Assessing statistical literacy: A question of interpretation?


Book: 
Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference On Teaching Statistics (ICOTS-7), Salvador, Brazil.
Authors: 
Callingham, R.
Editors: 
Rossman, A., & Chance, B.
Category: 
Year: 
2006
Publisher: 
Voorburg, The Netherlands: International Statistical Institute.
URL: 
http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~iase/publications/17/6D1_CALL.pdf
Abstract: 

Current school curriculum documents stress the need for assessment to support learning. Teachers use assessment information to infer students' development and plan appropriate intervention. In order to do this, a framework is needed within which the assessment can be developed and interpreted, and a suitable task is required to obtain the necessary information about students' performances. The responses of 586 students to performance assessment tasks developed for the purpose of assessing a numeracy construct, rather than statistical understanding, were analysed against a previously identified hierarchy of Statistical Literacy. The findings suggest that the tasks provided reliable and interpretable evidence of performance in Statistical Literacy, using a classroom-based process rather than a traditional test.

The CAUSE Research Group is supported in part by a member initiative grant from the American Statistical Association’s Section on Statistics and Data Science Education