Gaise 2016 Promotes Statistical Literacy

In the 2005 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education
(GAISE), statistical literacy featured as a primary goal. The 2016 revision eliminated
statistical literacy as a stated goal. Although this looks like a rejection, this paper
argues that by including multivariate thinking and – more importantly – confounding
as recommended topics in introductory statistics, statistical literacy has in fact been
accepted if not promoted. The adoption of the new guidelines will greatly advance
students’ statistical literacy: the ability to read and interpret statistics relevant to
consumers and decision makers.