Component/Level* Beginning Intermediate Advanced
Formulate Questions
  • Beginning awareness of the statistics question distinction
  • Teachers pose questions of interest
  • Questions restricted to the classroom
  • Increased awareness of the statistics question distinction
  • Students begin to pose their own questions of interest
  • Questions not restricted to the classroom
  • Students can make the statistics question distinction
  • Students pose their own questions of interest
  • Questions seek generalization
Collect Data
  • Do not yet design for differences
  • Census of classroomSimple experiment
  • Beginning awareness of design for differences
  • Sample surveys; begin to use random selection
  • Comparative experiment; begin to use random allocation
  • Students make design for differences
  • Sampling designs with random selection
  • Experimental designs with randomization
Analyze Data
  • Use particular properties of distributions in the context of a specific example
  • Display variability within a group
  • Compare individual to individual
  • Compare individual to group
  • Beginning awareness of group to group Observe association between two variables
  • Learn to use particular properties of distributions as tools of analysis
  • Quantify variability within a group
  • Compare group to group in displays
  • Acknowledge sampling error
  • Some quantification of association; simple models for association
  • Understand and use distributions in analysis as a global concept
  • Measure variability within a group; measure variability between groups
  • Compare group to group using displays and measures of variability
  • Describe and quantify sampling error
  • Quantification of association; fitting of models for association
Interpret Data
  • Students do not look beyond the data
  • No generalization beyond the classroom
  • Note difference between two individuals with different conditions
  • Observe association in displays
  • Students acknowledge that looking beyond the data is feasible
  • Acknowledge that a sample may or may not be representative of the larger population
  • Note the difference between two groups with different conditions
  • Aware of distinction between observational study and experiment
  • Note differences in strength of association
  • Basic interepretation of models for association
  • Aware of the distinction between association and cause and effect
  • Students are able to look beyond the data in some contexts
  • Generalize from sample to population
  • Aware of the effect of randomization on the results of experiments
  • Understand the difference between observational studies and experiments
  • Interpret measures of strength of association Interpret models of association
  • Distinguish between conclusions from association studies and experiments

*Descriptions are from Table 1 on pages 14-15 (A - Beginning; B - Intermediate; C - Advanced) in Franklin, C., Kader, G., Mewborn, D., Moreno, J., Peck, R., Perry, M., & Scheaffer, R. (2007). Guidelines for assessment and instruction in statistics education (GAISE) report. Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.