Advanced Placement Statistics Research Articles

Adaptation to Remote Teaching during Spring 2020 Amidst COVID-19: Perspectives of Advanced Placement Statistics Teachers

During the Spring 2020 semester, K-12 teachers throughout many parts of the world adapted from face-to-face to online teaching. To better understand these experiences, seven advanced placement (AP) Statistics high school teachers were interviewed following a semi-structured protocol. A collaborative and consensus-driven analysis of transcripts revealed 12 distinct themes. The three most extensively discussed themes appeared to be assessment (19.11%), communication methods (12.23%), and use of online instructional approaches (11.90%). Teachers from schools that did not provide devices to students (i.e., not “one-to-one”) tended to report concerns around digital access more frequently (6.87%) and tended to express a more negative sentiment (Sentiment Mean = –.09) than teachers at schools that provided devices (5.69%; Sentiment Mean = 1.35, p < .01). These findings highlight issues facing teachers during the transition to remote and online instruction and suggest a need for supporting teachers in developing familiarity with online and remote assessment resources and strategies.

A Look into the AP Statistics Classroom: Who Teaches It and What Aspects of Statistics Do They Emphasize?

With Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics continuing to grow in enrollment and its importance as an optional course in high school, we aimed to understand more about the practices in this course. From a survey of 445 AP Statistics teachers, and interviews with 18 volunteers, we offer insight into the teachers of this course, what their classrooms look like, and the aspects of statistics that are emphasized in their curriculum and instruction. Results can assist those in the statistics education community who work with AP Statistics teachers on a local, regional, or national level.

Will We Ever Close the Gender Gap Among Top Mathematics Achievers? Analysis of Recent Trends by Race in Advanced Placement (AP) Exams

Analyzing the test scores of more than 10,000,000 students who participated in the Advanced Placement (AP) math exams from 1997 to 2019, this study examined the direction and magnitude of the trend in gender disparity by race in participation in and top achievement on AP Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and Statistics exams. The results of this study indicated that, in general, females’ representation in all three AP exams increased significantly. Although the findings indicated that the female-to-male ratios (FMRs) in participation in the AP math exams increased significantly from 1997 to 2019 and favored females for all races, the gender disparities among top achievers for all math exams are still substantial. The relationships between the FMRs in participation and top achievement for all AP math exams were also analyzed within races, and the possible impacts of these findings within the context of the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields were also discussed.

Trends in Teaching Advanced Placement Statistics: Results from a National Survey

This study provides a glimpse into the professional learning, beliefs, and practices of high school teachers of Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics. Data are from a survey of 445 AP Statistics teachers in late 2018. Results indicate many AP Statistics teachers have taken several statistics courses and engage in professional development related to statistics sponsored by the College Board (summer institutes, exam readings, and online community). They generally do not engage with resources developed by the American Statistical Association and the statistics education community. While AP statistics teachers structure class time with student–student interaction and use student-centered activities, they generally do not use statistics-specific technology tools and rarely engage students with datasets larger than 100 cases or with multiple variables. Teachers’ beliefs about teaching statistics do not always reflect their teaching practices. Personal time to improve, time with students (especially those on a blocked semester schedule), structure of curriculum and exam schedule, and lack of access to technology often prevent teachers from making changes to their practices. Findings call for targeted efforts to reach high school statistics teachers, engage them more in the statistics education community, and encourage curriculum and instructional approaches that more closely align with recommendations and trends in college-level introductory statistics.

The Statistical Reasoning Learning Environment: A Comparison of Students’ Statistical Reasoning Ability

The purpose of this study was to study the impact of conformity to statistical reasoning learning environment (SRLE) principles on students’ statistical reasoning in advanced placement statistics courses. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare teachers’ levels of conformity to SRLE principles through a matching process used to mitigate the effects of nonrandom assignment. This matching process resulted in five pairs of similar teachers and schools who differed in self-reported beliefs in the effectiveness and application of SRLE principles. Increases in students’ statistical reasoning were found at varying levels in both high and low conformity classrooms. Improvements among teachers with low conformity to SRLE principles were less varied and consistent with national averages for improvement by college students. Improvements in classes with high conformity to SRLE principles were more varied. Students of two teachers with high levels of conformity to SRLE principles showed large levels of improvement in statistical reasoning in comparison to national results. While the comparison between classrooms conformity to SRLE principles revealed no statistically significant differences in students’ statistical reasoning ability, deeper analysis suggests that beliefs and practices aligned with SRLE principles have potential to increase students’ statistical reasoning at rates above national averages.

The Relationship Between Advanced Placement Mathematics Courses and Students’ STEM Career Interest

Increasing the number of students choosing a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) career is a national educational priority. One way thought to increase interest in STEM is with advanced STEM courses in high school, especially Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Using data from 15,847 college undergraduates, we investigated the relationship between participation in AP mathematics courses (AP Calculus and AP Statistics) and student career interest in STEM. After controlling for covariates, the strongest effect ( d = 0.13) showed that students who took AP Calculus had a modestly higher career interest in engineering and mathematics/computer science. However, the relationship between most AP mathematics courses and most STEM career outcomes was negligible. Most differences in outcomes between AP and non-AP students are likely due to preexisting differences between the two groups.

DEVELOPING AN INTUITIVE AND PROBABILISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF Α=0.05 AND Α=0.01 STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE LEVELS

O objetivo deste artigo é descrever uma abordagem de modelagem para ajudar os alunos a desenvolver uma compreensão conceitual dos níveis de significância estatística por meio de descoberta com base em suas próprias observações quando eles desempenham o papel de detetives de dados. Gostaria de poder promover esta ideia inteligente como minha, mas, na verdade, Eckert (1994) delineou uma atividade similar. Alguns anos mais tarde Roxy Peck demonstrou uma versão ligeiramente diferente dessa atividade em um encontro sobre Métodos Estatísticos Avançados. Tenho utilizado várias versões desta abordagem de modelagem ao longo dos anos em meus vários cursos de estatísticas e pesquisa quantitativa nos níveis de graduação e pós-graduação.

Conceptualizing a Framework for Advanced Placement Statistics Teaching Knowledge

The purpose of this article is to sketch a conceptualization of a framework for Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics Teaching Knowledge. Recent research continues to problematize the lack of knowledge and preparation among secondary level statistics teachers. The College Board's AP Statistics course continues to grow and gain popularity, but is a challenge for most secondary teachers to teach because of the emphasis on conceptual understanding and problem solving. Therefore, examining the components of teaching knowledge required for the course is of high importance. Using existing statistics teaching knowledge guidelines, previous research findings, national standards and College Board content requirements, a teaching knowledge framework for AP Statistics is proposed that will appropriately focus the teaching of AP Statistics courses to better prepare teachers and minimize current deficiencies.

The AP Statistics Exam: An Insider's Guide to its Distinctive Features

The College Board launched its Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics course during the 1996-97 school year. This course was designed to be equivalent to a one-semester, algebra-based, introductory col...

Advanced Placement Statistics: Expanding the Scope of Statistics Education

A list of consequential developments in the field of statistics for the past quarter-century must include the creation and implementation of the Advanced Placement (AP) program in Statistics. This program has introduced millions of high school students to our discipline over the past 18 years, contributing to the large increase in the number of undergraduate students pursuing statistics as their major in college. ASA members and leaders have played a substantial role in shaping this program and furthering its success.

A Case Study on Teaching the Topic “Experimental Unit” and How it is Presented in Advanced Placement Statistics Textbooks

This article demonstrates how textbooks differ in their description of the term experimental unit. Advanced Placement Statistics teachers and students are often limited in their statistical knowledge by the information presented in their classroom textbook. Definitions and descriptions differ among textbooks as well as among different editions of the same textbook. Furthermore, many schools use older editions of textbooks rather than current editions that contain updated information and thus lose the benefit of improved discussions and clarifications. Advanced Placement Statistics teachers should be aware of this issue and seek additional training through workshops, additional textbooks, and webinars to increase and strengthen their knowledge and understanding of key statistical concepts. Textbook authors should be aware of teachers' dependence on the authors' presentation of topics and ensure that key topics like experimental unit are covered thoroughly. This article considers three prior Advanced Placement Statistics exam questions to illustrate how different Advanced Placement Statistics textbooks may have influenced students' answers based on the textbooks' authors' treatment of experimental unit.

Coping, Stress, and Job Satisfaction as Predictors of Advanced Placement Statistics Teachers’ Intention to Leave the Field

This study examined the relationship of teachers’ perceptions of coping resources and demands to job satisfaction factors. Participants were 158 Advanced Placement Statistics high school teachers who completed measures of personal resources for stress prevention, classroom demands and resources, job satisfaction, and intention to leave the field of teaching. Results indicated that teachers’ preventive coping resources and job satisfaction were positively related, whereas both constructs were negatively related to classroom stress and teachers’ plans to leave the profession.

Preparing Teachers of Statistics: A Graduate Course for Future Teachers

This paper describes a unique graduate-level course that prepares teachers of introductory statistics at the college and high school levels. The course was developed as part of a graduate degree program in statistics education. Although originally taught in a face-to-face setting, the class has been converted to an online course to be accessible to more students. The course serves students who are pursuing graduate degrees in a variety of disciplines but who want to teach statistics as part of their careers. It also serves current teachers in high school who are teaching the Advanced Placement Statistics course as well as teachers at two-year and four-year colleges. The curriculum for the course is based on the theory that good teachers of statistics need to be developed, as opposed to being trained. Building on recent teacher preparation theory, we describe a course that models and builds specific knowledge about teaching and learning statistics. In addition, this course is organized around the six recommendations of the ASA-endorsed Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE).

Internet Resources for AP Statistics Teachers

Both teaching and learning are increasingly becoming technology-oriented processes, and teachers are struggling to keep up with rapid technological advances. The Internet, one of the most popular media of communication, provides fast access to vast amounts of information. There are many web sites that contain information useful for Advanced Placement Statistics teachers. This paper provides information about Internet resources available for project ideas, datasets, conferences, technical support, class notes, and much more.

Advanced Placement Statistics—Past, Present, and Future

The Advanced Placement Statistics course, first offered in 1997 after more than 12 years of planning, allows high school students who pass an examination to receive college credit for a statistics course taken at their high school. In its third year 25,240 students took this examination, and 57% “passed.” The three-hour exam consists of both multiple choice and free response questions, which cover the four sections of the AP Statistics syllabus: Data exploration, study design, probability distributions through simulation, and inference. Although some problems remain, both students and teachers find the course to be challenging and valuable.