Major Concepts/Content: The concepts and content for AP Statistics incorporate the syllabus of the College Board.  The topics for AP Statistics are divided into four major themes: exploratory analysis, planning a study, probability, and statistical inference.  Exploratory analysis of data makes use of graphical and numerical techniques to study patterns and departures from patterns.  Data must be collected according to a well-developed plan if valid information on a conjecture is to be obtained.  Statistical inference guides the selection of appropriate models. 

Major Instructional Activities: The AP Statistics course lends itself naturally to a mode of teaching that engages students in constructing their own knowledge.  For example, students working individually or in small groups can plan and perform data collection and analyses where the teacher serves in the role of consultant, rather than a director.  This approach gives students ample opportunity to think through problems, make decisions, and share questions and conclusions with other students as well as with the teacher.  Graphing calculators with statistics capabilities are required for this course as mandated by the College Board.  Students should be encouraged to talk about the statistical concepts, to use the language and symbols of statistics to communicate, and to discuss problems and methods of solutions.

Major Evaluative Techniques: Many evaluative processes will be used to assess student's written and oral work.  These may include multiple choice, quizzes, major tests, short answer, discussions, or open-ended questions.  Calculator should be available in all assessment situations.  Students may take the College Board AP Exam to receive college credit.

Essential Expectations: Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Interpret graphical displays of distributions of univariate data for dotplots, stemplots, and histograms
• Draw conclusions about graphs based on center and spread, clusters and gaps, outliers and other unusual features, and shape
• Summarize distributions of univariate data using measuring centers of median and mean, measuring spread of range, interquartile range and standard deviation
• Examine categorical data in frequency tables by exploring marginal and joint frequencies for two-way tables and conditional relative frequencies and association.
• Plans and conduct surveys using simple random sampling, characteristics of a well-designed and conducted survey, sampling error, sources of bias in surveys, and stratifying to reduce variation.
• Use treatments, experimental units, and randomization in conducting experiments
• Determine probability as relative frequency involving mean (expected value) and standard deviation of a random variable, including binomial
• Use the notion of independence versus dependence to combine independent random variables
• Find the normal distribution using tables and properties of the normal distribution as a model for measurements
• Know and use the Central Limit Theorem
• Use tests of significance for a proportion, a mean, and differences between two proportions and two means
• Determine logic of significance testing, null and alternative hypotheses, p value, and one-and two-sided tests to determine statistical inference.
• Employ the chi-square test for goodness of fit, homogeneity of proportions, and independence in tests of significance.
• Examines special cases of normally distributed data using t-distribution and procedures, and inference for slope of least square line.

Last Revised: July 18, 2005