Announcements: Fall 2021
Submit Lesson Plans, Articles, and Announcements to Statistics Teacher
Please consider submitting some of your K–12 statistics lesson plans for publication or writing and sharing an article. We also accept announcement submissions. For more information, see the ST submission guidelines or contact the ST editors.
Upcoming Deadlines
The Mathematics Education Trust Provides Grants, Awards, and Scholarships in Support of PK–12 Statistics Efforts
Deadlines are November 1, 2021, and May 1, 2022
The Mathematics Education Trust (MET) provides NCTM members access to more than $150,000 in grants, scholarships, and other awards. Since 1976, MET rewards have supported the improvement of K–12 mathematics education across instrumental content areas such as statistics. This assistance includes uplifting pre-service teachers with the new Opening Gates for Prospective Teachers Grant. Learn more about the full range of opportunities and apply today for the fall cycle of MET grants.
National Assessment Governing Board Nominations
Deadline is November 1, 2022
Are you interested in making an impact on education on a national scale or know others who are? The National Assessment Governing Board is seeking nominations for the following board positions to be appointed in 2022:
- Eighth-Grade Teacher
- Fourth-Grade Teacher
- General Public Representative – Parent Leader
- Secondary School Principal
The 26-member governing board oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. They seek passionate people from diverse backgrounds who are committed to improving how student performance is measured and understood. Candidates can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else. Learn more about the open positions, board members’ responsibilities, and submission requirements.
Fall Data Challenge: Fight Food Insecurity!
Deadline November 7, 2021
ThisIsStatistics announces its sixth annual Fall Data Challenge, a national contest for high-school and undergraduate students to apply their statistical and data visualization skills to examine a relevant and timely topic while demonstrating the real-world impact of data. This year’s theme, Fight Food Insecurity, will tackle the increasing challenge of food scarcity and insecurity in the United States. Students will work in teams to apply their statistical skills to analyze real-world food insecurity data and make recommendations to combat this critical issue. The contest will be open for submissions until November 7 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Teachers, get your class involved by visiting the educator resource page.
Modeling the Future Challenge (MTFC)
Registration deadline is November 12, 2021
“Where are the statistics I’ve learned even used in the ‘real world’?” If you have ever asked (or been asked) this question, then the Modeling the Future Challenge (MTFC) is the opportunity to explore the answer! This free competition can be completed individually or in teams of up to five students over the course of three phases as teams conduct an actuarial research project in which they make recommendations to organizations, government agencies, or other groups based on their own mathematical models, real-world data analysis, and risk management on a topic of their choosing.
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program
Deadline is November 18, 2021
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program is accepting applications. Information about eligibility, program benefits, application requirements, and access to the online application system can be found on the fellowship website.
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
Deadline is February 6, 2022
This year’s Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching will honor K–6 mathematics and science (including computer science) teachers.
Modeling Contest and Data Insights Award
Deadline is February 17, 2022
COMAP’s Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) is an international competition for high-school and undergraduate students. The ASA provides the Data Insights Award for the MCM data insights problem C.
NCTM Regional Conferences & Expositions 2021–2022
February 2–4, 2022
New Orleans, Louisiana
March 16–18, 2022
Indianapolis, Indiana
ThisIsStatistics Spring Data Challenge
Deadline TBD
ThisIsStatistics hosts data competitions in the spring and fall. To receive competition notifications, sign up for the newsletter on the bottom of the page.
ASA Data Visualization Poster Competition
Deadline is April 1, 2022
The ASA Data Visualization Poster Competition is for grade K–12 students to create a display containing two or more related graphics that summarize a set of data, look at the data from different points of view, and answer specific questions about the data. The deadline is April 1, 2022, and submissions will be digital. View the judging rubric.
Virtual Science Fair
Deadline is April 30, 2022
The Virtual Science Fair allows grade K–12 students to investigate an interesting topic and submit a short video highlighting their process and results. Bonus: Celebrate Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month at the same time!
Resources and Opportunities
GAISE II Available
The Pre-K–12 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education II (GAISE II): A Framework for Statistics and Data Science Education is available for free download. It can also be purchased via Amazon for $15.
NCTM 2021 Fall Virtual Conference Unites the Math Community
NCTM is dedicated to supporting the ever-evolving needs of math educators. From November 17–20, 2021, their Fall Virtual Conference will offer engaging content designed to transform the mathematics education landscape. This event will bring colleagues across content tracks—including statistics—and grade levels together to share in the excitement and love of math. Learn more and register.
NCTM Supports Statistics Education with Valuable Knowledge and Resources
To elevate the standards of mathematics education offered around the world, NCTM provides the math community with education resources, professional development opportunities, and more. Their journal Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK–12 (MTLT) features various mathematical topics, including statistics. In one such article, the authors take a deeper look into the Pre-K–12 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education II (GAISE II): A Framework for Statistics and Data Science Education report.
NCTM Provides Content to Strengthen Students’ Connection to Statistics
NCTM recognizes the importance of strengthening students’ understandings of math’s impact on their daily lives. Two articles published in Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK–12 (MTLT)—“Yes, We CAtaN Understand Probability” and “Comparing Probabilities: Rock, Paper, Scissors, and Coin Toss”—highlight how these popular games can further encourage students to explore statistics and probability.
NCTM’s Catalyzing Change
NCTM’s Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations is for anyone involved in high-school mathematics education.
Statistical Education of Teachers (SET) Report
The Statistical Education of Teachers (SET) (PDF download) report outlines the content and conceptual understanding teachers need to assist their students develop statistical reasoning skills. SET is intended for everyone involved in the statistical education of teachers, both the initial preparation of prospective teachers and the professional development of practicing teachers.
Focus on Statistics: Now Available for Free Download
Focus on Statistics: Investigations for the Integration of Statistics into Grades 9–12 Mathematics Classrooms consists of 19 investigations to help classroom teachers implement key statistical concepts in their classrooms. Each investigation has an overview, learning goals, mathematical practice through a statistical lens, materials, instructional plans, and ideas for extensions. Download for free or purchase on Amazon.
Bridging the Gap Lessons
Bridging the Gap Between Common Core State Standards and Teaching Statistics includes 20 data analysis and probability investigations for teachers to use in their K–8 classrooms. All lessons are available for free download.
MSSS Lessons
The Making Sense of Statistical Studies (MSSS) student module consists of 15 hands-on investigations that help students design and analyze statistical studies. It is written for an upper-middle-school or high-school audience having some background in exploratory data analysis and basic probability. All lessons are available for free download.
People Count
People Count! (And Their Data Stories) is a free collection of 16 lessons in which students develop, analyze, and redesign population projection models using past and present population totals by age groups to estimate future population estimates of various countries.
Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education
The Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education is a free online, international journal focusing on statistics and data science teaching and learning. Issues from 1993–2014, when the journal was called the Journal of Statistics Education (JSE), are archived along with the JSE data archive.
Statistics Resource List for K–12 Teachers
This document includes resources from the ASA, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and others that support the teaching of statistics and probability as covered by the Common Core State Standards and other state career and college preparation standards. Included are lesson plans, applets, videos, data sources, media, technology, teacher preparation materials, and assessment resources. Other free resources are listed on the ASA K–12 Educators page.
Build Quantitative Literacy with Graphs
What’s Going On in This Graph? is a free weekly online feature of the ASA and New York Times Learning Network. On Wednesdays from September to May, a new graph is released. Students respond to four questions: What do you notice? What do you wonder? How does this relate to you and your community? Write a catchy headline that captures the main ideas of this graph. Teachers moderate their responses online from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET. By Friday, the original article, additional questions, and “stat nuggets”—definitions of statistical terms seen in the graphs and explanations for how they are used—are revealed.
No statistics background is necessary for either teachers or students. Support is offered within the feature. See all graphs in this series and learn how and why other teachers are using this strategy from our on-demand webinar.
K–12 Statistics Teacher Meetups
The American Statistical Association offers free K–12 teacher meetups (via Zoom) to share resources and discuss K–12 statistics topics. Meetup topics have included the AP Statistics exam and statistics reading, assessment, applets, software resources, and lesson plans. View recordings or indicate interest in participating in future meetups and suggest topics or presenters.
STEW Lessons
STatistics Education Web (STEW) is a free, online resource for peer-reviewed statistics lesson plans.
Census at School
The ASA’s Census at School program is a free international classroom project that engages students in grades 4–12 in statistical problem solving using their own real data. The students complete an online survey, analyze their class census results, and compare their class with random samples of students in the United States and other participating countries. There are free lessons using Census at School data posted under Resources. We encourage new lesson plan submissions using the STEW format.
ASA Memberships for Teachers
Sign up for a free one-year trial membership for K–12 teachers and two-year college faculty.
New Episodes of Stats + Stories Podcast Available
The ASA has partnered with the Stats + Stories group at Miami University, a collaboration between statisticians and journalists producing podcasts that give the statistics behind the stories and the stories behind the statistics. To listen, visit the Stats + Stories website or iTunes.
ThisIsStatistics
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