AP Statistics
Encyclopedia
Advanced Placement Statistics (AP Statistics, AP Stats or AP Stat) is a college-level high school
statistics
course offered in the United States through the College Board
's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-calculus
-based introductory college statistics course and is normally offered to juniors
and seniors
in high school.
One of the College Board's more recent additions, the AP Statistics exam was first administered in May 1997 to supplement the AP program's math offerings, which had previously consisted of only AP Calculus AB and BC. In the United States
, enrollment in AP Statistics classes has increased at a higher rate than in any other AP class.
Students may receive college credit or upper-level college course placement upon the successful completion of a three-hour exam ordinarily administered in May. The exam consists of a multiple choice section and a free response section that are both 90 minutes long. Each section is weighted equally in determining the students' composite scores.
The Advanced Placement program has offered students the opportunity to pursue college-level courses while in high school. Along with the Educational Testing Service
, the College Board administered the first AP Statistics exam in May 1997. The course was first taught to students in the 1996-1997 academic year. Prior to that, the only mathematics courses offered in the AP program included AP Calculus AB and BC. Students who didn't have a strong background in college-level math, however, found the AP Calculus program inaccessible and sometimes declined to take a math course in their senior year. Since the number of students required to take statistics in college is almost as large as the number of students required to take calculus, the College Board decided to add an introductory statistics course to the AP program. Since the prerequisites for such a program doesn't require mathematical concepts beyond those typically taught in a second-year algebra
course, the AP program's math offerings became accessible to a much wider audience of high school students. The AP Statistics program addressed a practical need as well, since the number of students enrolling in majors
that use statistics has grown. A total of 7,667 students took the exam during the first administration, which is the highest number of students to take an AP exam in its first year. Since then, the number of students taking the exam rapidly grew to 98,033 in 2007, making it one of the 10 largest AP exams.
, two trimesters
, or a full academic year
.
The six-member AP Statistics Test Development Committee is responsible for developing the curriculum. Appointed by the College Board, the committee consists of three college statistics teachers and three high school statistics teachers who are typically asked to serve for terms of three years.
Emphasis is placed not on actual arithmetic computation, but rather on conceptual understanding and interpretation. The course curriculum is organized around four basic themes; the first involves exploring data
and covers 20–30% of the exam. Students are expected to use graphical and numerical techniques to analyze distributions of data, including univariate
, bivariate
, and categorical
data. The second theme involves planning and conducting a study
and covers 10–15% of the exam. Students must be aware of the various methods of data collection
through sampling
or experiment
ation and the sorts of conclusions that can be drawn from the results. The third theme involves probability
and its role in anticipating patterns in distributions of data. This theme covers 20–30% of the exam. The fourth theme, which covers 30–40% of the exam, involves statistical inference
using point estimation
, confidence intervals, and significance tests.
, probability
, and inferential statistics are provided. Moreover, tables for the normal, Student's t and chi-squared distributions are given as well. Students are also expected to use graphing calculators with statistical capabilities. The exam is three hours long with ninety minutes allotted to complete each of its two sections: multiple choice and free-response. The multiple choice portion of the exam consists of forty questions with five possible answers each. The free response section contains six open-ended questions that are often long and divided into multiple parts. The first five of these questions may require twelve minutes each to answer and normally relate to one topic or category. The sixth question consists of a broad-ranging investigative task and may require approximately twenty-five minutes to answer.
The multiple choice section is scored immediately after the exam by computer. One point is awarded for each correct answer, no points are credited or deducted for unanswered questions, and points are no longer deducted for having an incorrect answer.
Students' answers to the free-response section are reviewed in early June by readers that include high school and college statistics teachers gathered in a designated location. The readers use a pre-made rubric to assess the answers and normally grade only one question in a given exam. Each question is graded on a scale from 0 to 4, with a 4 representing the most complete response. Communication and clarity in the answers receive a lot of emphasis in the grading.
Both sections are weighted equally when the composite score is calculated. The composite score is reported on a scale from 1 to 5, with a score of 5 being the highest possible.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
course offered in the United States through the College Board
College Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
-based introductory college statistics course and is normally offered to juniors
Eleventh grade
Eleventh Grade is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16 or 17 years of age, depending on the country and the students' birthdays.-Brazil:...
and seniors
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
in high school.
One of the College Board's more recent additions, the AP Statistics exam was first administered in May 1997 to supplement the AP program's math offerings, which had previously consisted of only AP Calculus AB and BC. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, enrollment in AP Statistics classes has increased at a higher rate than in any other AP class.
Students may receive college credit or upper-level college course placement upon the successful completion of a three-hour exam ordinarily administered in May. The exam consists of a multiple choice section and a free response section that are both 90 minutes long. Each section is weighted equally in determining the students' composite scores.
History
| Year | Students |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 7,667 |
| 1998 | 15,486 |
| 1999 | 25,240 |
| 2000 | 34,118 |
| 2001 | 41,034 |
| 2002 | 49,824 |
| 2003 | 58,230 |
| 2004 | 65,878 |
| 2005 | 76,786 |
| 2006 | 88,237 |
| 2007 | 98,033 |
| 2008 | 108,284 |
| 2009 | 116,876 |
The Advanced Placement program has offered students the opportunity to pursue college-level courses while in high school. Along with the Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service , founded in 1947, is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization...
, the College Board administered the first AP Statistics exam in May 1997. The course was first taught to students in the 1996-1997 academic year. Prior to that, the only mathematics courses offered in the AP program included AP Calculus AB and BC. Students who didn't have a strong background in college-level math, however, found the AP Calculus program inaccessible and sometimes declined to take a math course in their senior year. Since the number of students required to take statistics in college is almost as large as the number of students required to take calculus, the College Board decided to add an introductory statistics course to the AP program. Since the prerequisites for such a program doesn't require mathematical concepts beyond those typically taught in a second-year algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
course, the AP program's math offerings became accessible to a much wider audience of high school students. The AP Statistics program addressed a practical need as well, since the number of students enrolling in majors
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
that use statistics has grown. A total of 7,667 students took the exam during the first administration, which is the highest number of students to take an AP exam in its first year. Since then, the number of students taking the exam rapidly grew to 98,033 in 2007, making it one of the 10 largest AP exams.
Course
If the course is provided by their school, students normally take AP Statistics in their junior or senior year and may decide to take it concurrently with a pre-calculus course. This offering is intended to imitate a one-semester, non-calculus based college statistics course, but high schools can decide to offer the course over one semesterAcademic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
, two trimesters
Academic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
, or a full academic year
Academic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
.
The six-member AP Statistics Test Development Committee is responsible for developing the curriculum. Appointed by the College Board, the committee consists of three college statistics teachers and three high school statistics teachers who are typically asked to serve for terms of three years.
Curriculum
Data analysis
Analysis of data is a process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of highlighting useful information, suggesting conclusions, and supporting decision making...
and covers 20–30% of the exam. Students are expected to use graphical and numerical techniques to analyze distributions of data, including univariate
Univariate
In mathematics, univariate refers to an expression, equation, function or polynomial of only one variable. Objects of any of these types but involving more than one variable may be called multivariate...
, bivariate
Bivariate data
In mathematics, bivariate data is data that involves two variables. The quantities from these two variables are often represented using a scatter plot...
, and categorical
Categorical data
In statistics, categorical data is that part of an observed dataset that consists of categorical variables, or for data that has been converted into that form, for example as grouped data...
data. The second theme involves planning and conducting a study
Design of experiments
In general usage, design of experiments or experimental design is the design of any information-gathering exercises where variation is present, whether under the full control of the experimenter or not. However, in statistics, these terms are usually used for controlled experiments...
and covers 10–15% of the exam. Students must be aware of the various methods of data collection
Data collection
Data collection is a term used to describe a process of preparing and collecting data, for example, as part of a process improvement or similar project. The purpose of data collection is to obtain information to keep on record, to make decisions about important issues, to pass information on to...
through sampling
Sampling (statistics)
In statistics and survey methodology, sampling is concerned with the selection of a subset of individuals from within a population to estimate characteristics of the whole population....
or experiment
Experiment
An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...
ation and the sorts of conclusions that can be drawn from the results. The third theme involves probability
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
and its role in anticipating patterns in distributions of data. This theme covers 20–30% of the exam. The fourth theme, which covers 30–40% of the exam, involves statistical inference
Statistical inference
In statistics, statistical inference is the process of drawing conclusions from data that are subject to random variation, for example, observational errors or sampling variation...
using point estimation
Point estimation
In statistics, point estimation involves the use of sample data to calculate a single value which is to serve as a "best guess" or "best estimate" of an unknown population parameter....
, confidence intervals, and significance tests.
Exam
Along with the course curriculum, the exam is developed by the AP Statistics Test Development Committee as well. With the help of other college professors, the committee creates a large pool of possible questions that is pre-tested with college students taking statistics courses. The test is then refined to an appropriate level of difficulty and clarity. Afterwards, the Educational Testing Service is responsible for printing and administering the exam.Structure
The exam is offered every year in May. Students are not expected to memorize any formulas. Therefore, a list of common statistical formulas related to descriptive statisticsDescriptive statistics
Descriptive statistics quantitatively describe the main features of a collection of data. Descriptive statistics are distinguished from inferential statistics , in that descriptive statistics aim to summarize a data set, rather than use the data to learn about the population that the data are...
, probability
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
, and inferential statistics are provided. Moreover, tables for the normal, Student's t and chi-squared distributions are given as well. Students are also expected to use graphing calculators with statistical capabilities. The exam is three hours long with ninety minutes allotted to complete each of its two sections: multiple choice and free-response. The multiple choice portion of the exam consists of forty questions with five possible answers each. The free response section contains six open-ended questions that are often long and divided into multiple parts. The first five of these questions may require twelve minutes each to answer and normally relate to one topic or category. The sixth question consists of a broad-ranging investigative task and may require approximately twenty-five minutes to answer.
Grading
| Year | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Mean grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 11.5 % | 23.4 % | 24.9 % | 19.1 % | 21.1 % | 2.85 |
| 2002 | 11.2 % | 21.8 % | 23.9 % | 19.2 % | 23.9 % | 2.77 |
| 2003 | 13.2 % | 22.3 % | 26.4 % | 19.5 % | 18.6 % | 2.92 |
| 2004 | 12.6 % | 22.4 % | 24.8 % | 19.8 % | 20.3 % | 2.87 |
| 2005 | 12.6 % | 22.8 % | 25.3 % | 19.2 % | 20.1 % | 2.88 |
| 2006 | 12.6 % | 22.2 % | 25.3 % | 18.3 % | 21.6 % | 2.86 |
| 2007 | 11.9 % | 21.5 % | 25.4 % | 17.1 % | 24.1 % | 2.80 |
| 2008 | 12.9 % | 22.7% | 23.7 % | 18.8 % | 21.8 % | 2.86 |
| 2009 | 12.3% | 22.3% | 24.2% | 19.1% | 22.2% | 2.83 |
| 2010 | 12.8% | 22.4% | 23.5% | 18.2% | 23.1% | 2.84 |
The multiple choice section is scored immediately after the exam by computer. One point is awarded for each correct answer, no points are credited or deducted for unanswered questions, and points are no longer deducted for having an incorrect answer.
Students' answers to the free-response section are reviewed in early June by readers that include high school and college statistics teachers gathered in a designated location. The readers use a pre-made rubric to assess the answers and normally grade only one question in a given exam. Each question is graded on a scale from 0 to 4, with a 4 representing the most complete response. Communication and clarity in the answers receive a lot of emphasis in the grading.
Both sections are weighted equally when the composite score is calculated. The composite score is reported on a scale from 1 to 5, with a score of 5 being the highest possible.