AP* Online Classes

AP Statistics

On-Line for the 2019-2020 School Year

Teacher: Carole Matheny

Email: carolemath@gmail.com

*****Congratulations to the 2018-2019 AP Statistics Students! 85% of the class received a 4 or 5 on the exam with a class mean of 4.3 Well done students!*****

Class Tuition: $725 

First Day of Class: Monday August 26th

Last Day of Class: AP Statistics exam date, Friday May 15, 2020.

The class includes 2 full semesters; course materials are additional.  We take a full week break at Thanksgiving, a two-week break in December and a one-week Spring break.

Required Texts:

1. The Practice of Statistics, Daren S. Starnes; Dan Yates; David S. Moore (2010) Fourth Edition. New York: W.H. Freeman and Co. ISBN-10: 1-4292-4559-X or ISBN-13: 978-1-4292-4559-3. (This book does not come with a CD, you certainly may buy a used text or e-book.)  The 4th edition is quite different from the 2nd or 3rd edition so do purchase the 4th edition.
2. Fathom, Dynamic Data Software, Concord Consortium Software, http://fathom.concord.org/download/  Purchase either the one year license for $5.25 or the non-expiring license for $39. Other statistical software such as Minitab is acceptable in place of Fathom.

Technical Requirements: 

• Computer, internet access, e-mail capability a MUST
• Scanner to submit handwritten test material as a PDF file OR a digitized camera and a means to upload these images to your pc.
• Graphing calculator, TI-84 suggested. There are numerous graphing calculator choices and the decision is yours.

Prerequisite: Algebra 2

Students must complete Algebra 2 prior to start of class and be in the 9th - 12th grade during the 2019-2020 school year. Exceptions will be on a case-by-case basis. All home-schooled students who pay tuition on or before August 15 will be accepted or until the class fills.  A passion for math is not required. 

Who Should take AP Statistics? Everyone!

Statistics is the most widely applicable branch of mathematics and is used by more people than any other kind of math.  AP Statistics is a great option for students headed to a math- or science-related major, and who are looking for another math course before graduation.  It is also a valuable math course for the non-math-loving student who often finds that for the first time they are enjoying math because they are seeing applications of math/statistics in their life.

For students not headed into a math- or science-related major, statistics is a useful and practical topic in today's society and some argue that these students are better served by taking statistics than calculus. The course does not depend heavily on advanced mathematical computation but rather you are asked to use your critical thinking skills to explain concepts and interpret results. To cement these concepts and assist you with interpreting results hands-on investigations are used throughout the course. Technology, such as the graphing calculator and statistical software, is used to lower the drudgery of computation. 

Arthur Benjamin, a Mathematician at Harvey Mudd College, gave a TED talk titled: Teach Statistics before Calculus; a bold proposal on how to make math education relevant. You can hear his talk at ted.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/arthur_benjamin_s_formula_for_changing_math_education.html

Course Format:

AP Statistics is a college level introductory course in statistics in which students will learn to collect, organize, analyze, and interpret data. These broad conceptual themes are:

1. Exploring Data
2. Producing Models Using Probability and Simulation
3. Experimental Design
4. Statistical Inference

Our class day begins with a Daily Message posting which expounds on the day’s statistical concepts.  The student will read a few pages from our text and apply these new concepts to problems.  Students are able to daily test their knowledge through random multiple choice questions.  These questions come from the present and all previous material covered in the course providing the student with a means to constantly review topics.  Throughout the course we have hands-on data collection assignments where we apply what we are learning to real data. These assignments never require the student to survey neighbors or strangers and can be completed from within the home.  Students can practice their emerging statistical skills by responding to several free response questions from each chapter.   This develops the students ability to pull all the pieces together. 

Students will be required to take a bi-weekly chapter test with an occasional free response question component which are similar to the AP Statistics exam. 

Students are encouraged to ask questions of their peers and of me on our communication board. Students utilize the online discussion boards to interact with classmates, to post any questions they have from the reading material and homework assignments, to answer classmates questions and most importantly to discuss the interpretation of our results. While the class has in the past operated asynchronously I am adding a live component in 2019 - 2020 school year. 

LIVE COMPONENT: 

Several times a week students will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the instructor in a live session.  The live component will be through the Zoom platform which is easily accessible.  Sessions will be recorded so a student who is unable to attend can view it at a later day.  My hope is that students will participate in the actual live sessions.  The live chat days and times will be decided once the class has started.  Various times will be offered for these live components, and I will make every effort to accommodate the students’ schedules when planning both times and days for the sessions.  Students will not be required to attend the live component or watch the recorded session.

Most days students will not "meet" at a scheduled time, but will work asynchronously to do their studying within their own schedule. The Daily Message is posted prior to midnight EST for the following school day permitting overseas students to work on today’s assignment, today. Class assignments for the upcoming one to two months are posted online permitting students to work ahead if needed. Past families have found that I am very accommodating to student and family travel plans and special events.

While this class is neither reading nor writing intensive you will be required to do both. Past students report spending 1 - 2 hours per day, on average, on AP Statistics. Some students report spending more time than that, others report spending less. 

Assessment:

Student assessment will consist of a combination of multiple choice and free response exams, hands-on activities, home-work and class participation. The exams are graded using the AP exam scoring guidelines. My experience with assessing student responses ensures that the students taking this course are well-prepared for a good score on the AP® Statistics exam next spring!  Past AP Stats students have earned a qualifying rate on the AP exam (scores of 3 or higher) of 98% with 5 (52%) being the most common score. 

Instructor Qualifications:  

In 2008 I began teaching online AP Statistics with PA Homeschoolers. I keep coming back because I so enjoy teaching and sharing my love for statistics. For several years I taught Statistics as an adjunct professor at both Assumption College and Anna Maria College in Worcester, MA while also working full-time as an engineer.  Statistical methods were a valuable tool and an integral part of my work life, both as a Research Engineer and as Manager of Manufacturing Engineering. Those years provided me with both an application and teaching perspective on statistics that I try to bring into AP Statistics.  I hold a BS and MS in Ceramic Engineering from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Clark University. I spent twenty years working as an engineer in industry for PPG, Battelle Columbus Labs and Norton Abrasive Company.  While working at Norton's I was granted five patents.  I'm a veteran homeschool mom and taught my two sons from elementary age through high school. Both are now college graduates.

How to register:  Complete the registration form http://www.aphomeschoolers.com/xstatistics/application.pdf and email it to: carolemath@gmail.com. You do not need to wait to hear from me before paying the course fee. 

Questions? I answer all questions! Just e-mail me at carolemath@gmail.com

Do read the unedited comments of my former students who wrote their class review following the exam. Click on the link below to read what they have to say!  You just might agree with me that the best advertisement for my class are my former students!

My AP Statistics cumulative test score results are shown in blue, College Board reported results for all students in 2019 taking the exam are displayed in black.  My students have earned far more 4s and 5s then the Global results!

Click here to open or download an application to this class (pdf)

Click here to read class reviews from past participants
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