High School Statistics: Resources for Students, Teachers and Parents
What is the likelihood that someone in your classroom has your same birthday? How is slugging percentage calculated? How did they calculate the margin of error in the latest presidential poll? Questions like these can be answered using statistics. In this guide, you’ll find statistics resources that introduce the world of collecting and analyzing data as well as resources for homework help and lesson plans.
Expand All Guide SectionsStudent Resources for Probability and Statistics
For many high school students, statistics is the highest level of math offered—and one of the most complicated. The Web sites in this section introduce probability and statistics concepts, and offer several practice problems to help hone your skills.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Your graphing calculator is going to be one of your best friends in statistics. Texas Instruments (TI) offers the best selection of graphing calculators, but there are also free sites on the Web like WebGraphing.com that work just like a graphing calculator.
Dulcinea's Picks
For homework and calculator help …
Ask Dr. Math
is hosted by the Math Forum at Drexel University and provides searchable answers to common statistics questions. Browse the alphabetical list, click on the key words that you need or search for answers on your own using the search field near the bottom of the page.
MathBits.com
shows you how to use your graphing calculator to solve statistics issues by taking you step-by-step through common statistics problems.
For test prep …
Oswego City School District
has statistics and probability lessons, activities and sample problems that can help you prepare for class and standardized tests.
Teaching Resources for Probability and Statistics
Statistics can be one of the best subjects to engage students in real-world applications. In this section, we show you valuable content that makes statistics both relevant and fun.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Don’t get fooled into paying for resources. Although some pay sites offer dependable content, you are just as likely to find great stuff somewhere else. The Web is full of free resources and we’ll show you where to look.
- We usually avoid recommending sites that are mere directories of links to outside sources. In our education guides, we make exceptions to this rule for lesson plans and student activities to provide you with as much helpful content as possible. Make sure to approach every directory with caution and evaluate the links before using a tool in the classroom.
Dulcinea's Picks
For lesson plans …
The Math Forum
offers many lessons and class materials for probability and statistics. Take a look at Problems and Puzzles to access excellent challenges for your students.
ide@s
provides over 80 teacher-reviewed statistics lessons, interactive tools and other resources. Each lesson contains alignment with Wisconsin standards but can be adapted to any state. Use the search box on the left to find exactly what you want.
The Handley Math Page
of the John Handley High School Mathematics Department hosts this site that lists 20+ lessons for statistics teachers.
For worksheets and other curricula …
Funmaths
houses a database of printable worksheets in Adobe format. Topics range from simple probability problems to advanced topics.
Drexel University’s Math Forum
is a great place to get ideas for lessons, sample problems and activities for your students.
PBS
maintains a top-notch site for educators. Use this functional and easy-to-use site for a list of thoughtful lesson plans, many of which include printable copy masters.
For real-world problems …
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
is home to the Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (MSTE) program. Look for great math lessons, including resources for statistics teachers that engage students in problems that use real-world data.
Illuminations
contains several lessons in its “Data Analysis & Probability” section that ask students to solve real-world problems. Use the search function to find exactly what you want. Each lesson includes the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (NCTM) content standards, Web resources and all the necessary worksheets and activity forms, as well as assessments, extensions and teacher reflection activities.
Parent Resources for Probability and Statistics
Your child will certainly be challenged with a year of statistics and you might have difficulty helping out. Here are Web sites that you can use to help your child understand statistics, whether for a class assignment or standardized test.
Dulcinea's Insight
- One of the best ways to help your teenager is to ask his or her teacher what the class is studying and what is coming up next. The other sections of this Web Guide might be of interest to many parents and can provide ideas for ways to help your child stay on top of current assignments and prepare for new units.
- There are many tutoring sites available for your teen, but not all tutors are created equal and they all charge a fee. Be sure to do your research before signing up for a tutoring service online.
- For many more Web sites that can help you with teaching math at home, see our findingDulcinea Homeschooling Web Guide.
Dulcinea's Picks
For educational standards …
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
(NCTM) has a “Family Resources” section with information about math in schools, online activities and demonstrations based on where your children are in their math education and explanations of the NCTM standards.
FunBrain
’s “Standards Finder” tells you what students in a particular subject and grade level should be learning. Although this might not line up exactly with what your child is learning in school, it can give you a good idea of what at-home material might be helpful to your child.
For statistics concepts …
SparkNotes
offers an introduction to probability. Look near the top of the page for a similar introduction to statistical analysis.
Statsoft.com
provides an “Overview of Elementary Concepts in Statistics.” The overview focuses on basic concepts that will provide your child with a strong foundation for more detailed studies in statistics. For a look at more specialized concepts in statistics, visit the page on “Basic Statistics.”
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