2016-2017AP Statistics

Office: Room 223

Office Phone: 309-438-3556

Free Hours: 11am, 12pm, 2pm

Course Description

AP Statistics is the high school equivalent of a one semester, introductory college statistics course. In this course, students will develop strategies for collecting, organizing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students design, administer and tabulate results from surveys and experiments. Probability and simulations aid students in constructing models for chance phenomena. Sampling distributions provide the logical structure for confidence intervals and hypothesis tests. Students use a Ti-83/84 graphing calculator and Web-based java applets to investigate statistical concepts. To develop effective statistical communication skills, students are required to prepare frequent written and oral analyses of real data.

Course Goals

In AP Statistics, students are expected to learn Skills, including…

...how to produce convincing oral and written statistical arguments, using appropriate terminology, in a variety of applied settings, and

…when and how to use technology to aid in solving statistical problems.

In AP Statistics, students are expected to gain knowledge, including…

…essential techniques for producing data (surveys, experiments, observational studies, simulations), analyzing data (graphical & numerical summaries), modeling data (probability, random variables, sampling distributions), and drawing conclusions from data (inference procedures – confidence intervals and significance tests).

In AP Statistics, students are expected to engage in Critical Thinking…

…in order to become critical consumers of published statistical results by heightening their awareness of ways in which statistics can be improperly used to mislead, confuse, or distort the truth.

Course Standards

Content Standards:

The content standards for this course were developed through a combination of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and the course content outline that is produced and distributed by the College Board.

Department Standards:

These are the standards that will be reported on the report card. They were developed using the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. These standards are “habits of mind” that we hope to develop during this course: Concepts & Procedures, Application & Problem Solving, Communicating Reasoning, Modeling & Data Analysis, and Attention to Detail.

Course Texts

Primary Text:

Students will purchase online access to the textbook Stats: Modeling the World (4th Edition) by Bock, Velleman, and De Veaux.

Citation: Bock, D. E., Velleman, P. F., & De Veaux, R. D. (2015). Stats: Modeling the World AP Edition (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

**A bill for $25 will be sent to your home after the first week of school to purchase access to the textbook. Until the codes are purchased, you will have a trial/limited access pass to the website.**

References, Resources, Supplementary Texts:

The Practice of Statistics by Yates, Moore, and Starnes. Publisher: W.H. Freeman & Co., 2008 (Available in the math office)

Introduction to Statistics & Data Analysis (3rd edition), by Peck, Olsen, and Devore. Duxbury Press, 2008

AP Statistics (4th Edition), by Martin Sternstein, Ph.D., 2009

Required Materials

  • Laptop (school issued)
  • Pencils, paper, etc.
  • A TI-83/TI-84/TI-89 Calculator (TI-83/84 are preferred)
  • Suggested: Binder, highlighters (or colored pens/pencils)
  • Graph paper instead of (or in addition to) lined paper

Evaluation (Grading)

Assignment CategoriesSemester Grade

80% Summative Assessments80% Semester Assignments

15% Quizzes20% Semester Exam

5% Graded Assignments

Your grade in this course will be determined by your performance on tests, quizzes, homework, graded assignments, projects, and exams.

  • Tests (Summative Assessments) (80%): If you know you will be absent on the day of a test, you must make the necessary arrangements to make it up. Retakes may be allowed, at the discretion of Mr. Neisler. Summative assessments include tests and projects, among other assessments. Summative Assessments will account for 80% of the semester assignments grade.
  • Quizzes (15%): Quizzes will be assigned when appropriate in chapters. Retakes will not be allowed on quizzes, but points may be earned back by demonstrating knowledge on the corresponding chapter assessment. Quizzes will account for 15% of the semester assignments grade.
  • Graded Assignments(5%):Quick Quizzes, in class assignments, FRQs, and other graded assignments that are not quizzes or tests will be scored on their statistical accuracy, organization, appearance, and communication quality. Graded Assignments will account for 5% of the semester assignments grade.
  • Homework (Other) (0%): Homework will be collected or inspected regularly. Homework is meant to be practice and it is viewed as a valuable learning opportunity for you. It is expected that you will give an honest effort on all homework problems. Homework will account for 0% of the semester assignments grade.

Letter Grades

A 90-100

B 80-89

C 70-79

D 60-69

F 59

Homework Policy

Homework will not be counted toward your grade.

Homework is meant to be practice, used to help you meet the course objectives and standards. As such, homework does not provide evidence of your content mastery. Your grade should represent your mastery of standards and objectives associated with the course, so homework should not be factored into your final course grade. This does not mean homework is invaluable. You are still expected to complete assignments so you can receive feedback on your work to help you move closer to meeting the course standards and objectives.

Most homework assignments will be assigned through MyMathLab. MyMathLab will track your homework based on accuracy, not completion. These scores will be recorded in the gradebook at the end of a chapter/unit. To retake/redo assessments, you must have a homework score of at least 80%.

  • Homework questions can be reworked as many times as necessary.
  • Similar/additional problems can be generated for additional practice.
  • Your problems may not be the same as your friends’!

Late Work Policy

Homework assignments will be due two (2) days after the assigned date. Assignments in MyMathLab can be completed for full credit before the due date. Assignments can be accessed after the due date, but any problems completed after the due date will receive 75% credit.

Assignments for a chapter/unit will be “closed” at 8am on the day of the chapter/unit assessment. The assignments can still be accessed after this time, but only in a “read only” view—scores cannot be changed or improved.

Technology Policy

Ask before you use it. I do not want to see phones, iPods, etc, or headphones without my permission. You can ask, but don’t expect to use it.

Hybrid Policy

This course will be conducted as a hybrid course. We will meet in Room 208 three (3) days each week—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—unless there is a special schedule. You will have work that needs to be completed on the other days. I will be in Room 208 or my office when we do not have class and will be available to answer questions or to provide help.

You will be expected to complete work on the days we don’t meet. The work may include (but is not limited to) practice problems, projects, videos to view, and simulations to complete. I will announce these assignments when we meet OR post them on Blackboard in the morning. If I do not announce an assignment, I will notify you when the assignment is posted.

Participating in a hybrid course is a privilege, not a right. If, at any time, I feel work is not being completed in an adequate manner, I will revoke the hybrid privilege and we will meet daily.

Note: We will meet three (3) 55-minute class periods each week. For instance, in a week with a Schedule A, we will meet Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If, for some reason, there is a time when we need to meet on a different set of days, it will be announced.

It will be your responsibility to keep track of our meeting dates. The excuse, “I didn’t know we were meeting today,” will not excuse you from an absence.

Remind App

I will use the Remind App to…remind…you all of our meeting days. Please sign up by

a)Texting “@mrneisl” to the number “81010” (do not include the quotation marks) OR

b)Sending an email to

Retake/Redo Policy

All students have the opportunity to retake/redo assessments if they desire AND have a homework grade of at least 80% for the unit/chapter. It is expected that students who do not achieve at least a 60% on an assessment will discuss a retake/redo with Mr. Neisler, regardless of homework completion. The retake process will be rigorous, as the student will have to participate in relearning activities while keeping up with current course content. Before being allowed to retake an assessment, the student will have to meet with Mr. Neisler and discuss the process.

  • The retake/redo process may be terminated or denied at the discretion of the teacher.
  • The retake/redo score will be the score taken for the assessment. If you get a lower grade on the retake/redo, that will be your grade for the assignment.
  • It is expected that students should need to retake only 2-3 assessments per year.

AP Exam Expectation

It is expected that all students taking this course will take the AP Exam on May 9th, 2014. If you choose to not take the exam, you will take a released AP Exam in class and it will be counted as two exam grades (one for the multiple choice section, one for the free response section).

*** It is understood that this syllabus may be amended or changed at any time at the***

***discretion of Mr. Neisler***

Course Content

Unit I—Introduction to Statistics; Planning and Conducting a Study

Chapter 1, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12

Unit I covers methods of data collection including surveys and experiments. Understanding the role randomness plays in collecting and examining data is emphasized.

Surveys: Simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, systematic sampling, and cluster sampling are used and evaluated in various situations. Students discuss how bias may be present in various settings and how various sampling methods might reduce that bias, recognizing that bias may not be completely eliminated and noting limitations due to bias.

Experiments: Students learn how to design completely randomized experiments, as well as use blocking to control bias. Students evaluate experimental designs and diagram improved experiments, explaining how the design is an improvement.

Unit II—Exploring and Summarizing Univariate Data and Categorical Data

Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 2

Unit II covers how to display and analyze data using graphical and numerical methods. Students learn to construct and interpret dot plots, histograms, box plots, and stem plots by hand and using calculators (when appropriate). Interpretation is enhanced using the five-number summary, mean, median, variance, and standard deviation. Students regularly use raw data to construct displays, calculate statistics, and communicate their interpretations. The use of mean and standard deviation to describe Normal distributions is explored. Students examine how transformations affect data.

Unit III—Exploring and Summarizing Bivariate Data

Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

Unit III covers how to analyze bivariate data. Students construct (by hand and using technology) and interpret scatter plotsto examine relationships between variables. Technology is used to construct least-squared lines of regression. Students learn to interpret slopes and intercepts in context. Students learn to read and interpret outputs produced by various technological programs including CrunchIt!,MiniTab, and TI calculators. Re-expressing data to achieve linearity is explored.

Unit IV—Probability and Sampling Distributions

Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17

Unit IV covers probability rules and probability models. Patterns in repeated random phenomenon are explored. Exploring those patterns leads to formulating the binomial and geometric probability models. Further examination of random variables leads to an examination of how probability and patterns can lead to expected shapes of sampling distributions.

Unit V—Inference for Proportions

Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21

Unit V examines inference procedures for proportions. Single-sample and two-sample methods are examined and interpretation of the results is emphasized. Calculators are used to help determine numerical results, including summary statistics, p-values, and confidence intervals.

Unit VI—Inference for Means

Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24

Unit VI examines inference procedures for means. Single-sample and two-sample methods are examined, including paired-t tests, and interpretation of the results is emphasized. Calculators are used to help determine numerical results, including summary statistics, p-values, and confidence intervals.

Unit VII—Inference on Related Variables

Chapter 25, Chapter 26

Unit VII examines inference procedures for multi-variate data. Chi-squared procedures for goodness-of-fit, homogeneity of populations, and association/independence are examined and implemented. Students learn when each procedure is appropriate to use. Procedures for regression inference, including confidence intervals for slopes, are implanted and the results are interpreted.

Unit VIII--AP Exam Review

Various Exam Review Materials

Unit VIII is a comprehensive review of the entire year in preparation for the AP Statistics exam. Students will complete at least two complete practice tests, several multiple choice practice tests, and many free response practice problems.