citizenship and the students’ own lives. The project-based learning in a Statistics Poster offers an opportunity for individualized learning and for students to see the importance of this kind of thinking on a topic of their own choosing. Again, cross-curricular connections to science are strong due to the importance of math and statistics to the state and Next Generation Science Standards.

Links to Statistics & Probability standards:

• Middle school
• High school