AP Statistics Syllabus

Fall 2016 Spring 2017

Instructor: Troy Thiele
Room: Dobbins 201
Phone Number: 408.345.9290
Email: Troy.Thiele@harker.org
Welcome to AP Statistics! This syllabus is designed to explain this course and what your
responsibilities are. Please keep this sheet as a reference for the remainder of the course.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
AP Statistics is the high school equivalent of a one semester introductory college statistics course.
In this course, you develop strategies for collecting, organizing, analyzing, and drawing
conclusions from data. You design, administer, and tabulate results from surveys and experiments.
Probability and simulations aid you in constructing models for chance phenomena. Sampling
distributions provide the logical structure for confidence intervals and hypothesis tests. You use a
TI-84 Plus graphing calculator, Fathom statistical software, and Web-based java applets and
activities to investigate statistical concepts. To develop effective statistical communication skills,
you are required to prepare frequent written and oral analyses of real data.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course it is expected that you will be able to:
Statistical Concepts
Describe the four major conceptual themes of statistics: Producing Data (Chapter 4), Describing
Data (Chapters 1-3), Anticipating Patterns (Chapters 5-7), and Statistical Inference (Chapters 812), as well as explain the interconnected nature of these four themes.
Statistical Skills
Produce convincing oral and written statistical arguments, using appropriate terminology, in a
variety of applied settings.
Know when and how to use technology to aid in solving statistical problems.
Statistical Knowledge
Employ techniques for producing data (surveys, experiments, observational studies, simulations),
analyzing data (graphical & numerical summaries), modeling data (probability, random variables,
sampling distributions), and drawing conclusions from data (inference procedures confidence
intervals and significance tests).
Statistical Habits of Mind
Become critical consumers of published statistical results by heightening awareness of ways in
which statistics can be improperly used to mislead, confuse, or distort the truth.

COURSE OUTLINE
The textbook that is used in this course is Starnes, Daren S., Daniel S. Yates, and David S. Moore.
The Practice of Statistics, Fourth Edition. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman and Company, 2010.
An outline of the topics that we will cover is provided below. Please note that the dates are
approximate. However, because the date of 11 May 2017 is looming large, any deviations from
this calendar will be slight.
Dates:

Topic:

21 August 21 September

Chapter 4 (Designing Studies)

22 September 29 September

Chapter 1 (Exploring Data)

3 October 13 October

Chapter 2 (Modeling Distributions of Data)

14 October 7 November

Chapters 3 and 12 (Describing Relationships)

8 November 28 November

Chapter 5 (Probability: What Are the Chances?)

29 November 12 December

Chapter 6 (Random Variables)

3 January 12 January

Chapter 7 (Sampling Distributions)

13 January 31 January

Chapter 8 (Estimating with Confidence)

1 February 2 March

Chapter 9 (Testing a Claim)

3 March 14 March

Chapter 10 (Comparing Two Populations or Groups)

15 March 24 March

Chapter 11 (Inference for Categorical Data)

27 March 14 April

Chapter 12 (Inference for Regression)

17 April 10 May

AP Statistics Examination Review

11 May 2017, 12:00 p.m.

AP Statistics Examination

INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH
The classroom activities of decision-making and validating/justifying statistical hypotheses are of
the highest importance. In this manner, you are required to demonstrate critical connections
between the analysis and conclusions of data obtained from many different statistical designs. It is
difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish this objective by sitting through a lecture every day; this
is one of the greatest differences you will notice between this course and other mathematics
courses that you have taken. Students in my AP Statistics course often work in groups to gather,
analyze, and discuss conclusions drawn from data. Classroom discussion pertaining to statistical
topics is encouraged, as it is an integral part of developing an understanding of the methodology,
practical application, and inferences drawn from the subject.

REQUIRED SUPPLIES
1. Textbook. Although there will be many days when we do not use your textbook, I expect you
to have it in class every day (test dates excluded). We are using Starnes, Daren S., Daniel S.
Yates, and David S. Moore. The Practice of Statistics, Fourth Edition. New York, NY: W.H.
Freeman and Company, 2010.
2. Writing Utensils and Paper. All of your homework, quizzes, and tests should be completed
in pencil unless I tell you otherwise. I will not accept work done in pen (in other words, you
get a zero for that assignment). All homework assignments should be completed on loose-leaf
paper or white computer paper.
3. Lecture Notes. You should always have your lecture notes for a particular chapter for each
class (test dates excluded). These can be obtained from my Athena page.
4. Graphing Calculator. You should always have a TI-84 Plus graphing calculator for each
class. No technical support will be provided for any other calculators (including a TI-83!).
5. Laptop Computer. Your computer should contain an internet browser, spreadsheet and word
processing program, as well as Fathom statistical software.
CLASSROOM GUIDELINES
Attendance policy. During my tenure at The Harker School, I have noticed two things related to
attendance. First, it is clear that students who attend class perform better than those who do not. I
have also noticed that for some strange reason, Harker students are absent/tardy A LOT! As a
professional educator, I see it as my contractual duty to somehow coerce you to come to class.
Back in my day, you used to be able to do this by threatening to call a student's parents, but
apparently that is too old school for the sophisticated student of the 21st Century. So, I have come
up with this:

MY DREAM: each class averages three absences or less per student during a given semester
YOUR MOTIVATION TO MAKE MY DREAM COME TRUE: I will drop one graded
assessment that most negatively impacts your final semester grade if your class accomplishes
my dream.
IMPORTANT POINTS:
(1) Absence on the day of a test counts TRIPLE toward the class absence total.
(2) Tardies count as a half absence toward the class absence total.
(3) I will not count absences due to school sponsored events as part of this total (as long as I
know before you miss class why you will be missing class).
(4) If someone has a great deal of absences for a documented, and in my opinion, legitimate
reason, I will omit this from the class absence total.

In the event of any type of absence, I expect an email explaining why you will be (or were) absent.
If you fail to perform this simple task, I will consider your absence to be unexcused and, as a
result, will show you no latitude for missed assignments. It is your responsibility to find out what
assignments have been missed. Absence from class the day prior to a scheduled quiz or test does
not excuse you from taking the test at a different time. If you have an excused absence the day of
a scheduled quiz or test, you must take the test the first day you return to school, outside of the

scheduled class period. There are no exceptions to this rule. Failure to abide by these rules will
result in a zero for all missed assignments. Your best insurance policy is to approach me about the
situation. My silence on any missed assignments does not indicate my approval.
Work Diligently. During my time at Harker I have learned that its students often have the
perspective that the ultimate goal of high school is to get into a top tier college. I happen to have
an alternative viewpoint. My goal is to get you prepared for success in college (and beyond). I
happen to know and believe that one of the biggest characteristics of successful people is the
ability to carry out a task to completion; thus, I expect you to work hard in this class, from 22
August through 11 May. I work hard to be the best teacher that I can be, and I expect you to do the
same when it comes to your studies (even after you have been admitted to Harvard and you are
burned out by the three AP exams you have taken prior to THE BIG GAME).
Have Respect for Yourself and Others. Again, this should not be an issue. Respect all authority
figures in this school, especially any substitute teachers that you may have. You must follow The
Harker School Matriculation Oath and Honor Code at all times. Please refer to 2016-2017 The
Harker School Upper School Student Handbook & Planner for full details.
Cell Phones/iWatches/Etc. I have a very low tolerance for these devices due to unpleasant
experiences in the past. Every day that you enter class, if you must carry them into my classroom,
THEY SHOULD BE TURNED OFF AND PLACED ON THE TABLE IN THE REAR OF THE CLASSROOM!! There
should never be a reason that a student has such a device on her/his person, on her/his desk, or in
her/his backpack during any portion of the class day. If this policy is violated I will seek the
highest level of punishment for the offending student.
Laptops/Tables. Laptops and tablet computers can be wonderful learning tools, and I hope that
we use them frequently during this course. However, they can also be a huge distraction to the
learning that occurs in this class. Use common sense with regard to their appropriate use during
class. I ask that you do not complete outside homework, InstaSnapFaceTwitter, instant message,
explore the World Wide Web, or email during class without permission (this list is not exhaustive
use common sense). Following this directive will make me happy, and that usually means that
you will also be happy.
GRADING POLICY

Your final grade will be based upon the following:

Tests and Entry Quizzes:
70%
Daily Work:
30%
Please be aware, I reserve the right to change this breakdown at any time. You will be
apprised of any changes in writing. Do not expect extra credit opportunities.
During the first semester, several items will comprise your Tests and Entry Quizzes grade.
You will take two multiple-choice tests. You should also expect a short (fifteen minutes or
less) quiz at the beginning of class on most class days. Additionally, on the first day of class,
you will be given an Equipment Test grade of 100%. The only way this score can go down
during the semester is if you come to class unprepared (e.g. no textbook, lecture notes, laptop
computer with appropriate software installed and functioning, or approved calculator). For any
class where any of these required items is not present, your equipment test grade will be
reduced by 5%. These assessments will all be cumulative.

During the second semester, in addition to the items described for first semester, you will also
be given a semester examination which will be an imitation of an AP Statistics test,
administered during class on either 25 April and 5 May 2017 (Periods 2, 3 and 4) or 26 April
and 8 May 2017 (Period 7). Expect class to last 5 minutes longer than scheduled on 25 or
26 April 2017! Please note, that 8 May 2017 is the day of the AP Biology, Music Theory, and
Physics tests. If you will be absent on any of these days, you need to schedule an alternate
testing time well in advance of those days. This test will be worth double that of the other
tests.

As mentioned above, on most class days, we will begin with an entry quiz. This will be less
than fifteen minutes in duration and may include multiple-choice, short answer, and/or free
response questions. You should anticipate approximately 30 of these before semester exams. I
will only count the highest 25 quiz scores in your final grade, however. If you miss a class
with an entry quiz, I may choose several different methods of replacement: taking an
alternative entry quiz the next day of school (which would be an off day for your class),
doubling the value of the next quiz, or counting that missed quiz as one of your dropped
scores. Proactive students in the event of an absence will have the greatest number of choices
available to themselves, so be sure to communicate early and often with me!

Your tests and entry quizzes will be graded with a "natural breaks" philosophy. With this
method, an A on one assessment might be 97%; on another one, it might be 80%. Please be
aware, this grading philosophy is designed to help you, not hurt you. I want you to worry
about your course grade as little as possible and focus on mastering the material instead. This
requires, in return, that you exert an appropriate amount of effort at all times.

You will frequently be assigned textbook problems to complete for homework. I will pseudorandomly select some individuals to submit their problems to me after each assignment. At a
maximum, you will have ten assignments graded in one semester. You will be allowed two
passes during the semester if you were unable to complete the homework. However, after
these passes have been utilized, if you are selected to submit your homework and cannot
produce your work, you will get a zero for that assignment (with no chance to obtain the points
at a later date).

For all other assignments (reading guides, projects, lab write ups, Fathom activities, etc.), the
following policy for late work is in effect: If late submission of an assignment occurs within
one day of the due date, I will automatically deduct 25% of the total points available on that
assignment. If an assignment is submitted within three days of due date (but more than one
day late), the maximum score you will receive on that assignment is 50% of its original point
value. Any assignments submitted more than three days after the due date will receive zero
points! Keep in mind that I do not appreciate late submission of work; it is best for you to
submit all assignments by the deadline.

Although I do not have an official class participation component in my grading system, I

RESERVE THE RIGHT TO USE CLASS PARTICIPATION, ATTENDANCE, AND
OTHER NON-OBJECTIVE CRITERIA IN DETERMINING FINAL GRADES.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

The AP Examination is on Thursday, 11 May 2017 at 12:00 p.m.

Since many of you have not had the experience of me as a teacher, you may not understand my
behavior at first. It is important for you to understand two things: I want you to succeed in this
course, and your experience will be a great deal more pleasurable if you do things exactly the
way I want them to be completed.

I really like to utilize a team-oriented approach to this course. Each day of class serves as a
practice for our competitions, which are our tests. Finally, our championship game has already
been scheduled. It is on 11 May 2017, and it is called the AP Statistics Examination. As your
coach, it is my expectation that while we may lose some games along the way, we will win the
championship match. In an attempt to impart this philosophy, I have adopted the following
mantra for this course:

BEAT STAT:
THE BIG GAME
ON

11 MAY 2017
DISCLAIMER:

I retain the right to modify the contents of this syllabus at any time during the
school year. Given the new bell schedule this year, you should anticipate that
there will be modifications as we acclimate to the new schedule.