Online Resources for K-12 Statistics Teachers

STatistics Education Web (STEW)

One of the goals of the American Statistical Association is to improve statistics education at all levels. Through the STatistics Education Web (STEW), the ASA is reaching out to K-12 mathematics and science teachers who teach statistics concepts in their classrooms. STEW is an online resource for peer-reviewed lesson plans for K-12 teachers. The web site is maintained by the ASA and accessible to K-12 teachers throughout the world.

Statistics and probability concepts are included in K-12 curriculum standards, in particular the Common Core State Standards, and on state and national exams; however, few K-12 teachers have formal training or applied experience with statistical concepts. K-12 teachers need a place where they can find peer-reviewed teaching materials available in a standard format. Teachers also can benefit from guidance toward activities that are appropriate for their students' maturity levels and from the ability to select relevant, useful, and meaningful applications. The ASA is the logical entity to host a resource to support teachers in their efforts to master the content and incorporate it into their classrooms.

STEW is a searchable database, and its content identifies both the statistical concepts being developed and the age range appropriate for its use. The statistical concepts follow the recommendations of the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report: A Pre-K-12 Curriculum Framework. The web site resource is organized around the four elements in the GAISE guidelines: formulate a statistical question, design and implement a plan to collect data, analyze the data by measures and graphs, and interpret the data in the context of the original question. Teachers can navigate the site by grade level and statistical topic.

STEW operates similar to an ASA journal. It has an editorial board consisting of an editor and associate editors. Authors submit proposed activities to the editor according to a template prepared for that purpose. The editor has the responsibility of determining which material meets the guidelines for posting on the web site. Generally this is done by passing the material to an associate editor for review and comments.

Submit Your Lesson Plans to STEW

Please consider submitting several of your favorite lesson plans to STEW. We hope also that you will encourage your colleagues to submit material to STEW. STEW needs your assistance and participation in order to be a viable resource for teachers who teach statistics and probability.

Submitted lesson plans will need to follow the standard STEW template. For additional submission materials, please see: http://stew.groups.curriki.org (under the Curriculum tab).

Example STEW Lesson Plans

STEW Level A Exemplar
STEW Level B Exemplar
STEW Level C Exemplar

To submit lesson plans for publication consideration, send them to Mary Richardson at steweditor@amstat.org.

STEW Editor and Associate Editors

The ASA/NCTM Joint Committee on Curriculum in Probability and Statistics (K-12) is responsible for appointing an editor for the STatistics Education Web (STEW). Mary Richardson from Grand Valley State University is the current Editor. If you are interested in being an associate editor to review articles, please send your name, email address, and a brief description of your qualifications to steweditor@amstat.org.