Appendix A
Student Interview Guide
I. Statistics
A. Tell me about the statistics class.
B. How did you like statistics in respect to
other mathematics classes. What did you
like most? What did you like least? What was similar to other mathematics classes? What was different from other mathematics
classes?
C. What classes are your favorites?
II. Pedagogical interests
A. How did using the TI-83 help your learning?
How did the computer lab help your
learning?
B. Did you like sitting at round tables instead
of desks? Has mathematics class
always been this way? Why do you think the instructor used tables instead of
desks?
C. What was good or bad for you about group
work?
III. Questions about their project
A. Briefly, describe your project.
B. How did you decide on the topic for
investigation?
C. Tell me about some specific part of the
project that made an impression, either because it was interesting or difficult.
D. Did your project help prepare you for the AP
exam? If so, how?
E. What advice would you give to a friend about
undertaking a statistical project?
IV. Questions about the AP exam
A. How many other AP tests have you taken
(total)?
B. What did Lee do that helped the most in
preparing you for the AP exam? The least?
C. Was the exam as difficult (or easy) as you
expected it to be? If not,
what was
harder (or easier)?
D. What parts of the content (given the four
areas designated by the
College
Board) were stressed too much in the class? Not enough?
E. Did you use the TI-83 a lot on the exam?
F. How well do you think you scored on the
test?
G. If you could take it again next week, what
would you study more? What would you study
less?
F. Did your project help prepare you for the AP
exam? If so, how?
Appendix B
Interview Questions for the Instructor
1. How are students chosen to take the AP Statistics course?
2. What are recommendations about who takes AP Calculus?
3. What do you think is important in defining an education?
4. Why do you use round tables instead of rows of desks?
5. What is your opinion of technology in the classroom?
6. Do you think you integrated technology enough?
7. What did you do differently for these AP Statistics classes that you had not done for
any other mathematics class?
8. What will you do differently next year? Why?
9. What do you think you did well this year?
10. What type of scores do you expect from your students on the AP exam?
Appendix C
1997 Free Response and Investigative Task Questions
THESE MATERIALS MUST BE OBTAINED FROM ETS OR THE COLLEGE BOARD
Appendix D
Data Coding Scheme
1. AP Statistics Course
A. Purpose
B. The examination
C. Course content
II. Teachers
A. Special support/instructional needs
B. Recommended pedagogy
C. Lee
III. Students
A. Technology
1. Computers
2. Calculators
B. Projects and laboratories
C. Cooperative group problem solving
D. Writing
E. Student Learning
F. Free response and investigative task questions
G. Students gathering data for project
Appendix E
College Board Resources
The following resources are available from the College Entrance Examination Board. The
national office is located at:
45 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023-6992
(212) 713-8000
e-mail: Wade Curry at wcurry@collegeboard.org
Philip Arbolino at parbolino@collegeboard.org
Charlotte Gill at cgill@collegeboard.org
Frederick Wright at fwright@collegeboard.org
1. Advanced Placement Course Description: Statistics (The Acorn Book)
Copyright © 1996 by College Entrance Examination Board and Educational Testing Service
2. AP Statistics Free Response Questions 1997
Copyright ©1997 by College Entrance Examination Board and Educational Testing Service
3. Advanced Placement Program Teacher’s Guide: AP Statistics
Copyright ©1997 by College Entrance Examination Board and Educational Testing Service
Appendix F
AP Statistics Course Outline
The outline of the major topics covered in the AP Statistics course is available
from ETS and the College Board in the "Acorn Book," officially named
"Advanced Placement Course Description." THESE MATERIALS MUST BE OBTAINED
FROM ETS OR THE COLLEGE BOARD
Appendix G
Rubrics for 1997 Free Response and Investigative Task
THESE MATERIALS MUST BE OBTAINED FROM ETS OR THE COLLEGE BOARD
Appendix H
Interview Guide for
AP Statistics Test Development Committee Members
1. Did the students perform as well on the open-ended questions as you expected? If
not, what might be possible reasons for poor performance?
2. What did you learn from other teachers, who were there as Readers, with regards to
the course and their own classroom preparation for the exam?
3. What was your opinion/impression/reaction to the rubric and holistic grading?
4. Are you in favor of allowing graphing calculators to be used during the test? Please
explain your preference either way. Did your opinion change as a result of the Reading
process?
5. Did prior classroom use and knowledge of technology seem to effect students’
performance on the exam.
6. What is your overall impression of the initial offering of the course and the
examination?
Appendix I
Students’ Project Progress Reports
Group Name Individual Name
Describe what you plan to do for your group project. Please use your OWN words (do not
collectively come up with the same way to explain it to us). At any point in this process,
please share any frustrating or successful experiences. Begin by stating the problem or
area of interest you want to investigate. You may or may not have specific questions you
want to answer or test.
If you will collect data, how will you do this? Will this generate a sample
representative of your population? If not, how will you deal with this? If you will not
actually collect the data, where will the data come from?
What problems may arise as you attempt to conduct the data gathering?
What statistical analysis techniques seem appropriate to accomplish your goals.
What problems may arise as you attempt to conduct the analysis?
How will you attempt to deal with any anticipated problems?
Appendix J
The 1997 American Statistics TEAM PROJECT Competition
Sponsored by the Center for Statistical Education of the American Statistical
Association, the Statistics Team Project Competition encourages students to work in teams
of two to six persons to discover the scope and applicability of techniques in statistics.
We live in an information society and are confronted with numbers everywhere. Graphs,
charts, rates, percentages, probabilities, averages, forecasts and trend lines vie for our
attention. This competition is one way for students to learn more about statistics.
Categories and prizes
One team prize of $300 may be awarded in the grades 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 categories, and
a plaque will be given to the school of each winning team. A special prize of $100 may be
awarded to the team submitting the statistics project making the best use of a computer.
Permissions
By submitting a project, students agree that all rights to the project, including all
copyrights, are assigned to and become the property of the American Statistical
Association and shall be considered "work for hire" under the copyright act.
Entries cannot be returned. All entries become the property of ASA and cannot be returned.
This entry form may be reproduced. A separate entry form must accompany each project.
Team project requirements
A panel of classroom teachers of statistics and statisticians will assess each project
according to six broad areas:
1. Question of interest (Is the question of interest, focused, clearly stated and
relevant?)
2. Research design and data collection (Can the data, as collected, answer the question?
Were the data collected in an appropriate manner? Were data collected directly by the
students?)
3. Analysis of data (Is the analysis appropriate for the design?)
4. Conclusions (Are conclusions consistent with analysis? Has the question been answered?)
5. Reflection on process (What went right? What went wrong? What would you do differently?
Are there any suggestions for further study?)
6. Final Presentations (Is the written report well organized and presented? Does the
project display creativity and/or originality? Are supporting graphs and charts carefully
prepared?)
Team members complete an official entry form, include the original project and three
photocopies, postmark their entry by April 14, 1997.
Judging
Judges will assess each project based upon criteria listed in the Team Project
Requirements. They will recognize that students' ability to meet these standards will
increase with grade level. The decisions reached will be final. Winners will be notified
by August 30, 1997.
Appendix M
Recommended Journals, Magazines and Newsletters
AmStat News, The Membership Magazine of the American
Statistical Association
American Statistical Association
1429 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3415
(703) 684-1221
asainfo@amstat.org
Chance, A Magazine of the American Statistical Association
Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
Attn: Journals Promotion Department
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010-7858
1-800-777-4643
custserv@springer-ny.com
Journal of Statistics Education, A refereed electronic journal on
postsecondary teaching of statistics
http://www.stat.ncsu.edu/info/jse/
Mathematics Teacher
NCTM
1906 Association Drive
Reston, VA 20191-1593
(703) 620-9840
nctm@nctm.org
For instructions, send the following e-mail message to lyris@list.collegeboard.org.
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