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Preparing Pre-K-12 Teachers of Statistics

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    A Joint Position Statement of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 
     and the American Statistical Association (ASA)

    Question: What preparation and support do teachers need to successfully support students' learning of statistics in the prekindergarten–grade 12 curriculum?


    ASA/NCTM Position

    Students, teachers, administrators, employers, and others increasingly recognize statistics and data science as important scientific fields of study. Mathematics content standards emphasize that the development of statistical thinking begins in the early grades and extends into and beyond high school. To successfully develop students’ statistical thinking, teachers must have deep knowledge and understanding of statistics and the way that students learn statistics. Teachers of secondary-level data science must have knowledge of developing students’ statistical and computational thinking in the presence of data. Consequently, the need is critical for high-quality preservice and in-service preparation and professional development that supports PK–12 teachers of mathematics and statistics, new and experienced, in developing their own statistical proficiency as well as their students’ understanding of and skill in working with statistics and data science. The preparation of PK–12 teachers of statistics and data science must also include explicit attention to equitable use of statistics and data and critical data literacy.


    Statistics informs and enhances important skills, such as thinking critically and scientifically, understanding data and charts, making decisions in the presence of uncertainty, and assessing risk. As our society becomes increasingly data intense and information based, statistical literacy skills are all the more important for today's citizens and a competitive work force.

    To meet the challenge of preparing teachers to teach statistics:

    • School administrators need to provide professional development opportunities specifically related to statistics content for mathematics teachers and others who will teach statistics. Furthermore, administrators must offer support for teachers to attend such professional development opportunities.
    • Professional development courses and workshops for future and current teachers need to model effective pedagogies for teaching statistics, in addition to focusing on developing understanding of statistical concepts, mastery of statistical content, and knowledge of the essential ideas of statistical thinking and problem solving. Providing such courses and workshops may require universities to expand (or initiate) preservice and outreach offerings in statistics.
    • Faculty teaching statistics courses and workshops need to be familiar with pedagogies appropriate for the pre-K–12 classroom, as outlined by the American Statistical Association (ASA) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), among others, and usefully detailed in Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report (Franklin et al., 2007), Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000), Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010), and The Mathematical Education of Teachers II (Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, 2010).
    • Faculty who teach statistics need to work together with education faculty to provide coursework that emphasizes stronger conceptual knowledge of statistics and the essential ideas of statistical thinking and problem solving.
    • State departments of education need to work together with national professional organizations such as ASA, NCTM, the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM), and the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) to ensure the development of uniform resources, assessments, and delivery models of professional development in statistics.

    ASA and NCTM are committed to taking appropriate action within the structures of their organizations to assist in guiding the implementation of these recommendations.

    References

    Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS). 2012. The Mathematical Education of Teachers II. Vol. 17 of Issues in Mathematics Education. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society; Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America.

    American Statistical Association (ASA). 2015. Statistical Education of Teachers. Alexandria, VA: ASA. https://www.amstat.org/docs/default-source/amstat-documents/edu-set.pdf.

    American Statistical Association (ASA). 2020. Pre-K–12 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report II: A Framework for Statistics and Data Science Education. Alexandria, VA: ASA. https://www.amstat.org/asa/files/pdfs/GAISE/GAISEIIPreK-12_Full.pdf.

    National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). 2014. Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All. Reston, VA: NCTM.

    National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). 2018. Catalyzing Change in High School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations. Reston, VA: NCTM.

    National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). 2020a. Catalyzing Change in Early Childhood and Elementary Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations. Reston, VA: NCTM.

    National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). 2020b. Catalyzing Change in Middle School Mathematics: Initiating Critical Conversations. Reston, VA: NCTM.

    National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). 2010. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Common Core State Standards (College and Career-Readiness Standards and K–12 Standards in English Language Arts and Math). Washington, DC: NGA Center and CCSSO. http://www.corestandards.org. 

    Resources

    The following publications and other resources offer additional support for this joint statement of NCTM and ASA:

    American Statistical Association. Statistics Education Web (STEW). Online peer-reviewed lesson plans. Alexandria, VA: Author.  http://www.amstat.org/education/stew/

    American Statistical Association–National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Joint Committee on Curriculum in Statistics and Probability for Grades K–12. (1982–). The Statistics Teacher Network. Newsletter published three times a year. Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.   https://www.statisticsteacher.org/

    Hopfensperger, Patrick, Tim Jacobbe, Deborah Lurie, & Jerry Moreno.  (2012). Bridging the Gap Between Common Core State Standards and Teaching Statistics. Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.  http://www.amstat.org/eseries/scriptcontent/BEWeb/orders/ProductDetail.cfm?pc=BTG

    House, Peggy (Ed). (2001–2009). Principles and Standards for School Mathematics Navigations Series. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

    National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). 2000. Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM. https://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Principles-and-Standards/.

    National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2009). Focus in High School Mathematics: Reasoning and Sense Making. Reston, VA: NCTM.

    Starnes, Daren S., & Roxy Peck. (2009). Making Sense of Statistical Studies. Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.  http://www.amstat.org/education/msss/  

    Zbiek, Rose Mary. ed. (2010–). Essential Understanding Series. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. http://www.nctm.org/store/eu/

     

    September 2022