Probability and Statistics is designed to enable students to be aware of the background of data, the design of the study that produced the data, the possible effect of outlying observations on their conclusions, and the reasoning that is the basis for standard methods of inference.
Course Design: This class will meet daily for the entire first semester. Each period is 75 minutes long.
Text: Bock, Velleman, and De Veaux. Stats: Modeling the World, 2nd Edition. Pearson Education, Inc, 2007. Materials: Paper, Pencil, 3 ring binder, 3” x 5” note cards
Software: Students will learn and be expected to use Excel and Mini-Tab on projects, homework and exams.
Calculators: A graphing calculator is required for this course. If you do not have one, now would be a good time to purchase one. We will use them both in and out of class on a daily basis. I recommend a TI-84 if you are going to purchase one. If you are unable to obtain a graphing calculator for use outside of class please see me as soon as possible.
Instructional Strategies:
Out of Class
- Students are expected to read each chapter when assigned. A variety of content literacy strategies will be introduced to facilitate student’s comprehension of the textbook.
- Homework problems will be introduced in class, but most of the assignments must be completed outside of class time.
In Class
- A substantial proportion of class time will be spent doing activities to introduce, develop or enhance the understanding of concepts.
- Excel, Graphing Calculators and the statistical software, Mini-Tab, will also used. Class time will be spent exploring the statistical capabilities of these programs. It is expected that all projects contain computer generated graphics.
- New material will be presented in discussions of pre-read material rather than a lecture format. Student participation in these discussions is imperative to their understanding of course material.
Examinations: Exams will consist of multiple choice and free response questions. They will be modeled after the AP Examination, but scoring will be modified as this is the non-AP section of this course.
Grading Procedures: Grades will be cumulative all semester.
The primary purpose of grades is to reflect a student’s achievement level in relation to the course standards. A secondary purpose is to communicate a student’s progress toward mastery of the standards to the student and parents. In order to accomplish these goals, students will earn an academic achievement grade that reflects their understanding of the course content and a separate work ethic evaluation that will not be included in the calculation of the grade. Students will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of learning targets and the academic achievement grade will change as the learning progresses. Individualized remediation will be used to ensure each student has the opportunity to reach mastery.
Academic Achievement Grade: this grade will be calculated based on mastery of learning targets for each unit of study. Assessments are designed to measure the level of mastery of the learning targets. Assessments will fall into one of four categories:
- Learning Target Quizzes: These will assess the understanding of each learning target individually.
- Unit Exams: These will assess the understanding of all learning targets at the end of each unit.
- Performance Tasks: These will assess the application of concepts to various situations and may include computer projects, research projects and investigative tasks.
All assignments will be graded on the 0 – 4 point scale below:
4 (100) / 3 (85) / 2 (70) / 1 (55) / 0 (0)The student
demonstrates
exceptional skills
and knowledge
above standard. / The student
demonstrates
proficiency with
the standard, only making minor mistakes. / The student
shows emerging
progress toward
meeting
standard, but
overall lack of
understanding. / The student is
making minimal
progress toward
meeting
standard. / No evidence of
Learning.
Students will have the opportunity to prove understanding of the learning targets on multiple assessments, and the students’ academic grade will change as the learning progresses. Individualized remediation will be used to ensure that each student achieves mastery of each learning target.
If a student is not pleased with their performance on an exam the student will be given the opportunity to reassess given he/she only missed two or less of the assignments/assessments leading up to the exam.
Work Ethic Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on the following areas: collaboration, preparedness, work completion, on task and conduct. These scores will be reported to parents but not be used in calculation of course grade. A simple, 4: Excellent, 3: Good, 2: Fair, 1: Poor, rating system will be used.
Absences: Students can make up standards assignments until I hand back the graded assignment to the rest of the class. After that point, they will need to wait until a recheck of that standard is given to the rest of the class.
Late Work Policy: Assignments should not be late. Do not expect me to accept them. If a student has difficulty with an assignment or has unusual circumstances arise that prevents he/she from completing the assignment, the student should see me BEFORE the assignment is due (i.e. in the morning before school starts) to see IF an extension is possible.
Timeline: (all times are subject to change!)
Unit I – Exploring and Understanding Data (total time: 26 days)
Chapter 1: Statistics Starts Here (1 day)
Chapter 2: Data (1 day)
Chapter 3: Displaying and Describing Categorical Data (3 days)
Chapter 4: Displaying Quantitative Data (4 days)
Chapter 5: Describing Distributions Numerically (5 days)
Chapter 6: The Standard Deviation as a Ruler and the Normal Model (5 days)
Unit II – Exploring Relationships Between Variables (23 days)
Chapter 7: Scatterplots, Association, and Correlation (3 days)
Chapter 8: Linear Regression (8 days)
(Test over Chapters 7 and 8)
Chapter 9: Regression Wisdom (4 days)
Unit III – Gathering Data (17 days)
Chapter 11: Understanding Randomness (6 days)
Chapter 12: Sample Surveys (5 days)
Chapter 13: Experiments and Observational Studies (6 days)
Unit IV – Randomness and Probability (20 days)
Chapter 14: From Randomness to Probability (3 days)
Chapter 15: Probability Rules (5 days)
Chapter 16: Random Variables (4 days)
Semester Project: Response Bias
Semester Exam –25 Multiple Choice and 5 Free Response
RETURN THIS PAGE TO MRS. GRACE
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