CCSS.Math.Content.HSS-IC.B.6
The Standard
Evaluate reports based on data.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read reports that use surveys, experiments, or observational data. They check how the data were collected, how results are displayed, and whether the stated conclusion is supported.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can identify the population, sample, variables, data source, and main claim in a report. They can judge whether the methods and displays support the conclusion, then cite specific evidence for their judgment.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume a large sample is automatically representative or that any graph proves the writer’s claim. They may overlook biased wording, missing scales, confounding variables, and the difference between correlation and causation.
How to Assess It
- Give students a short news claim with a graph and source note. Ask them to name one strength, one limitation, and whether the conclusion is justified.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups a printed news infographic and its source table, then have them mark accurate claims, missing context, and misleading displays.
Ask students to write whether a survey claim is convincing, citing the sample, question wording, graph, and one possible source of bias.
Play Claim Check, where teams inspect report cards and earn points for spotting unsupported conclusions, misleading graphs, or causal claims.
Compare two local weather or school survey reports, then decide which gives stronger evidence and explain why in three sentences.
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Printable HSS-IC.B.6 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.Math.Content.HSS-IC.B.6, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetLearning progression
Where This Standard Sits
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
- CCSS.Math.Content.HSS-IC.A.1
Understanding random samples and population inference helps students judge whether a data report’s conclusions are justified.
- CCSS.Math.Content.HSS-IC.B.3
Knowing study type and randomization helps students judge whether a data report’s conclusions are justified.
- CCSS.Math.Content.HSS-ID.C.9
Recognizing when data show association rather than cause helps students judge whether a report’s conclusions overstate the evidence.
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